The Spartans went into Spring Break with a full slate of games on the menu, but Mother Nature took its toll and provided a major setback.Castleton entered a two-game road trip after defeating a tough Maine Maritime squad 10-3.

Emerson played host to the Spartans in North Atlantic Conference action and Castleton boasted a trio of first-half goals and would cruise to a 12-3 win.

Senior Stephen Gerding and sophomore Robbie Scanlon scored three goals each, while Matt Varney and Matt VanDerKar each chipped in a pair. Michael Mamunes earned the victory in net, stopping five of seven shots before leaving late in the fourth period.

The Spartans suffered a less pleasant outcome against Western Connecticut State losing 14-5.

Castleton got three goals from VanDerKar, two from Adam Rosati and Michael Martinez had two assists.

This past week, originally scheduled games against Thomas and Norwich were postponed due to the snow and poor field conditions. Castleton has already rescheduled its matchup with Thomas for April 22.

Coach Dave Wiezalis, with a record of 19-11 in his first two seasons at the helm, said he is impressed with Castleton’s early-season play and has high expectations for his squad.

“I think we’ve played well so far,” Wiezalis said. “Our extra man opportunities and groundball possessions are keeping us in games.

The Spartan men are currently 3-3 and sport a conference record of 2-0.

Women’s Lacrosse

On the women’s side, the Lady Spartans were also forced to cancel a pair of games over vacation.

Currently with a record of 2-2 with a NEWLA record of 2-1, the team was snowed out of a road contest against Dominican and the home opener against Thomas.

Heading into yesterday’s battle with Westfield State, Katelyn Greene leads the Spartans with six goals this season and Nicole Bouchard is right behind her with five. Sophomore goalkeeper Meredith Pope is currently 1-1 with a total of 16 saves.