CASTLETON, Vt. – First-half goals by Tanner Curtis and Adolphe Alfani as well as rock-solid defense allowed the Vermont State University Castleton men's soccer team to shut out Fitchburg State, 2-0, Tuesday evening.

Alfani's score marked his second of the season as Curtis collected his first career strike off an assist by Ayoob Musanovic. Between the posts for the Spartans (2-3), Andres Soto-Burgos was flawless against six shots on goal. The Falcons (2-3) had an 11-9 edge in shots and 6-0 advantage in corner kicks.

Fitchburg State sent the game's first two on-target darts at Soto-Burgos in the opening 15 minutes but the graduate student denied both. A goal kick following a Falcon miss in the 29th minute resulted in Musanovic gaining possession, threading a lead pass to Curtis whose left-footed boot found the back of the net for the Bay Head, N.J. product's first tally.

With 11:00 remaining in the first half, Fitchburg State was shown a red card to force 10-on-11 soccer for the rest of the contest. Moments after the penalty, Wyatt Robbie lofted a long pass into the attacking half to Alfani who beat his defender and launched a bullet past the Falcon goalie. Despite a furious second-half charge by the visitors, Soto-Burgos racked up four saves in the final 45 to mark his first victory of the 2023 campaign.

The Spartans wrap up their four-game homestand with the Little East Conference opener against Rhode Island College on Saturday, September 16. Kickoff is at 6 p.m.