NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - The Smith College lacrosse team opened up a 12-2 halftime lead and never looked back as it cruised to a 15-8 win against Castleton University Wednesday evening. The victory lifts the Pioneers record to 4-3, while the Spartans remain winless at 0-4.

Top Performers

• Gia Arancio (Smithtown, N.Y./Hauppauge) continued to impress on the offensive side of the ball as she pumped in a career-high four goals on six shots
• Jennie Arancio (Smithtown, N.Y./Hauppauge) delivered three goals and one assist
• The goalkeeping duo of Alyssa Schams (South Lyon, Mich./South Lyon) and Paige Rocha (Melrose, MA/Melrose) combined for four saves between the pipes

How it Happened
Tatum Galuski (Ipswich, Mass./Ipswich) and the Arancio's opened up the game with tallies in the opening 4:33, only to have Castleton's Tien Connor score to make a 3-1 game. The Pioneers netted five goals in the final 8:34 to open an 8-1 advantage at the end of the first. 

Gia Arancio (Smithtown, N.Y./Hauppauge) got the second-quarter scoring underway with 14:20 on the clock in a quarter where the Pioneers found the back of the cage four times. Bella DeAngelo (Portsmouth, RI/Moses Brown School) and Reese Gittelman (Ocean City, Md./Worcester Preparatory) added back-to-back goals before Deena Jacunski ended the scoring drought for the Spartans to make it 12-2 at halftime.

The team's scored one apiece in the third before Castleton outscored Smih 5-2 in the fourth for the 15-8 final.

Smith outshot Castleton by a 35-18 margin and won 19 of the game's 27 draw controls. 

Up Next
The Pioneers will return to New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on Saturday when it travels to play at Springfield College for a 12:00pm contest.

About Smith Athletics: Smith College is a NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information log on to smithpioneers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.