THE BASICS:

RESULT: UMass 11, Hartford 3
RECORDS: Hartford (1-2); UMass (2-2)
LOCATION: Garber Field (Amherst, Mass.)
ATTENDANCE: 419

THE LEAD:

The University of Hartford men's lacrosse team dropped an 11-3 decision at the University of Massachusetts on Tuesday afternoon at Garber Field. Junior Jaedon Henderson paced the Hawks with two points behind one goal and an assist.

The Minutemen, who received three goals from Peter Lindley, scored the game's first four goals and never looked back. D.J. Smith earned the start and win in goal for UMass, making two saves in the game's first two quarters to help his team build a 5-2 advantage at halftime. UMass entered the week receiving votes in the latest release of the Cascade/Maverik Media Poll.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Hartford couldn't get much going against the UMass defense early on, as the Minutemen got out to a 2-0 lead before the end of the first before doubling that advantage to 4-0 early in the second. Four different UMass players contributed to the squad's opening run, which was sparked by an unassisted score from Ben Spencer and capped by a tally from Brendan Hegarty with 11:15 left until intermission.
• With 5:52 left in the second quarter, the Hawks got their offense going. Capitalizing on his team's first man-up opportunity, Henderson put the visiting squad on the scoreboard and closed the gap to 4-1 on an unassisted score.
• Less than two minutes later, the Minutemen would regain their four-goal edge behind the strength of a Lindley score, but Hartford would again close the gap down to three in the closing seconds as Trevor O'Brien found the back of the net with 14 ticks remaining in the quarter.
• Out of the break, Lindley scored on consecutive UMass possessions to push the Minutemen advantage to 7-2 at the 8:28 mark of the third. An unassisted score from sophomore Doug Biondi stopped the bleeding, but it was only temporary as UMass went off for four more unanswered scores before the final horn to seal the game at 11-3.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Henderson has recorded at least one point in all three outings for Hartford this season.
• Sophomore Trevor O'Brien and junior Doug Biondi rounded out the Hawks' scoring with one goal apiece.
• Sophomore Ryan Vanderford was tested often in goal for Hartford, making saves on 10 of the shots he faced.
• For the Minutemen, Dolan preserved the lead between the pipes as he registered a team-best three saves while conceding one goal.
• Sophomore Dylan Protesto put together another solid game inside of the faceoff circle, winning 10-of-15 duels. He was won over 60 percent of his duels in each of the Hawks' three games this season for a .629 win percentage.
• Overall, Hartford held the advantage at the X, winning 11-of-18 faceoffs.
• The Minutemen held edges in ground balls (28-24) and shots (44-29).

UP NEXT:                                                                     
The Hawks conclude their road stretch on Saturday, March 5, when they head to Manhattan. Opening faceoff from Gaelic Park is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. The Hawks are 3-1 against the Jaspers, which includes wins in each of the last two seasons.