CASTLETON, Vt. – Six Spartans found the back of the net in the Vermont State University Castleton men's soccer team's home-opening 6-1 rout of VTSU Johnson Wednesday evening.
After scoring the Spartans' (1-2) initial tally against Sage last week, Toby Ritzkowski had a productive night with his second goal and an assist. Senior Charlie Cisneros converted his first career penalty kick in the 67th minute with a lower-right dart. Returning high-scorers Adolphe Alfani, Matt Spiller, and Seth Dube etched their names on the scoresheet as well, while Sam Barr bagged his first collegiate goal. Michael O'Connor led VTSU Castleton in shots with four, earning an assist on Ritzkowski's 73rd-minute strike. Goalkeeper JP Maul got the start between the posts as the Westwood, N.J. native earned his fifth career victory.
A flurry of offense in the 12th minute began with a narrowly-saved shot from Cisneros that the Badgers (0-3) attempted to clear, but Spiller intercepted it and buried the night's first score. The Spartans kept the ball in the midfield for most of the period, firing eight shots with one on goal. Coming out of halftime, VTSU Johnson drove downfield quickly with a long pass from Logan Ingalls to Erick Soto whose shot flew just under the crossbar to tie the contest at 1-1. The home team responded in a hurry when Ritzkowski gave a similar lead pass to Alfani as the junior forward launched from the top-left corner of the box to retake the edge.
Spiller took a corner kick around the 66th minute when Badger goalie Dylan Haskins committed a foul in the box, spurring a Spartan penalty kick that Cisneros buried. VTSU Castleton kept the momentum rolling minutes later when a sprinting Ritzkowski received a pass from O'Connor on the right side, scooting a shot inside the left post to take a three-goal lead. Moments afterward, Haskins attempted to suppress an offensive surge led by Dube, deflecting the ball back to Barr. The first-year Spartan lifted a shot into the box that bounced off a Badger and into the visiting net. Dube rounded out the scoring in the 86th minute, getting past a defender and launching a 25-yard attempt that tipped off Haskins' hand and into pay dirt.
The 6-1 victory notched the program's highest single-game goal total and largest score differential since a 6-0 defeat of VTSU Lyndon in 2018.
The Spartans are back at Dave Wolk Stadium on Saturday, September 9 to challenge Clarkson. Kickoff against the Golden Knights is at 1 p.m.
