Box Score FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Seniors Andrew Cacchio and Conner Yatauro each netted a hat trick on Saturday afternoon, as the University of Hartford men's lacrosse team rallied in the second half to come back and defeat Sacred Heart, 12-10, at Campus Field. The Hawks improve to 4-3 on the season while the Pioneers drop to 1-5 overall.

Cacchio reached the back of the net four times, matching a career-high in points by adding an assist, while Yatauro's trio of goals was a career-high for the attackman. Junior Kevin O'Shea joined Cacchio with a game-high five times, scoring two times while assisting on two others. Holding a 46-26 advantage in shots, the Hawks also edged the Pioneers in ground balls (27-26) and were a perfect 16-of-16 in clears. 

Hartford wound up taking a 3-1 lead at the end of the first, opening up the game with a trio of scores from Tate Klidonas, O'Shea and Cacchio. Cody Marquis' man-up goal with 8:25 left in the first quarter proved to be the Pioneers' lone tally on the scoreboard in that stretch, as it tied up the game at 1-1 before O'Shea struck out of the ensuing faceoff, putting the finishing touches on an Adam Yee feed out of the win at the X.

But Sacred Heart took control in the second quarter with Marquis giving the home team its first lead at 6-5 4:52 before halftime, one that the Pioneers would cling onto for the remainder of the half.

During that second quarter, the Pioneers outscored the Hawks, 5-2, to erase their deficit and push ahead by one at the break. Alex Dodge started the quarter by going unassisted in the first 28 seconds to cut Hartford's lead to 3-2 before the Hawks earned a short-lived three-goal cushion thanks to a pair of unanswered goals. Cacchio sparked that brief spurt with his second marker of the game, while Greg Reynolds' fourth goal of the year made it a 5-2 lead before Sacred Heart heated up in the Hawks' zone.

After allowing a half-ending, 4-0 Sacred Heart run, the Hawks' scoring woes carred on into the third quarter. The Pioneers netted two more unanswered goals within the first 54 seconds of the new half, making it a 6-0 rally dating back to the 11:26 mark of the second quarter, to extend their lead to 8-5 with over 14 minutes to play in the third.

Hartford made up for its dry spell, exploding for five-straight goals within a span of 2:30 to end its 15 and a half minute scoreless drought and regain its advantage for good at 10-8. Sparked by Yatauro, who scored twice during the spurt, Cacchio also contributed a pair of goals, including the final marker of the rally that put the Hawks up by two. Rounding out the scorers in what proved to be the game-deciding spurt was O'Shea, who had a share in the final three scores with a goal and a pair of assists.

In the fourth, Sacred Heart cut Hartford's advantage to one on two occasions, but the Hawks had an answer each time. Less than two minutes in to the final quarter, Alex Miller brought the Pioneers within one at 10-9 before Brad Hutton put Hartford back up by two with 5:49 to go. The home team threatened one final time on a Mike Mawdsley goal with 3:32 on the clock, but its comeback bid would be silenced as Yatauro struck one final time with 117 ticks on the clock left to play.

In goal, Frank Piechota recorded 13 saves, a season-best, to earn his fourth win this year. Jon Flood also made 13 saves for the Pioneers, who's offense received hat tricks from Mawdsley, Dodge and Marquis.

The Hawks have a week off before they return to action with another road game. Hartford is set to head to Amherst, Mass. for a 1 p.m. matchup against the Minutemen, who are currently ranked No. 14/15 in the nation.