Spartans shutout by Union College 2-0
Bryce Kaler dribbles with the ball during a home game earlier this season.
Tori Pizzuto/Castleton Spartan
The Castleton Spartans men’s soccer team suffered a 2-0 loss against Union College on Saturday Oct. 18.
The match may have scarred the Spartans with some battle wounds against a tough non-conference opponent, but Coach John O’Connor feels the team took a step in the right direction.
“I thought we played very well actually for what we were trying to accomplish … we gained a lot this game,” he said.
A failed Spartan clear set up the first goal for the Union Dutchmen as Andrew Fontaine was able to collect the ball and beat goalie Amir Pasic to put the Dutchmen up 1-0.
Castleton continued to battle, however, thwarting numerous Union opportunities. The defense was anchored by Amir Pasic, who received his first start of the season and recorded three saves.
O’Connor was very excited to have Pasic playing after seeing sit out the beginning of the season with an eligibility issue.
In the 62nd minute, Blake Hart fired a shot creating a great opportunity for the Spartans, but it sailed just wide.
Moments later, Bryce Kaler sent a blistering shot the right corner, but was robbed by the Union goaltender.
Andrew Fontaine tallied his second goal in the 75th minute when he sent a shot to the top right corner to beat Pasic.
Kaler said he is excited to continue conference play and see where the team lands in the seeding.
“It’s anyone’s game right in this conference with all the scrambled results. Both loses we’ve had have been very close games,” he said.
Midfielder Spencer Dandurand stressed how important team dynamic will be in their success the rest of the season.
“We’ve stuck to our team philosophy well. We haven’t gotten the results we wanted, but we’re definitely getting better as a team,” he said.
The Spartans are now 6-8-1 with a 4-2-1 mark in the NAC.
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