HAMDEN, CT ? The University of Hartford lacrosse team dropped an 8-5 decision at Quinnipiac University on Saturday afternoon.

Hartford (0-6 overall) was led by sophomore Justin Bearse who finished with two goals. Junior Jacob Eustice and seniors Brian Tilley and Tom Harris each added a score, and junior Dan Clough recorded a pair of assists.

Quinnipiac scored five of the game's first six goals to jump out to a 5-1 lead with 8:15 to play in the first half. Eustice and Bearse, however, scored goals in the final five minutes of the stanza to cut the deficit to two by halftime.

The Bobcats started the scoring in the second half when Gary Messina netted his second goal of the game. The Hawks answered with scores from Tilley and Bearse to pull within a goal at 6-5 with 12 seconds to go in the third quarter.

Quinnipiac scored the only two goals of the final quarter. Hartford put a pair of shots on goal, but Kevin Benzig was up to the task. He made 11 saves for the Bobcats while junior Jon McMahon made seven stops for the Hawks.

Hartford will next play at Siena on Saturday, March 22 at 1 p.m.