THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Hartford 9, Marist 3
RECORDS: Hartford (3-4, 0-0 AE); Marist (4-4, 0-1 MAAC)
LOCATION: Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium (West Hartford, Conn.)
 
THE LEAD:
Redshirt-senior midfielder Conor Van Duzer netted his first career hat trick on Tuesday afternoon to lead the University of Hartford men's lacrosse team past Marist by a 9-3 final at Al-Marzook Field. Junior goalie Ryan Vanderford registered 10 saves between the posts as the Hawks' defense clamped down to keep the Red Foxes scoreless throughout the entire second half.

Senior attack Jaedon Henderson added a pair of goals for the Hawks, who have won three of their last four and seven-straight against Marist. Joe Tierney, Gannon Morrison and Michael Smith accounted for each the Red Foxes' goals while Brian Corrigan made a game-best 11 saves in goal in the losing effort.
 
THE TURNING POINT:
A hot start right out of the opening whistle gave Hartford a lead it would not relinquish for the remainder of the afternoon. Sparked by a score from junior midfielder Dylan Protesto three seconds out of the first faceoff, the Hawks scored two goals within the game's first 1:04 to take the quick advantage. Sixty-one seconds later, Alec Brown delivered an unassisted strike to double the lead to 2-0.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Following the Hawks' quick two goals, Tierney cut Marist's deficit in half, connecting with Jon Constant with 8:53 left in the first quarter to make it a 2-1 game. But Hartford ended the quarter with two more scores over the final 5:29, taking a 4-1 edge behind goals from Van Duzer and Henderson.
• The two squads battled, but neither side would find the back of the net for the first 8:42 of the second quarter. The Red Foxes proved to be the team to end the silence, though, as Morrison ended Marist's 17-minute scoring drought with an unassisted score at the 6:18 mark. Marist went on to close the gap to one goal before halftime, using a marker from Smith with 2:22 remaining in the half to make it a 4-3 game at the break.
• After the halftime break, Hartford's defense delivered a suffocating effort. The Hawks held the Red Foxes scoreless for the remainder of the game, recording over 32 minutes of shutout action.
• Henderson provided Hartford with some breathing room with an unassisted strike with 12:48 remaining in the third, marking the only goal of the stanza. The Hawks packed it on in the final quarter, though, padding the advantage with four-unanswered goals during that span. Van Duzer, who opened the period with a goal at the 13:46 mark, expanded the lead to 9-3 with the game's final score, completing the hat trick with 5:27 remaining. Justin Huggins and Will Dulin also contributed goals during Hartford's game-ending run.

• Protesto's goal three seconds in ties the NCAA record for fastest goal from the start of the game. Delaware's Jordan Hall also found the back of the net three seconds out of the game's first whistle on March 11, 2006, against UAlbany.
• The Hawks' defense was stifling, conceding just three goals for the second time this season. Morrison, Marist's leading scorer, was held to just one goal while J.D. Recor, who entered the game with 13 tallies, was held scoreless.
• After limiting UMass to a 0-for-2 effort on man-up opportunities Saturday, the Hawks' man-down unit held the Red Foxes without a man-up tally in three opportunities.
• Marist, which held a 30-26 advantage in shots, managed to keep Hartford's point leader scoreless for the entire game. Prior to Tuesday, junior Griffin Feiner had recorded at least one point in each of his last 16 games. He also entered the contest riding the nation's sixth-longest scoring streak (15 games).
• Protesto enjoyed a solid outing inside of the faceoff circle, winning 11-of-16 duels while collecting eight ground balls. The Hawks won the ground ball battle by a 26-22 count. He picked up his 500th career win Tuesday's contest, becoming just the second Hawk in program history to amass 500 triumphs at the X.

 
NEXT ON TAP:
The final game of Hartford's three-game homestand marks the Hawks' America East opener on Sunday, March 26. The two league foes are slated for a 1 p.m. opening faceoff.