CASTLETON, Vt. – Freshmen
Colby Walden (Londonderry, N.H.) and
Hunter Richards (Durham, Maine) scored four goals apiece as Plymouth State University raced out to an 11-3 halftime lead and cruised to an 18-6 win over Vermont State University Castleton in Little East Conference (LEC) men's lacrosse action at Dave Wolk Stadium on Tuesday night.
Walden and Richards combined for three straight goals to help the Panthers build a 5-1 lead in the first quarter. Both added early second-quarter tallies to extend the margin to 11-3 at the break before PSU coasted through the second half.
Plymouth State improves to 7-7 (3-4 LEC), while the Spartans fall to 2-13 (1-7 LEC). The Panthers head into Friday's regular-season finale in a three-way tie for fifth place in the conference standings, with the top six teams advancing to next week's LEC Tournament.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 18, Castleton 6
- Plymouth State (7-7, 3-4 LEC)
- Castleton (2-13, 1-7 LEC)
How it Happened:
- Sophomore Blake McPherson (Windham, Maine) opened the scoring in the first minute and senior Brady Hunt (Billerica, Mass.) doubled the lead less than three minutes later.
- Castleton briefly slowed the momentum, but Walden and Richards combined for three straight goals to make it 5-1 with four minutes left in the first quarter.
- The teams traded goals as PSU carried a 6-2 advantage into the second.
- The Spartans struck early in the second quarter, but Walden answered 10 seconds later to ignite a 7-0 run that carried into the third quarter. Freshman Seamus Tattan (West Roxbury, Mass.) recorded three assists during the surge, including one on another Walden goal that made it 13-3 early in the third.
- Castleton got one back midway through the frame to pull within 13-4, but the Panthers put the game away with four straight goals to open the fourth quarter.
By the Numbers:
- Walden totaled four goals and three assists, while Richards added four goals.
- Junior Aiden Renner (Phillipsburg, N.J.) finished with three goals and an assist to go with two ground balls.
- Tattan dished out four assists and collected four ground balls, while Hunt added three goals.
- Freshman Brayden Christian (Lancaster, Mass.) won 22-of-28 faceoffs and scooped up a game-high 10 ground balls.
- Graduate goalie Ethan Schena (Methuen, Mass.) made eight saves to earn the win.
- Plymouth State held a 31-15 advantage in shots on goal.
- The Panthers went 19-for-22 in clears and won the ground ball battle, 35-22.
- Plymouth State has won nine straight meetings and leads the all-time series, 26-3.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State wraps up the regular season at home on Friday (Apr. 24) against league-leading WestConn. Opening faceoff is set for 4 p.m.
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