the Informer

When the Hartford Hawks lacrosse team traveled up to Amherst, Mass. to play the No. 17 Massachusetts Minutemen last Saturday, they were hoping to get their 2010 season off to a hot start. However, the Hawks did not expect that 20-10 to signify the scoreboard, and certainly not with them on the losing end. Just two minutes into the contest, the Minutemen showed why they are one of the top teams in the Northeast. UMass junior Ryan Hantverk netted his third goal of the season to give his team an early 1-0 lead. His team then followed that goal with four more scores, handing the Hawks a five-goal deficit in the first quarter before they could even score. The Hawks finally scored, with 4:34 remaining in the first quarter, when freshman midfielder Jared Franze found senior attack Justin Bearse for the Hawks’ first goal of the season. Less than one minute later, the Hawks scored again, this time from sophomore Ryan Compitello, to tighten the score to 5-2. Unfortunately for Hartford, that is about as close as they could get all day. The Minutemen continued their hot streak on offense, leading 8-2 after the first quarter and 13-7 at the half. The Minutemen were lead by Hantverk, who scored four goals and added two assists for six points. Senior midfielder Bobby Hayes supplied three goals and two assists himself. Overall, UMass had six players with at least two goals. The Hawks however, did have some bright spots of their own. Bearse finished with two goals and two assists. Franze, in his first collegiate game, scored four goals, three in the second quarter. Face-offs were also something that the Hawks can look at as a positive in their season opener. Junior Tim Fallon won 18 of his 33 face-offs. He also tracked down a game-high 12 ground balls. Sophomore goalie Scott Bement had 10 saves through three quarters before being replaced by freshman Frank Piechota. Bement saw 35 shots and gave up 18 goals in 45 minutes. The Minutemen were able to control tempo and possession in this game. They outshot the Hawks 41-30. They got to more ground balls, picking up 38 compared to Hartford’s 23. They protected the ball, turning it over just 17 times while the Hawks gave it away 23 times. Another thing that crippled the Hawks was penalties. The Hawks had 10 penalties lasting 8:30. The Minutemen were able to capitalize on those opportunities, scoring six goals with the extra-man advantage. At the end of the day though, the 20 goals were the most the Minutemen had scored in a game since the 2002 season. It may have been a rough game for the Hawks, but it is yet another learning experience for a team that is still very young. The Hawks will look to recover from the thumping against UMass when they host Delaware Saturday, Feb. 27 at Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium. Opening faceoff is set for 1 p.m. Without a doubt, the Hawks will be looking for a more positive experience.