NORTHFIELD, Vt.- Thanks to a dramatic second-half comeback, the Norwich Women's Soccer team notched its first victory over intrastate rival Vermont State Castleton on Wednesday night since Oct. 6, 2008, under the Sabine Field lights.

The Spartans held an early edge early in the contest, but Michaela Dubey (Belchertown, Mass.) held the fort. As the first half wore on, the Cadets started pushing the offense against Castleton Emma Ezzo, with her coming up with several stops against Colby Magoon (Loudon, N.H.). Before the break, Ezzo made another save against Zoey Lazzaro (Peterborough, N.H.).

The Spartans broke through despite Norwich holding the edge to open the second half. A Maggie Parker throw-in found Chloe Green in the box before she broke free to break the scoreless tie. In response, the Cadets continued to pressure the Castleton defense. Soon after a Spartan yellow card, Norwich finally found twine. From the left sideline, a Carys O'Connor (Fremont, N.H.) throw-in found Kat Probst (Gouverneur, N.Y.) in the attacking end. Probst shook off the defenders before tapping home the equalizer to the bottom left corner to even the score in the 77^th minute.

After the goal, Castleton held the edge briefly before Norwich countered. Magoon and Lily Briggs (Fair Haven, Vt.) exchanged touches before Briggs sent a cross into the box. The pass deflected off a Spartan defender directly to Heidi Smith (Sammamish, Wash.), who sent home the eventual game-winning goal in the 86^th minute for her first collegiate goal. The Spartans pressed late, but Norwich's backline prevented any chances of Castleton scoring to preserve the win.

After two straight at home to open the season, the Cadets will hit the road to open Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play against Elms on Saturday, Sept. 6, at 1 p.m.