CASTLETON, Vt. — Junior
Bella Mancini (Bellingham, Mass.) scored a season-high four markers, but the Corsairs couldn't overcome an outstanding individual performance in the Castleton net as the Spartans earned a 16-10 Little East Conference victory this afternoon at Spartan Stadium. Castleton junior goalie Raven Payne (Cornwall, Vt.) registered the highest single-game save total (19) by a conference netminder this season to keep the visitors at-bay.
Castleton won its second straight contest to improve to 3-6, and 2-3 in the conference circuit, while UMass Dartmouth remained winless at 0-6 and 0-5 in LEC play.
Mancini sparked the Corsairs offensive attack with her second multi-goal game of the season and sixth of her career. She also scooped up five ground balls to share the team lead. First-year
Melanny Sanchez Alvarez (Stamford, Conn.) registered a hat trick, while sophomore
Beatriz Tavares (Dartmouth, Mass.) added a pair of markers. Junior
Hannah Niemi (Fairhaven, Mass.) won team-best five draw controls, while junior
Kylie Dias (Fall River, Mass.) and first-year
Widline Thomas (Stamford, Conn.) each collected five ground balls.
Junior Aubra Linn (Hampden, Maine) and first-year Kimberly McCarthy (West Sayville, N.Y.) combined to score 10 goals, while sophomore Lacey Greenamyre (Middlebury, Vt.) registered a team-high seven points, on three goals and four assists, to lead the Spartans.
UMass Dartmouth opened the scoring at 3:13 mark of the first half with an unassisted tally by Mancini. Castleton used a three-goal surge to take its first advantage of the contest, but the Corsairs responded with consecutive goals from Mancini and Sanchez Alvarez to forge a 3-all tie midway through the frame. The Spartans utilized another three-goal run to build a 6-3 advantage, but Mancini briefly stemmed the tide. Castleton doubled its lead with back-to-back scores, but UMass Dartmouth answered with markers from Tavares and Sanchez-Alvarez to cut the deficit to 8-5. Payne registered 12 of her 19 stops in the opening 30 minutes to help the hosts take a 9-6 halftime advantage.
Castleton methodically extended its lead to 12-5 by outscoring the Corsairs 4-0 over the first 14 minutes, three seconds of the second stanza. The visitors chipped away at their deficit with a two-goal push, but the Spartans never let their lead dip below five goals over the 10 minutes of regulation.
First-year
Tahlia Amaral (Acushnet, Mass.) played all 60 minutes in net and reach double digits in saves for the third consecutive match and fourth time on the season with 12 stops.
Castleton held a slight advantage in shots (39-37), while each team won 14 draws. UMass Dartmouth scooped up 33 ground balls compared to 27 by the Spartans.
UMass Dartmouth will return to action at 5pm on Wednesday, April 21, when the Corsairs travel to Western Connecticut (2-0) for a Little East Conference match.
