Lady Spartans fall in heartbreaker
Goaltender Jess Binkowski dives after the ball. Binkowski had seven saves in Saturday's loss agains RPI.
Christopher Williams/Castleton Spartan
With only 16.6 seconds left in regulation, the Castleton women’s soccer team allowed RPI to take a 2-1 lead that would hold out as the game winner on Saturday at Spartan Stadium.
Despite the loss, the Spartans battled and gave the impression that many wins are coming this season.
The Spartans started off their scoring in the ninth minute when Mallory Costello made a brilliant pass to Jenna Bostwick at the top of the box. Bostwick crushed the ball sending it just passed arms of RPI goaltender, Tori Riopelle.
Castleton was dominating.
However, RPI came back with a tally of their own. In the 43rd minute, the Engineers fired a shot, which was snatched by Castleton goalie Jess Binkowski for a huge save. But, Binkowski was unable to hold onto the ball, leaving it on the turf. RPI’s Hannah Bordogna took advantage sending the ball to the net to give RPI their first goal of the game.
According to sophomore midfielder Bri DiPhilppo the Spartans spirits could not be crushed.
“We didn’t get down on each other no matter what, we played well as a unit and stuck together,” she said.
The match was very evenly paced moving though the second half.
The Spartans utilized great defense anchored by junior Captain Allie Vachon. Vachon’s elusiveness and speed help saved many RPI opportunities.
Although the match appeared to be headed for an extra period, Castleton just couldn’t fight off the hungry Engineers.
With 16.6 seconds left Cori Winslow struck the ball with great force sending it just over the head of Binkowski for the game winner.
The heart-wrenching loss was tough for the Spartans to take, but DiPhilippo is confident about the outlook for the rest of the season.
“If we keep practicing, and playing hard we have a great chance in conference and with the NAC title,” she said.
The lady Spartans have a 3-3 record and play again at home against Lyndon State on Sept. 20.
More Stories
Women’s lacross dominates in ‘Morgan’s Message’
On Saturday, March 30, Castleton women’s lacrosse team hosted a memorial game for the cause Morgan’s Message. Morgan’s message is an organization fueled by sharing stories and resources to strengthen student-athlete mental health. Students can become ambassadors for Morgan’s Message and help plan events such as memorial games, team community service efforts, and creating Morgan’s […]
Baseball team looking to turn things around
In a season that started down south, the Castleton baseball team has consistently struggled this season sitting with a 2-17 record at just about the halfway point of the season. However, only four of those games have been Little East Conference match ups. As the Spartans head into the second half of the season they […]
Wrestling season breaks records
Another season of Castleton wrestling is in the books, and this year’s team definitely made it one for the record books. The team won every single tournament it entered in the regular season, they placed third in the region – bringing six wrestlers to nationals – and capped off the season by ranking 12th in […]
Softball hitting it’s stride to start the season
In the sunny state of South Carolina, the Castleton softball team kicked off its season with a hot start going 5-3 during its trip to the south. “We were able to get off to a good start on our spring trip, and that gives us a gauge of where we are early,” said head coach […]
We are the champions
After a slushy finish atop Whiteface Mountain in the Adirondacks, the Castleton Alpine Ski Team saw two members walk up to stand in the first-place spot on the podium receiving the title of national champions. Both Emilie Stene and Lorenzo Mencaccini became the fourth and fifth national champions that the Spartans have produced in program […]
Wrestling ramps up for nationals
As the hard-fought wrestling season is near its end, the VTSU Castleton wrestling team is sending six stars to compete in the NCAA National Championships. James Rodriguez, Gavin Bradley, Sampson Wilkins, Nate Camiscioli, Nick Roeger, and Darby McLaughlin will all represent the school. Rodriguez, a senior and two-time All-American, is making his third straight trip […]