CASTLETON, Vt. – The Castleton University women's lacrosse team was downed in Little East Conference action at Dave Wolk Stadium Saturday evening, falling to Western Connecticut State University by a final score of 20-3 on Senior Day.
 
The Spartans wrap up the regular season 3-8 overall and 2-5 in LEC play, earning the No. 6 seed in the upcoming LEC Championship Tournament. The Spartans will go head-to-head with the No. 3 seed, Plymouth State, in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at 7p.m. WestConn wraps the season with an unbeaten record of 7-0, including a 5-0 mark in LEC action. The Colonials will be the No. 1 seed in the tournament and will play the winner of the Keene State vs. Eastern Connecticut matchup on Thursday, April 29.
 
WestConn controlled play from the outset, outshooting Castleton 49-9 and collecting 33 ground balls to Castleton's six. Castleton won 9-of-14 draws in the opening half, but WestConn went 9-for-11 in the second half to finish the day with a 14-11 edge in draw controls. Castleton went 7-of-20 on the clear, while WestConn was a perfect 9-for-9 on the clear.
 
Kimberly McCarthy had a pair of goals for the Spartans, while Aubra Linn scored once and had an assist in the contest. Calista Carl had a pair of ground balls and caused a turnover on defense. Ryanne Mix led the team with five draw controls. Raven Payne made 18 saves in the contest, her third straight game with double-digit saves.
 
Caroline Galligan had five points on four goals and one assist, while Victoria Gracy and Brianna Pota had three goals and two assists each. Dominique DeMarsico and Alexa Riggio had three goals apiece, with DeMarsico adding an assist for a four-point night. Gracy, DeMarsico and Katelyn Contreras had five ground balls each, while Katie Keane caused six turnovers on defense. Anna Schipf made three saves in 41 minutes to earn the win.
 
WestConn opened the game with five unanswered goals, taking a 5-0 lead midway through the opening half. McCarthy stopped the run with her 25th goal of the year, making it 5-1, but WestConn answered shortly after to start another lengthy run that spanned the remainder of the half and gave the visitors a 12-1 lead at halftime.
 
After the Colonials notched the opening goal of the second half, McCarthy again stopped the bleeding with her second goal of the game, making it 13-2. WestConn extended its lead to 18-2 before Linn found twine for her 19th goal of the year. WestConn scored the final two goals of the game to make it a 20-3 final score.