BOSTON, Mass. – In a low-scoring LEC battle with playoff seeding at stake, freshman Matt Spiller's score in the 55^th minute turned out to be the decider in Castleton men's soccer's 1-0, upset victory over UMass Boston Saturday afternoon.
 
The win catapulted the Spartans past Keene State and into fourth place in the conference standings, meaning they will now host the opening round of the LEC playoffs for the first time since joining the conference in 2018.
 
Castleton (7-9-2, 3-4-1 LEC) were outshot 12-4 in the opening half, but their harassing defense forced all but two of the Beacons' (9-5-3, 6-2 LEC) shot attempts to go wide. Those that did find their way on frame were handled by goalie Andres Soto-Burgos, who secured his fifth win of the season and second in shutout fashion. With neither side able to break open the scoring, the game went into halftime level at zero.
 
UMass Boston kept their foot on the gas to begin the second half — the Beacons got off five shots in the first five minutes — but it was the Spartans capitalizing on their first attempt of the half from Matt Spiller. Jumping into the passing lane in UMass Boston's half, the freshman forced a turnover and beat one Beacon defenders before sending a volley past UMass Boston's keeper and in for the first score of the afternoon.
 
The goal was Spillers' third on the season to go with his team-high five assists, as the freshman has now either scored or assisted in four of Castleton's last seven games.
 
With the Beacons eager to response, the Spartans locked down on the defensive end, fighting off 18 second-half shots — five more of which were saved by Soto-Burgos — from UMass Boston to hold on for the crucial 1-0 victory, the first time an LEC opponent had shut out the Beacons all season.
 
Castleton will now host Rhode Island College in the opening round of the LEC Playoffs Tuesday, November 1, with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m.