MIDDLEBURY, Vt, - The Castleton field hockey team was back in action Tuesday night to take on No. 1 Middlebury College. In a fast-paced, high-intensity game, the Spartans could not keep up with the three-time defending national champions, dropping the game 11-1 for their second loss of the season.
 
The Panthers (1-0) applied heavy pressure from the moment the game started, forcing Castleton turnovers early and often. The Spartans (1-2) back line held Middlebury off for as long as they could, but just under five minutes into the game Panthers' Amy Griffin rocketed one into the back of the cage to give her team the early advantage.
 
Middlebury would tack on three more goals in the opening quarter to make it a 4-0 game 15 minutes in, but it could have been much worse if not for the performance from sophomore Hannah Frittenburg. The Spartans goalie made a career -high nine saves in the first — she would finish the game with 13 in just 23 minutes — to at least keep the Panthers from running away with it too early.
 
It was more of the same carrying into the second quarter as Middlebury was able to capitalize on Castleton's mistakes, adding three more goals to their tally in the first five minutes. Freshman Maddi Leduc would replace Frittenburg in the cage halfway through the quarter, but the result was the same, with the Panthers extending their lead to 10-0 at halftime.
 
Castleton showed signs of life in the second half and got themselves on the scoreboard five minutes into the frame to prevent the shutout. Off their second corner of the day, Kaitlin Bardellini passed the ball in to Madelyn Cote. The sophomore drew the Middlebury defenders before dumping the ball off to classmate Emily Harris who sent her shot past the Panthers' keeper for her sixth goal of the year, making it an 11-1 game heading into the fourth.
 
After a busy opening three quarters, both teams showed signs of fatigue in the final frame and were held scoreless, making the result an 11-1 loss for the Spartans. Despite the final score, the second half appeared to be a bright spot for Castleton and will give them something to build as they look to get back in the win column. Next up for the Spartans is another road trip, this time to Framingham, Mass. to take on Framingham State Saturday Sept. 11, with the match set to start at 1 P.M.