CASTLETON, Vt.—The Norwich University women's lacrosse team dropped an 18-3 loss to in-state rival Castleton State College on Thursday evening in non-conference action.

Grace Fitzpatrick (Falmouth, Maine) finished with all three goals for the Cadets, while Cheyenne Mata-Notel (East Hampton, N.Y.) made 13 saves in the loss. Amanda Flodstrom and Kate Auer each finished with three goals and an assist while Sarah Clark notched three goals. Jessica Taplin scored twice and dished off an assist while Brandi Whittemore notched two goals and two assists. Lily Derbyshire made a save and earned the win for the Spartans.

In the first half, the Spartans jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, with senior Taplin opening the scoring with a goal 1:49 into the game. North Atlantic Conference Player of the Year Flodstrom added a tally and Sarah Clark notched two scores in the first 10 minutes of the game to give the Spartans an early lead.

Norwich responded with two goals of their own to cut the lead in half. Fitzpatrick notched two back-to-back goals at 21:01 and 19:28 to put the Cadets within two goals, cutting the lead to 4-2.

After the early blemishes, the Spartan defense locked down and went the rest of the half without allowing a goal. Castleton rattled off nine consecutive goals to take a 13-2 lead into the half. NAC All-Conference First Team selection Kate Auer notched three goals in the first frame, while Clark slotted in two more before the break.

In the second half, Castleton picked up where it left off, outscoring the Cadets 5-1 in the final frame. Flodstrom added her 50th goal of the season 4:15 into the half. Jennilee Mark, Jessica Potash, Brianna MacKay, and Shelby Smyth each scored as well to put the Spartans up 18-3.

Castleton improves to 10-7 on the year, marking their sixth consecutive season with at least 10 wins. The Spartans advance to the NCAA Tournament after their NAC title and find out their opponent in the selection show on Sunday night.

The Cadets wrap up the season with a 6-9 overall record and fell to Simmons College 9-8 in overtime of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference tournament semifinal to conclude postseason play. 

Courtesy of Castleton Sports Information