GORHAM, Maine – The Vermont State University Castleton men's lacrosse team earned its second victory of the season—and first in Little East Conference play—defeating the University of Southern Maine, 11-6, on Saturday.

The Basics
Final Score: Castleton 11, Southern Maine 6
Venue: Hannaford Stadium – Gorham, Maine
Records: Castleton 2-6 (1-0 LEC) | USM 2-4 (0-1 LEC)

How It Happened
Taysean Metz opened the scoring for Castleton, finishing a feed from Preston Kozlowski just 1:28 into play to give the Spartans a 1-0 lead. USM answered with a three-goal spurt to take a 3-1 advantage late in the stanza. Kozlowski closed out the first quarter with a man-up goal, assisted by Liam Evarts, to pull Castleton within one, 3-2.

The Huskies scored twice to open the second quarter, but Castleton responded with four goals to take a narrow 6-5 lead into the break. Kozlowski netted two during the run, while Cole Bowditch added a goal and an assist. Evarts contributed two helpers, and Matt Gregoire found the back of the net.

The second half belonged to Castleton, which outscored USM 5-1. Evarts led the charge with two goals and an assist, while Gregoire, Bowditch, and Jason Samek each added a goal. Kozlowski picked up an assist on the final tally to seal the 11-6 victory.

By the Numbers
• Evarts finished with a game-high six points on two goals and four assists.
• Kozlowski turned in a career-best performance with five points on three goals and two assists.
• Asa Forbes led the defense with three caused turnovers, while Samek collected a team-high four ground balls.
• Finn Maniaci earned his second win of the season, making 10 saves in net.

What's Next
The Spartans return home on Saturday, March 28, to host Salem State at 1 p.m. for Senior Day.