The Spartans dropped two straight games on the road at the University of Southern Maine, ultimately ending their otherwise very successful season.

Castleton finished with an 11-8 record overall, and an 8-4 Little East Conference record in the 2019- 20 season.

Two consecutive losses, 2-1 on Nov. 2 in the final game of the regular season and 2-0 on Tuesday Nov. 5 in the LEC quarterfinals to the Huskies of Southern Maine, saw the Spartans season come to an end. This marks three straight losses to Southern Maine for the Spartans dating back to last year.

In the final regular season game, Allison Lowell provided hope for Castleton with a game-tying goal in the third quarter.

Senior goalie Tashia Pashby-Rockwood recorded four saves in the contest.

The final game of the season resulted in a shutout for the Spartans, a game that junior Gabriella Hunt feels truly got away from Castleton.

“Our last game against USM just came down to who wanted it more,” Hunt said. “I don’t think it was a lack of effort, but rather being mentally prepared.”

Hunt had a tremendous third year for the Spartans. The Granville, New York native scored a season and team-high in goals this season with 18, adding to her career total of 39 in a Castleton jersey.

Hunt’s secret to success was her team’s ability to provide scoring opportunities for her to capitalize on.

“It felt good to be on the boards quite a bit this season, but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates,” Hunt said.

Enjoying her final season as a Spartan field hockey member, senior Olivia Trevisani reflected on this year standing out over the prior three.

“The major thing that was different out of all of the four seasons was definitely the team chemistry,” Trevisani said. “During my hardest days, my teammates had my back and I honestly couldn’t have done it without them. I’ve never experienced so much love and appreciation coming from my teammates and with that, it definitely impacted on how I played on the field.”

In order to get over the hump that has been postseason play, Castleton will need to rely on consistent offensive production from players like Hunt, and hope for continued growth from breakout star Kaitlin Bardellini. As a freshman, Bardellini stuffed the stat sheet with 32 points, 12 goals and eight assists providing a spark of energy and youth for a Spartan team with seven of the 16 members being seniors.

Already looking forward to next season, Hunt is hoping to lead the Spartans to a conference championship.

“We learned from our mistakes and we will remember that feeling,” Hunt said. “We are now going to use it to motivate us to work hard and get ready for next season.”