NASHUA, N.H. – The Vermont State University Castleton women's lacrosse team fell in a non-conference matchup at Rivier University on Thursday afternoon, 14-5.

The Basics
Final Score: Rivier 14, Castleton 5
Venue: Joanne Merrill Field – Nashua, N.H.
Records: Rivier 5-5 | Castleton 1-5

How it Happened
The hosts opened the afternoon with a five-goal scoring run to take a 5-0 advantage with 3:42 remaining in the first stanza. Renny Cota halted the run for Castleton with an unassisted tally at 2:02, making it 5-1.

The two sides traded goals to open the second quarter, with the Spartans' tally once again coming from Cota to make it 6-2. The Raiders added another for their seventh goal of the day, while Halle Christian found the scoresheet, capitalizing on a feed from Megan Culp with three seconds remaining in the half to make it 7-3.

Rivier went on another five-goal run that spanned two quarters to build a nine-goal advantage, 12-3, with 12:34 remaining. Taylor Tallmadge stopped the surge at 8:16 with an unassisted goal, cutting the deficit to 12-4.

The Raiders added two more goals, while Culp recorded a man-up score for the Spartans, as Rivier secured the 14-5 victory.

By the Numbers
• Cota and Culp led the team with two points each—Cota with two goals and Culp with a goal and an assist.
• Phoebe Loomis controlled the draw with five draw controls.
• Defense was a team effort, as Culp, Lanza Bellomo, Courtney Magee, and Emma-Claire Caskey each caused three turnovers. Culp also led the team with eight ground balls.
• In goal, Samantha White made seven saves.

What's Next
The Spartans return to conference play on Saturday, March 28, traveling to WestConn for a 1 p.m. draw.