the Informer

Adam Manison

Four straight fourth-quarter goals is always an accomplishment. However, when trailing by five, it just is not enough.
That is what happened to the Hartford Hawks lacrosse team when they hosted the Binghamton Bearcats last Saturday at Alumni Stadium. The late run put on by the Hawks fell just short as they lost, 13-12.

With 8:47 remaining in the fourth quarter, Binghamton freshman Tyler Perrelle scored with a man-up advantage after a Hartford penalty. The tally gave the Bearcats a 13-8 lead.

The Hawks answered with 5:22 left when senior Leif Abrahamson scored his first goal of the season. The goal sparked a furious comeback, where the Hawks scored four times in 2:08.

Unfortunately, goalie Jordan Marra and the Binghamton defense held off the Hartford attack for the final three minutes to escape with the victory. Marra finished the afternoon with 13 saves.

As hot as the Hawks closed out the game, they were just as cold at the start. The Hawks faced a 4-0 deficit just 10 minutes into the contest. They trailed, 7-1, with 9:40 to play in the second quarter.

The Hawks closed the second quarter well, scoring five straight goals before halftime to close the gap to 7-6. Each of the Hawks’ first-half goals came from the stick of a different Hartford player.

Coming out of the break, the Hawks tied the score, 7-7, when junior Tim Fallon scored the first of his three goals just six seconds into the third quarter.

Fallon’s three goals, his first goals of the season, paced the Hawks’ scoring. Each of his goals came after winning face-offs. The Hawks’ faceoff specialist, Fallon won 22 of his 28 chances and picked up a game-high 16 ground balls in the loss.

No other player for either team picked up more than four. While his ground balls and face-offs were unmatched, Binghamton did have an answer to Fallon’s scoring. Matt Springer put four goals past Hartford goalie Scott Bement. Andy Cook added three goals of his own for the Bearcats.

Bement had only six saves on 19 shots on goal for the afternoon. The Hawks actually outshot the Bearcats, 46-30, for the afternoon. The Hawks also had more shots on goal, 25-19, than Binghamton.

The Hawks also held the edge in turnovers, groundballs and face-offs. The difference in the game was Binghamton’s man-up attack. The Bearcats were 2-5 on their opportunities. Both of those goals came in the second half, including Perrelle’s eventual game-winner.

The Hawks could not score on their only advantage, which came midway through the second quarter. The Hawks (3-10, 0-4 AE) lost their fourth straight game and their last home game of the season.

Seniors Leif Abrahamson and Captain Justin Bearse were honored for Senior Day before the game. The Hawks will travel to Baltimore on Saturday to take on UMBC in their final game of the season.