SCHENECTADY, NY -- Sophomore forward Bretta Beer scored a career high four goals to lead the Union College field hockey team to a 6-4 win over Castleton University at Frank Bailey Field Tuesday night. It was the season opener for both teams.

Hannah Christian scored and added two assists while Hannah Madden also tallied for Union. Rachel Andreana and Laura Pacheco dished out two assists each. Laura Aptowitz made six saves, including sprawling pad stops in the second half to protect the home team's lead. Union had a 31-13 shot advantage and had 13 corners.

Haley Spittle, Anna-Michelle Fabian, Emily Lowell and Emily Hudson each scored for the Spartans, while Sarah Wells had two assists and Spittle also added an assist. Castleton had five corners for the night. Meeghan Dooris stopped 14 for the visitors.

Hudson gave the Spartans a 1-0 lead with a score from the middle just 3:10 into the contest. But Beer scored a natural hat trick, with a backhander at 7:51, a deflection at 17:21 and a conversion of a two-on-none on the left side of the net at 25:54. Spittle made it a 3-2 game with 1:35 remaining in the second half as she had a tip in at the doorstep. Union had a 15-8 shot advantage at halftime.

Christian made it 4-2 Union with a Pacheco assist at 40:55, but Fabian made it a one goal game again receiving a pass directly in front at 49:19. Beer notched her fourth at 57:53 with a drive from just over 10 yards out, but back came Castleton with a Lowell goal at 61:06 as she picked up a rebound from a huge pad stop from Aptowitz. Madden closed out the scoring just 1:40 later with the insurance goal, coming in close from the left of Doris.

Union is at Fairleigh Dickinson Florham Saturday at 2 p.m. while Castleton opens the home season Friday at home vs. Rivier at 4 p.m.