Spartans move on to ECAC semis
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Castleton State College's Greg Klopfer (17) tries to get an advantage over Norwich University's Bridger Van Ness (23) in a race for the ball during an ECAC tournament game in Castleton on Wednesday. CASSANDRA HOTALING / RUTLAND HERALD |
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By Tom Haley STAFF WRITER - Published: November 12, 2009
CASTLETON — The second time Castleton State College's Sean Fitzgerald took aim for the far post on Wednesday, he didn't miss. The senior forward took a pass from Billy Lund and blasted it between Norwich University keeper Charles Maxwell and the post for the winning goal with 12:06 remaining.
The 2-1 victory sends the Spartans into the ECAC semifinals on Saturday.
Early in the second half, Fitzgerald unloaded a screaming shot in an effort to pad Castleton's lead to 2-0. But the ball thundered off the far post.
Instead of 2-0, it became 1-1 about five minutes later when Norwich's Bobby Begin redirected a ball from Jake Leclaire into the net. Castleton keeper Mike Anthony charged out to try to cut down the angle, but Begin sent it into the wide-open net. That goal came with 35:30 remaining.
Castleton had a 1-0 lead courtesy of a gorgeous goal that came when Greg Klopfer and Jon Vogt combined efforts on a corner kick. Klopfer hung his corner kick in the middle of the box and Vogt headed it home just 6:52 into the game.
"I was just going up to get the ball. He usually tries to put it in the middle of the box," Vogt said.
Back on Sept. 29 in Northfield, the Cadets and Spartans played to a 1-1 tie.
"I think the difference this time was being on the road," Norwich coach Kyle Dezotell said.
Both teams had to put the disappointment of losses in their conference tournaments behind them. Norwich fell in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference semifinals to St. Joseph's of Maine. The Spartans were denied an NCAA berth when they fell in the North Atlantic Conference championship game at Husson University.
"You just have to forget about that," Vogt said. "We have a really good chance to win this tournament which would be just as good for our school."
The Cadets fought back after Vogt's goal and tied it.
"It's always tough when you're up and the other team comes back. You just have to push through it," Vogt said.
It was not surprising that Begin got the equalizer and Fitzgerald answered with the game-winner. They have been scoring threats all year.
Begin's tally was his team-leading eighth goals. Fitzgerald tops the Spartans with 10 goals.
"Bobby Begin has kind of carried us all year," Dezotell said.
Dezotell was an outstanding player for the Middlebury College Panthers and the Cadets and Middlebury have a very special rivalry.
But Dezotell said the Norwich-Castleton series is building as a Vermont rivalry.
"You just have to look around here to see that Castleton has a passion for athletics," Dezotell said. "We need to catch up at Norwich as far as facilities."
Dezotell noted that the Cadets have had the better of the rivalry until this season.
"This year with a win and a tie, you'd have to say Castleton was the better team," he said.
Castleton had an 18-9 edge in shots and a 10-2 advantage in corner kicks, numbers that surprised Castleton coach John Werner.
"I thought Norwich played well. I am surprised by the stats," Werner said.
Werner said he knew that after Dezotell's halftime talk, the Cadets would come out hard.
They did and the Spartans were trying to hold together their defense without standout Nick Bellizzi, who was unable to play due to receiving two yellow cards in the conference final at Husson.
But other players took up the slack in the back and Werner felt Nick D'Agostino and Ian Hunter played especially well in Bellizzi's absence.
He also felt the Spartans were able to withstand the Cadets' charge in the second half due to the play of his bench. Corey Robbins and Jacob Roswell were the players who gave them the biggest lift in that area.
Anthony did not have to make a single save and Maxwell collected five of them.
But Anthony showed why he is a first team All-NAC keeper by directing his defense and gobbling up balls at the periphery of the penalty area before they could materialize into threats.
Norwich, the No. 7 seed, ends the season at 10-8-2.
No. 2 Castleton takes an 11-7-3 mark into the ECAC semifinal against No. 6 Daniel Webster, which knocked off No. 3 Plymouth State in its quarterfinal on Wednesday. DW and the Panthers fought to a 3-3 tie, but Daniel Webster won the penalty-kick session, 6-5.
The four remaining teams will play for the title Saturday and Sunday at No. 1 Wentworth Institute in Boston. Wentworth edged Lesley University 2-1.
tom.haley@rutlandherald.com
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