CASTLETON, Vt. – The Castleton field hockey team advanced to the Little East Conference Championship semifinal round with a thrilling 5-1 defeat of Fitchburg State Tuesday afternoon.
The Spartans (12-7) had Emily Harris and Kaitlin Bardellini score two goals apiece as Kimberly McCarthy also tacked on a goal. Harris handed out a pair of assists while Bardellini and Jess Smithson tallied helpers as well. Zoe Martin shot down six shots with just one goal allowed.
After the third drawn corner of the game, the Spartans lit up the scoreboard in British Connection fashion as Smithson hit Harris for the Crondall, England native's record-breaking 31st goal of the season. In response, the Falcons (10-8) controlled possession to the point where the offense drew five corners in less than a minute. But the Spartan defense was unrelenting and stiffened, giving the midfield a chance to work. Harris attacked Falcon keeper Jenna Morse with a shot, followed by Bardellini who finished the job to make it a 2-0 game.
Fitchburg State retaliated with a score one minute into the second quarter from the stick of Sophia Yates to bring the Falcons within a goal. However, the visitors would not advance any further on the scoresheet. The Spartans hammered the Falcon goal but Morse stood strong for five saves in 52 seconds. On the opposite end, Martin stopped all on-target attempts to keep the score at 2-1 heading into halftime.
A passionate third period ensued coming out of the break as the squads combined for just five shots with on-goal and post-hitting darts from Harris. The nation's then-leader in goals, Lena Kassel, continued to be stuffed as Martin turned down the Stuttgart, Germany rookie's goal-bound shot.
Fourth quarter proceedings began quietly until the 51st minute when Harris sliced and diced through the defense to retake her position at the top of Division III scoring standings with her 32nd goal of the year. Two corners-turned-saved shots for the Spartans let the ball matriculate into FSU's offense, but tempers began to run high. With six minutes to go, a Falcon player earned a green card followed by another being shown a yellow. Displeasure on the bench led to a red card and Castleton began to exploit the two-man advantage as McCarthy knocked in a pass from Bardellini, extending the lead to 4-1. Minutes later, Bardellini scored on an assist from Harris to eclipse 100 points, becoming the eighth player in school history to do so and closing the contest with a 5-1 victory.
The Spartans travel to Worcester State on Thursday, November 3 for semifinal action. Game time is to be determined.
