CASTLETON, Vt. – The Norwich University football team saw its six game winning streak come to an end after a 31-13 loss to Castleton University in the Eastern College Football Conference (ECFC) and the Maple Sap Bucket game.

Quarterback Philippe Bazinet (Otterburn Park, Quebec) threw for 144 passing yards (17-36) with three picks, while running back Quincy Williams (Brossard, Quebec) rushed a team-high 101 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Pierre Noel (Manchester, N.H.) caught six receptions for 68 yards, as Matt Mulcahy (Essex, Vt.) caught five for 35 yards.

Senior Eleazar Rausseo (Cooper City, Fla.) led the defensive efforts with 12 tackles for Norwich, while Sir Michael Finney (Killeen, Texas) and Eric Wabrek (Bridgewater, Mass.) record seven tackles each.

Norwich (6-4, 6-1 ECFC) would get off to a fast start in the opening quarter after a 58-yard drive before Williams' one-yard run put the Cadets on the board.

On Castleton's (6-4, 5-2 ECFC) next possession, the Spartans marched downfield for 44 yards before missing a 30-yard field goal attempt that sailed wide left.

Norwich looked to get ahead once again two drives later only to come away with a turnover after Castleton's Derek McAdoo (Essex Junction, Vt.) intercepted Bazinett's pass. The Spartans would need just six plays to score to equalize the game after quarterback George Busharis (Mansfield, Mass.) found wide receiver Clyde Machia (Rutland, Vt.) open for the 4-yard touchdown pass.

The Cadets struggled to move the chains in the second quarter as Castleton picked off a Bazinett's pass for the second time before a strong stop on a fourth down forced a turnover on downs.

Castleton were presented another opportunity to score in the second quarter inside the Cadets' 20-yard line but Norwich's secondary would put the pressure on the Spartans' wide receivers for the turnover on downs with 6:05 remaining in the first half. The Cadets went to work, looking to produce yardage but would come up short and were forced to punt the ball away.

On the next Spartan drive, Busharis connect with Machia on a 53-yard bomb to give Castleton its first lead of the game with 5:17 remaining in the first half. The Cadets looked to muster up a score to knot the game, but would head into the locker room trailing by seven at the half.

Norwich would record 194 offensive yards to the Spartan's 181 but a pair of interceptions limited the Cadets' opportunity to score. While Castleton held the ball for just ten minutes in the half, the Spartans would only come up with one red-zone scores on three chances.

Castleton received the kickoff to start the second half and quickly got off to a fast start as Busharis threw a 36-yard pass to wide receiver Sore Pelz-Walsh (Dummerson, Vt.) before a pair of false starts backed the Spartans up to Norwich's 36-yard line. After three rushing attempts for the score, Castleton settled on a 21-yard field goal to extend the lead.

Norwich would cut the deficit back to seven on 12 play drive for 45 yards before junior kicker Wesley Medeiros (Gilford, N.H.) kicked a 40-yard field goal through the uprights to make it 17-10.

Castleton extended the lead once again after Machias threw for 31 yards before running back Moe Harris (Pine Hill, N.J.) found the end zone on a 33 yard run to put the Spartans ahead, 24-10.

After a 41 yard drive on eight plays into Castleton's red-zone, Norwich's offensive movement came to an impasse as the Cadets had to settle for a Medeiro's 39 yard field goal to trail 24-13 at the end of the third quarter.

After an attempt to move the chains midway through the fourth quarter, Norwich was forced to punt. On the attempt, Castleton's defensive back Vince Sorce (New Hartford, Conn.) got a piece of the ball off of Medeiro's foot, picked it up and ran it back for the touchdown to make it 31-13. 

Norwich looked to rebound late in the game after a slow start but the Spartans' defense would come up with a pick to seal the win and retain the Maple Sap Bucket trophy for the second straight year.

The Cadets produced 312 offensive yards, 144 in the air and 168 on the ground, and scored twice in the red-zone followed by a pair of field goals.

Despite the loss, the Cadets clinched the 2015 ECFC title and the automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Division III Football Playoffs, which will be will be announced on Sunday, November 15 at 6 pm with a live web stream of the announcement available at www.ncaa.com.