CASTLETON, Vt.--Rylee Nichols bagged a hat-trick to lead No. 3 seed Castleton University to a 3-0 win over No. 6 seed Keene State College in the quarterfinal round of the LEC tournament on Tuesday night at Dave Wolk Stadium.
Records
- Keene State: 7-12-1
- Castleton: 9-5-4
How It Happened
In a defensive battle where both teams combined for eight shots on goal, Nichols got the only goal the Spartans would need in the 11th minute when she raced past the KSC defense and fired past the onrush of Keene State goalie
Rebecca Koziara.
Amanda Marshall had the Owls' first opportunity but her shot in the 12th minute was wrapped up by Alex Benfatti.
Alex Kennedy had KSC's other attempt on net in the 39th minute.
It remained 1-0 at the break, but Nichols netted another 10 minutes into the half, springing the offside trap before rifling a shot past Koziara in the top right hand corner. Nichols completed her hat-trick with a goal from outside the area, bending it past Koziara at the far post.
Koziara finished with two saves for Keene State.
Inside the Box
- Keene State has been eliminated by Castleton in each of the last two LEC tournaments; the Spartans upset the Owls in Keene on November 5, 2019.
- KSC has now not gotten past the quarterfinal round in each of the last two times they've qualified for the LEC tournament; Keene State had never not made it past the quarterfinals prior to 2019.
Up Next
- The season comes to an end for the Owls.
- The Spartans move on to the semifinals, where they will face UMass Boston on Thursday.
