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WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - Facing deficits twice in the match, including a 2-1 disadvantage with 20 seconds to go in regulation, the University of Hartford men's soccer team took down Albany, 3-2, at Al-Marzook Field on Saturday night for its fourth-straight win. Scoring in the 71st minute, sophomore Udi Cohen struck again and sent the match into overtime on a late penalty kick before classmate Jeff Tryon went on to win the match for the Hawks in the 95th minute of play. Finishing its regular season home slate with a perfect 7-0-0 record at Al-Marzook Field, the Hawks (9-5-2) enter the regular season finale ranked third in the America East standings with a 4-2-0 mark.

With his team trailing 1-0 out of the hafltime break on an Ivan Martinez score in the 39th minute, Cohen knotted up the score in the 71st minute after taking passes from junior Blake Jones and Tryon and one-timing Albany's keeper from 15-yards out. The deadlock would not stand for long though as the Great Danes went on to retake the lead just two minutes after Cohen put Hartford on the board.

As time was winding off the clock and Hartford unable to convert on a handful of quality looks, sophomore Matt Barry was taken down inside of the penalty box by a Albany defender, rewarding the Hawks with the penalty kick with 20 seconds left. Cohen, who recently sent Hartford to a 2-0 win over New Hampshire last month on a penalty kick, took the honors and tied up the match at two-all by beating a diving Michael Pizzuti to the right. The Hawks went on to win the contest with 5:12 remaining in the first overtime period as Tryon headed in a Rohan Roye corner kick that bounced off the crossbar.

Albany drops to 3-8-6 overall and 1-4-1 in the America East to remain in seventh place in the league standings. Between the posts, Pizzuti made a game-high five saves for the Great Danes.

Sophomore David MacKinnon recorded two saves for Hartford, which outshot Albany, 18-11. Prior to the match, the Hawks' five seniors (Pat Hallahan, Aleko Petridis, Rohan Roye, Omar Tall and Connor Yeaney) were honored. Leading Hartford to a pair of America East Championship title match appearances in 2011 and 2013, the group has helped the program clinch a spot in this year's Championship, which begins on Saturday, November 8 with quarterfinal action.

Hartford concludes its 2014 regular season slate on the road when it heads to UMass Lowell on Wednesday. The Hawks and River Hawks are set for a 7 p.m. kickoff from Cushing Field.

GOALS SUMMARY:

·         Hartford dodged a bullet on a corner kick header from Ivan Martinez, but was unable to keep Albany off the board as Dominic McGarr put the finishing touches on the rebound in the 39th minute

·         A series of passes, the first from Blake Jones and the second from Jeff Tryon, set up the game-tying marker as sophomore Udi Cohen one-timed a shot past Albany keeper Michael Pizzuti from 15-yards out in the 71st minute

·         Two minutes later, the Great Danes regained their one-goal lead as they scored again on a rebound; Hawk keeper David MacKinnon got a hand on the initial shot off the boot of Afonso Pinheiro, but Leo Melgar sent home the rebound from six-yards away to make it a 2-1 contest with 17:02 left in regulation

·         With 20 seconds remaining in regulation, sophomore Matt Barry was taken down in the box, awarding Hartford with a penalty kick that Cohen would get past a diving Michael Pizzuti to send the match into overtime

·         Less than five minutes in to the extra period, sophomore Jeff Tryon ended the match in favor of Hartford when he headed home a Rohan Roye corner kick that bounced off of the crossbar 

COACH POITRAS SAID:
"It was a pretty emotional game. Obviously it was a great battle and a tough game. Our guys were relentless. We didn't execute as well as we wanted to at different points but we were really good about fighting and kept pushing on, and the guys never gave up on the game. Because of that, they got something out of it in the last 20 minutes."

INSIDE THE NUMBERS: 

·         Hartford held a 6-5 first-half shot advantage over Albany, putting two of those attempts on goal

·         Through regulation, Hartford held a 16-10 edge over the Great Danes

·         Finishing with an 18-11 edge in shots, Hartford saw eight of its attempts go on goal

·         Sophomores Jeff Tryon and Udi Cohen each put up four shots; all four of Tryon's attempts were on target

·         Sophomore keeper David MacKinnon recorded two saves to improve to 8-5-2 

TWEETABLES (140 characters or less): 

·         SO Udi Cohen struck twice for @Hart_HawkSoccer, becoming the 2nd Hawk to record a multi-goal game this season

·         SO David MacKinnon made two saves in goal to improve to 8-5-2 on the season and chalk up his 17th career victory

·         .@Hart_HawkSoccer made program history on Saturday with its win over Albany, becoming the first DI team to finish perfect at home (7-0-0)

·         The Hawks (@Hart_HawkSoccer) extended their win-streak to four games, a season-best

·         Delivering his second game-winner  of the season five minutes in to OT, SO Jeff Tryon improves his goal total to three

·         With the win over Albany, @Hart_HawkSoccer has now scored two-straight victories over the Great Danes

·         The Hawks (@Hart_HawkSoccer) qualify for the @AmericaEast Championship for the third time in four years

·         Hartford improves to 2-0-2 in OT this season and 6-0-6 in extra time since the start of the 2013 season 

UP NEXT:
The Hawks conclude their 2014 regular season slate on the road as they head to UMass Lowell on Wednesday night. Kickoff between the Hawks and River Hawks is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Cushing Field.