Spartans defense strong, sit at 3-0 in conference play

The Thomas College goalie can't stop this Spartans shot. The Spartans won 3-0.
Christopher Williams/Castleton Spartan

The Castleton State College women’s soccer team remained perfect in conference play as they picked up wins over Thomas and Maine Farmington this past weekend.
The Spartans silenced the offense of both opponents, allowing 0 goals in 180 minutes of play.
On Saturday, Castleton made light work of the Terriers from Thomas College. The Spartans picked up first-half goals from sophomore Dominque Valancius and freshman Marissa Benson to set the tone early. Benson’s finish will prove to be a memorable one as she notched her first collegiate goal.
In the 61st minute, sophomore Jess Phillips put the dagger in the opponent with a rocket of a goal from 20 yards out. The Spartans went on to pick up a 3-0 win while outshooting Thomas 36-3 in the process.
One goal was all the Spartans needed on Sunday, as a Sarah Carlson strike proved to be the difference in Castleton’s 1-0 win over Maine Farmington. Carlson, a freshman, has been a standout performer for the Spartan offense this season, scoring 5 goals already.
“It feels pretty awesome I guess, scoring the game winning goal,” Carlson said with a humble smile on her face.
 Carlson was undoubtedly excited to get the goal, but she was quick to credit her goalkeeper Jess Binkowski for her hard work in net over the weekend.
“Jess was amazing. Two shutouts this weekend, that’s pretty good,” Carlson said.
Binkowski picked up six saves en route to her two shutouts over the weekend.
“It felt great to not have any goals scored on us and to hold our own defensively and prove that we can compete and excel in our conference,” Binkowski said.
Binkowski credited her defense for their communication and confidence throughout the game.  
Head coach Chris Chapdelaine saw room for improvement in his team’s play, but was happy with their ability to defend in tough games.
“I think the thing we took from this is that we’re confident we can defend. Playing those tough teams earlier in the year you learn whether you can defend or not, and right now our girls are confident in protecting a 1-0 lead. They’re confident in our goalkeeper and they’re confident in their ability to not give up a goal,” Chapdelaine said.
The Spartans are now 3-0 in conference play as they head into a rematch of last year’s NAC championship at Colby-Sawyer next Saturday at 3:30pm.

 

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