the Informer

The Hartford lacrosse team started off their season with two straight losses, but they rebounded this weekend with a solid win against Siena, and with a loss Wednesday against Brown. With two tough losses to UMass, a top-20 team in the nation, and Delaware, another large school, the Hawks needed a solid win.

The Hawks took on Siena, a team that was not as good as UMass or Delaware, but a team that could pose a threat to the Hawks. The Hawks though, responded well, picking up a much-needed win, and dominating Siena in nearly every category but the score. The 13 goals were a season-high for the Hawks.

This game was not won easily though, as Siena pulled out to a 4-0 lead, and made the Hawks scramble for a win. They constantly chipped away at Siena’s lead, and did not end up leading the contest until deep in the third period. Even after the Hawks put their first goal in, Siena quickly responded back and made the lead four again. The Hawks offense from then on dominated the game, scoring four straight to tie it at 5-5, but Siena wasn’t done as they battled back and went into the third with a 7-6 advantage.

Siena was then able to double their lead with an 8-6 lead, but the Hawks were not done, as they tied up the score after battling hard, at 9-9. Finally, sophomore, Ryan Compitellio gave the Hawks the lead at 10-9, and the Ben Knapton gave the Hawks some insurance, scoring the goal that the Hawks would look back on. The Hawks then proceeded to add two more insurance goals, to cap off the 13-11 win. It was a strong game for Hartford who needed a win.

The Hawks then took on Brown on Wednesday afternoon, falling in an overtime-heartbreaker. The Hawks started off blazing hot, taking an early 5-2 lead, but ended up going into half down 7-6. The Hawks then caught fire once again in the third quarter, taking a 12-8 lead into the fourth and final quarter, but once again the Hawks could not survive.

Despite the 12-8 lead, Brown battled back, chipping away at the Hawks lead. Brown started to offensively dominate the game, and tied the game up at 12-12 after three chance to score the Hawks were wasted. Finally, in overtime, Brown scored the game-winning goal, giving them a 13-12 lead and completed the comeback. Brown very much deserved the win as they out shot the Hawks 53-28 and held a 33-32 advantage in ground balls.

The Hawks return to action Saturday at 1 p.m. against Bellarmine at home.