HANOVER, NH ? The University of Hartford lacrosse team dropped its season opener at Dartmouth College on Saturday afternoon by a 10-6 final.

Senior Brian Tilley and freshman Vinnie Pellizzi each scored a pair of goals to lead the Hawks. Tilley also added an assist to finish with three points on the day. Dartmouth's Ari Sussman led all scorers with four goals while Brian Koch netted three, including the game winner early in the third quarter.

Sussman got the Big Green out to a quick lead with back-to-back scores late in the first quarter. His first two goals came 45 seconds apart and gave Dartmouth (1-0 overall) a 2-0 advantage. Tilley cut the deficit in half with six seconds to play in the stanza to put the Hawks on the board.

Sussman added his third goal just over two minutes into the second quarter. Tilley again answered with a score of his own, but Dartmouth found the net three more times before the end of half to take a 6-2 lead into the locker room at the intermission.

The Big Green scored the first four goals of the second half to pull away. Koch netted a pair of scores during the run. Dartmouth had scored seven straight goals before Justin Bearse snapped the string with 3:09 left to play in the third quarter. The Hawks scored the final four goals of the game but couldn't erase the entire deficit.

Dartmouth outshot Hartford 44-26 for the game and won 12 of 19 faceoffs. The Big Green also held a 37-22 advantage in ground balls. Junior Jon McMahon made 13 saves in goal for the Hawks while Michael Novosel and Pat Marshall combined for 10.

Hartford will next play at Hobart on Saturday, March 1 at 1 p.m.