SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Senior Grace Heiting led the Union College women's lacrosse team with a career-best six goals and eight points as the Dutchwomen started the 2022 season with a dominating 20-1 victory over Castleton University on Saturday at Frank Bailey Field at Bertagna-Class of 1985 Stadium.
 
Heiting had a huge outing to lead off the 2022 campaign, scoring six times on nine shots and adding two assists for a career-best eight-point outing, while adding four ground balls and two caused turnovers. Junior Katie Julien scored two goals with two assists in her first game as a Dutchwoman, and was matched with four points by junior Sydney McPartlon (3-1-4) and first-year Greta Maurer (1-3-4). Junior Drew Charlton also had a big game with three goals, four ground balls, four caused turnovers, and 10 draw controls.
 
Castleton (0-1) scored the first goal of the game 5:34 into the first period, and it was all Union after that. The home team rattled off 20 straight goals from seven different players, as the Dutchwomen outshot the Spartans by a 46-3 margin for the game.
 
Just over a minute after Lacey Greenamyre got the Spartans on the board, Charlton evened the score with her first of the game and McPartlon scored 26 seconds later to put Union ahead for good. Heiting followed with three of the team's next four goals before assisting on Julien's first to put Union ahead 7-1 after 15 minutes of play.
 
Heiting and McPartlon scored two goals each as part of a five-goal second quarter, as Union outshot Castleton 11-0 to take a 12-1 lead into halftime.
 
Union scored three goals in just over three minutes early in the third period, with sophomore Anna Smith netting her first of the year before Julien and sophomore Dana Nelson scored their second goals of the afternoon to build up the lead. Maurer then played a role in four of the Dutchwomen's final five goals of the contest, assisting on goals by Smith and Nelson before netting her first collegiate tally from classmate Sarah Murphy early in the fourth frame.
 
The Union defense kept pressure on Castleton throughout the afternoon, forcing 37 turnovers and limiting the Spartans to a 4-of-23 success rate on clear attempts. McPartlon led the team with five ground balls, while Charlton caused a team-leading four turnovers.
 
Union will face a tougher test on Wednesday, when the team welcomes SUNY Cortland to Schenectady for a 4 p.m. matchup.