Dollard Lifts Lacrosse to Victory at Dartmouth on Tuesday

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HANOVER, N.H. – For the second time this season, University of Hartford midfielder Garrett Dollard provided the heroics for the Hawks' men's lacrosse team, this time netting the game-winning goal with 15.6 remaining in regulation to propel his team to an 8-7 win at Dartmouth in the 2013 non-conference finale on Tuesday afternoon.

Hartford, which continues its road trip on Saturday when it pays Binghamton a visit at 1 p.m., improves to 5-5 on the year. The victory was a historic one for the Hawks as they had never defeated Dartmouth (2-9) in six attempts.

Dollard finished with a team-best two goals while Alex Matarazzo, a long stick midfielder, contributed a pair of points on a goal and an assist. Rounding out the Hartford goals were Kevin O'Shea, Rory Nunamacher, Jack Bobzien and Tim Engel. Between the pipes, the Hawks received a solid outing from Frank Piechota, who registered 15 saves on the afternoon.

Hartford (5-5) broke open a 4-4 halftime tie with a pair of goals in the third quarter thanks to goals by O'Shea and Engel at 9:23 and 5:29, respectively. During that stretch, the Hawks' defense kept Dartmouth's offense silent, not conceding a goal during the entre quarter to maintain that 6-4 cushion heading into the final 15 minutes.

That Big Green scoreless drought, which started with 6:11 left to play until halftime, continued through the entire third period and extended two more minutes into the fourth, adding up to 24 total minutes without a goal for the home squad.

Chris Costabile put an end to Dartmouth's goal-less spurt with 12:37 left in regulation, scoring unassisted to close his team's gap to a single goal at 7-6. Franze had an answer for the Hawks, though, beating Big Green goalie Bernie Susskind to the back of the net to push the visiting team's lead back to a pair of tallies at 7-5 with 5:56 left on the clock.

That two-goal advantage would be erased by the Big Green over the next two minutes, however, as they reeled off two-straight scores 30 seconds apart from one another to force the fourth tie of the contest at seven-all with four minutes to go. Ninety-six seconds after Franze made it a two-goal lead for Hartford, Nikki Dysenchuk made it a 7-6 game on an unassited score before Mike Olentine struck the scoreboard with his second goal of the afternoon just 30 seconds later, making it a brand new ball game.

With 1:17 remaining on the regulation clock, Dartmouth called for timeout, and out of the break, Jack Connolly fire a shot at the Hartford goal with 57 seconds to go. That shot sailed high over the crossbar, and Hartford gained possession.

Following a successful clear, Connolly was whistled for a penalty, forcing the Big Green to play one man short for the final 36 seconds. The Hawks used that extra-man opportunity to their advantage as Bobzien, the nation's top freshman in assists, fed Dollard for the game winner with just over 15 seconds to go in the contest.

Dartmouth had one final shot, as Phil Hession, who helped lead his team to an 11-of-19 advantage at the faceoff X, won the ensuing duel and rifled a shot with five ticks on the clock. Piechota was in perfect place to make the rejection, preserving the win for the Hawks.

The Big Green led in shots, 44-36, and held a 31-24 edge in ground balls. Susskind also finished with 15 saves on the evening.

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