CASTLETON, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton men's soccer team narrowly fell to Westfield State, 2-1, in a non-conference tilt Monday afternoon.
Tanner Curtis chalked up his third score of the season in a scrum just outside the goal. The Spartans (4-8-1) out-shot the Owls (6-6-1) by a 19-11 margin, but only four attempts were on target. Michael O'Connor logged a pair of shots on goal as Curtis and Lucas McCane added one apiece. JP Maul recorded three saves for VTSU Castleton while Westfield State keeper Luke Theroux batted down two shots.
Liam Cramer had the game's first shot, booting it off the post. A couple of wayward Spartan shots were matched by two on-net deliveries by the Owls that Maul denied midway through the first half. While clearing a Castleton corner kick, Paul Whalley found a seam to Carter Hebert who dashed 45 yards before launching a missile that gave WSU a 1-0 edge.
The hosts continued to maintain possession for a strong percentage of the half as Toby Ritzkowski saw two shots get blocked by the Owl defense. A 44th-minute flurry consisted of Cramer pinging another ball off the post and Curtis sending in a deflection. WSU had a defender stop the shot from hitting twine but it had already crossed the line, knotting proceedings at 1-1 as a differing Owls' bench was assessed a yellow.
An unremarkable start to the second stanza ramped up as Castleton broke up a trio of WSU corners. In the 71st minute, Coleby Andrade dribbled into the box and was tripped up, triggering a whistle to award the Owls a penalty kick. Matthew Allen converted with a right-footed dart to take the lead, 2-1.
The Spartans went on the attack for the final 10 minutes with two on-target shots and an O'Connor header that would have gotten through without a team save. A last chance opportunity arose for Castleton when Paul Whalley received the contest's eighth yellow card, setting up a free kick for Matt Spiller. The sophomore midfielder's boot had too much air, soaring over the crossbar as the Owls wound down the clock.
VTSU Castleton embarks on its third match in five days with a date at Trinity on Wednesday, October 18. Kickoff in Hartford, Conn. is scheduled for 6 p.m.
