CASTLETON, Vt. – The Vermont State University Castleton men's lacrosse team battled hard on Senior Day but came up short in a tightly contested Little East Conference matchup, falling 11-8 to Eastern Connecticut State Friday afternoon at Dave Wolk Stadium.
The Basics
• Final Score: Eastern Conn. St. 11, VTSU Castleton 8
• Location: Dave Wolk Stadium – Castleton, Vt.
• Records: Eastern Conn. St. 6-7 (3-5 LEC) | VTSU Castleton 3-12 (2-6 LEC)
How It Happened
Prior to the contest, Castleton took time to honor their four graduating seniors,
Liam Lovering,
Ethan Esposito,
Hunter Sarro and
Zac Smith.
Carter Frankenhoff got the Spartans going early, capitalizing on a man-up opportunity to score the first goal of the afternoon. With seconds remaining in the first quarter,
Cam Frankenhoff found the back of the net on a strong individual effort to give Castleton a 2-1 lead.
The second stanza remained equally as intense as Castleton battled back from a 5-3 deficit with scores from
Preston Kozlowski and
Cam Frankenhoff, while
Braydon Goddard tallied an assist, to see the score knotted at 5-all.
Quarter three played out just the same, as the visitors put up two goals to own a 7-5 advantage with 9:10 remaining in the frame. A pair of
Cam Frankenhoff erased the deficit and tied the score 7-7 heading into the final 15 minutes of the contest.
The Warriors scored three-straight to jump out to a 10-7 lead with 11:34 remaining in the contest before
Braydon Goddard was able to slow their momentum off a caused turnover and dish from
Gabe Rubio to pull the Spartans within two. The last score of the day belonged to EastConn as they effectively put the game away, securing an 11-8 victory and claiming the sixth and final spot in the Little East Conference playoffs.
Cam Frankenhoff was the driving force of the Spartan offense, finishing with five goals on the day.
Zac Smith anchored the effort in net, recording 14 saves and keeping Castleton within striking distance.
Despite a strong performance and a packed home crowd, Castleton couldn't close the gap in the final minutes.
The Spartans finished the season in the seventh spot in the LEC and will look to return 17 men to the 2026 roster.
