CASTLETON, Vt. – There was plenty of drama late in Castleton men's soccer's match against Nichols College Wednesday afternoon, but an early goal from Charlie Cisneros and late PK save from Jonathan Maul were enough to carry the Spartans to a 1-0 win in front of the home crowd.
 
Wednesday's contest got off to a roaring start, with Cisneros' first score of the season coming just under four minutes into the game to set the tone. Matt Spiller found himself with the ball at the right corner of the box and sent a curling shot toward net. Making the initial save was the Bisons' (5-3-1, 0-0-1 CCC) Derek Axon, but there for the tap-in was Cisneros to give Castleton (3-2-1, 1-0 LEC) the early lead.
 
The Spartans found themselves on the backfoot for much of the remaining half, but an excellent performance from Maul kept Nichols off the scoreboard. Making his fifth career start, the junior was perfect for Castleton, saving all six shots he faced en route to his first-ever shutout.
 
The second half began much like the first ended, with three Bison shots in the opening 10 minutes, but Maul continued his stellar game until it was the Spartans' turn to respond. From the 64^th minute to the 74^th, Castleton racked up six shots, including great looks from Stanley Andersen, Jacob Henderson and Michael O'Connor, but none found their way to the back of the net, keeping it a 1-0 game.
 
Nichols went on all-out-attack as time wound down with the hopes of salvaging a point, and it looked as though they would at the 86:43 mark when a foul was called in the Spartans' box. With only himself between the ball and the back of the net, Maul dove to his right and saved the penalty with an outstretched hand, sending the crowd into a frenzy and keeping the shutout alive.
 
The Bisons found themselves with one last chance in the 89^th minute with a free kick just outside the box, but a block by the wall sent it away and the final whistle blew, handing Castleton a hard-earned 1-0 victory, their third in a row.
 
Up next for the red-hot Spartans is a conference matchup with Rhode Island College Saturday, September 24. Kickoff for their first of four straight road games is scheduled for 1 p.m.