HENNIKER, N.H. – The Vermont State University Castleton women's lacrosse team picked up its first win of the season on Saturday as it took down New England College on the road, 15-9.

The Basics
• Final Score: VTSU Castleton 15, NEC 9
• Location: Don Melander Field – Henniker, N.H.
• Records: Castleton 1-1 | NEC 0-1

How it Happened
The hosts took just over 90 seconds to find the back of the goal as Lucy Armour scored the Pilgrims' first goal of the season. This ignited a massive Castleton run, which saw it score four goals to take a 4-1 lead early in the second quarter. Goals came off the sticks of Phoebe Loomis, Renny Cota, Gianna Geraci, and Bella Gale on the man-up advantage, with Loomis and Brianna Paul recording assists during the span.

NEC was able to capitalize on a Geraci green card as it pulled within two goals, thanks to a successful Carmela Goodwin free-position shot with 9:08 remaining in the period. The Spartans were able to extend their lead to five goals heading into the break, with Loomis and Cota scoring unassisted, while Paul was helped along by Gale.

Castleton scored three more times to open the second half, with Megan Ward netting her first goal of the season while Paul and Geraci's tallies continued to grow, making it 10-2. NEC answered with a pair of goals to pull within six, 10-4. The quarter saw five more goals, three by Castleton and two by NEC, for a 13-6 advantage in favor of the Spartans.

The final quarter opened with a Gale man-up score for her second of the contest, followed by three goals from the hosts to make it 14-9 with 1:31 remaining in the game. While the clock wound down, Castleton recorded one final free-position goal off the stick of Ward with 19 seconds left to claim a 15-9 victory.

Top Performers
Ward had a standout performance, recording her first four goals of the season to lead the Spartans in scoring. She also won a team-best six draw controls and scooped up three ground balls.

Atop the points category was Paul with her hat trick and three assists. She also grabbed five ground balls. Loomis, Cota, Gale, and Geraci all scored two goals apiece. The former finished with two assists, while the next two recorded one.

Leading the defensive effort was Courtney Magee with a team-high two caused turnovers and eight ground balls. Loomis, along with Hana Doria, Gretel Seaman, and Kailyn August, also caused one turnover each.

In the crease for the Spartans, Katie Stager made three saves en route to her first career victory.

What's Next
Castleton will make its first appearance on home turf on Tuesday as it hosts Rivier University for a 6 p.m. start time.