CASTLETON, Vt. — A late first half goal was enough for Castleton State College to top Southern Vermont College 1-0 Tuesday night at Castleton's Spartan Stadium in a men's soccer non-conference tilt.

In the 21st minute, Castleton had its first opportunity when senior Spencer Dandurand (Colchester, Vermont) sent in a cross from the far wing that senior Dameon Young (Fairfax, Vermont) volleyed towards goal. Mountaineer freshman keeper Cody Gross (Fair Lawn, New Jersey), who came into the game ranked first in the nation with 113 saves, denied the attempt.

The Spartans finally got on the board with three minutes remaining in the opening period when junior Blake Hart (Farmington, Maine) grabbed his second goal of the season. Sophomore Paul Phillips (Hope Valley, Rhode Island) lofted the ball in front of Hart on the near sideline where the junior forward gathered it and delivered a bending shot towards goal; it swerved past the keeper and into the net, giving Castleton a 1-0 lead.

Ten minutes into the second half, Dandurand nearly doubled Castleton's advantage when he received the ball in the box, turned, and fired a strike that Gross denied with a terrific diving effort. Neither side was able to get anything between the pipes the rest of the way as the hosts took home the 1-0 win, their same margin of victory from the two sides' meeting last season.

Sophomore Dan Palker (Westford, Vermont) started in net for Castleton, making three saves en route to his fourth victory (4-6-1) and second shutout of the season. Gross suffered the loss (0-10-1) for Southern Vermont after allowing only one goal with 12 saves in the 90 minutes of play.

The Mountaineers (0-10-1) are back in New England Collegiate Conference action on Saturday when they host Mitchell College for a 2:30 p.m. start. Castleton (4-6-1) jumps back into North Atlantic Conference play on Saturday, traveling to Johnson State College for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.