Tuesday, April 17 marked the final home game of the 2023 season for the Castleton men’s lacrosse team when they faced off against the UMass Boston Beacons (11-6) at Dave Wolk Stadium. 

The Spartans (4-12) fell to the Beacons 25-7 during the Little East Conference game.

Sophomore Christian Dindino was peppered with shots through the first 45 minutes of play racking up 21 saves on 57 shots attempts faced. In the fourth quarter, freshman Conor McWeeny came in for relief and made six saves on 20 shot attempts faced. 

The Beacons shot out of the gate and went up and had a 6-0 lead until senior Chris LaBonte netted his first of the night making it 6-1. 

The first quarter ended with that 6-1 score, and in the second quarter the Beacons came out quick and scored again making it 7-1. 

But LaBonte again had a response, putting in his second of the game making it 7-2. 

After that, however, it was all Beacons in the second quarter, scoring 10 more goals and  going into half with a 17-2 lead. To round out the scoring for the Spartans in the rest of the game, Cam Frankenhoff had two goals, Sean Kimura had a goal, Liam Everts had one as well and LaBonte finished off the hat trick late in the fourth quarter with 30 seconds remaining.

A bright spot in the Spartans lineup as of recently has been LaBonte who netted his second consecutive hat trick against the Beacons after a five-goal performance in a valiant comeback effort against Southern Maine on Saturday April 22. 

Fellow senior Sean Kimura also had two assists to go with his goal.

“As far as the eight goals, I just really thought to myself about how close I am to being done and how I wanted to leave here being satisfied with my effort and dedication to this team. Even though our chances for playoffs were no longer in reach, I really made a conscious effort to try my hardest for the little time I had left in my lacrosse career,” said LaBonte. 

While this was the last Spartan home game of the season, it also marked the last home game for the 10 seniors on the team. 

“I think these guys have a lot to be proud of as they wrap up their Spartan careers and can hold their heads high for all they’ve accomplished and all they’ve been through,” said head coach Bo McDougall. 

Kimura and LaBonte led the Spartans in points this season with 26 and 24 respectively. Kimura’s 1.14 assists per game ranked 14th in the Little East Conference while LaBonte sat just outside of the top 15 for goals per game. 

“Our seniors were great to play with, we had a handful of key guys in the senior class and they really helped keep the boys going and set the tone during games and practices,” said junior Hunter Sarro. 

The Spartans closed out their 2023 campaign against Massachusetts Maritime Academy falling 26-11. LaBonte continued his hot streak and netted another hat trick alongside two helpers to finish off his Castleton career.