Box Score Third-ranked Middlebury outshot Castleton 23-7 on its way to a 3-0 victory over the Spartans (1-2) in the team's season-opener on Dragone Field. Jamie Soroka figured in all three goals, scoring the first, while earning helpers on the other pair. The Panthers (1-0) return to action on Sunday when they open NESCAC play with a home contest against Amherst kicking off at 4:00.
The first goal of the season was set up by a pair of great assists from Claire Nishioka and Moria Sloan just 3:30 into the contest. Sloan carried the ball up the left side and played it ahead to Nishioka, who one-touched it into the penalty area. Soroka was there for a quick redirect, putting her team on top, 1-0.
Nishioka nearly scored a goal of her own in the 17th minute, but her blast from the left side sailed just over the crossbar.
The lead doubled at the 21:57 mark when Soroka made a nice pass from the right side to Krystina Reynolds, just inside the 18. Reynolds one-touched the pass into the back of the net for the 2-0 advantage.
Castleton's best chance to score in the game came in the 26th minute on a shot from Sarah Carlson from the right side. Panther keeper Kate Reinmuth deflected the shot before it hit the right post, bounced across the goal and hit the left post, before being cleared away.
Spartan keeper Jessica Binkowski kept it a 2-0 game with a nifty save on Amanda Hotvedt in the 67th minute. After Hotvedt had beat her defender, she drove to goal from the left side and looked to chip a shot into the top right corner of the net. Binkowski was there and made the best of her 11 saves on the afternoon.
Middlebury kept up the pressure, making it a 3-0 game at the 72:24 mark with a tally from Kate Raszka. Soroka's initial shot from the left side on a restart was denied by Binkowski, as Raszka drove home the rebound from 16 yards out.
Reinmuth finished with five saves in goal for the Panthers to earn her fourth career shutout.
