THE BASICS:

RESULT: Hartford 1, Yale 1 (2ot)
RECORDS: Hartford (5-1-1); Yale (3-3-1)
LOCATION: Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium (West Hartford, Conn.)
THE LEAD: The University of Hartford women's soccer team kept its unbeaten streak alive on Thursday evening, as it battled local foe Yale to a 1-1, double overtime draw at Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium. Coming into the contest riding a four-game win streak, redshirt-junior Caroline Massey put Hartford ahead in the 39th minute with her second goal of the season. But Yale would answer back, as Michelle Alozie sent home the equalizer less than four minutes later. Despite the two squads combining for 22 more shots over the remaining 65 minutes, neither team would cash in as the match ended in a tie. Junior Jessica Jurg made four saves on the night to improve to 5-1-1 on the season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

·         The Hawks were on Yale's doorstep often in the first half, which resulted in the home squad reaching the scoreboard first on Thursday. With her second goal in as many contests, Massey broke open the scoreless match in the 39th minute, and provided her team with the 1-0 edge. On a blocked shot that came off the boot of teammate Sidney Spremullo, Massey corralled the rebound and with a low shot to the far post, beat Yale keeper Rachel Ames.

·         The Hawks' edge would only be temporary, though. Just four minutes later, Yale brought the game back to even at the 42:18 mark. The Bulldogs' marker resulted from a corner kick, which was taken by Ally Grossman. Her ball in the box was punched out by Jurg, but Michelle Alozie was in place to boot the rebound into the back of the net to make it a 1-1 contest before the halftime break.

·         With the play going back-and-forth, the two teams exchanged a pair of great scoring looks within an 80 second stretch. At the 63:18 mark, Sofia Griff got a powerful left foot behind a shot from inside of the box, but Jurg was in place to make the save. On the counter attack, Spremullo used her speed to initiate the offense down field. Freshman Julia Carr took a pass from the senior and blasted a shot from the top of the 18-yard box, forcing Ames to come up with the save.

·         In the 67th minute, Jurg came up with yet another spectacular stop. From the near side, Alozie attempted to elude the Hawks' keeper with a low blast towards the right post. Jurg was within striking reach, though, as she denied the Bulldogs' attempt from eight yards and preserved the tie by diving to her left. Not long after, Jurg was called on again, as she turned away a header that was sent on the mark by Griff.

·         Hartford dominated the overtime periods with a combined 7-1 advantage in shots. In the first overtime, Carr saw a 25-yard blast get snagged by Ames less than two minutes in before junior Aaliyah Ingram was unable to cash-in on a header as she was high of the mark.

·         The Hawks continued to apply pressure in the second extra period. With 4:10 remaining in the match, Spremullo produced what was the best scoring opportunity of both overtimes. Sending a blast towards the mark, it took an outstretched and leaping Ames to make the stop for the Bulldogs and keep the game alive.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

·         Hartford held a 19-11 advantage in shots, including a 7-1 overtime edge

·         The Hawks also had the upperhand in corner kicks, creating six on the evening while limiting the Bulldogs' to four

·         Ames stopped a game-high eight shots for Yale in net while Jurg came up with four saves for the Hawks

·         Senior Elise Galipo paced the Hawks' offense with five shots, four of which were on the mark

NEWS & NOTES:

·         Entering the contest with a four-game winning streak, the Hawks extended their unbeaten streak to five with Thursday's tie against Yale.

·         Hartford's last five-game unbeaten streak came last season, when a 1-0 home win against Albany on Sept. 28 sparked the 4-0-1 rally.

·         Scoring the lone goal of Thursday's match, Massey has found the back of the net in each of the Hawks' last two outings.

·         Junior Jessica Jurg collected four saves, matching a season-high that was set in an overtime victory against Sacred Heart earlier this month.

·         Entering the match with four consecutive shutouts, the Hawks kept their opponents off the scoreboard for more than 430 minutes.

·         Prior to Thursday's match, Yale had defeated Hartford in the last six meetings.

UP NEXT:
The Hawks hit the road for just the second time this season on Sunday when they head to Staten Island to take on Northeast Conference member Wagner. Opening kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.