THE BASICS:
 
RESULT: Hartford 13, UMBC 8
RECORDS: Hartford (6-7, 2-3 AE); UMBC (5-7, 3-2 AE)
LOCATION: Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium (West Hartford, Conn.)
 
THE LEAD:
Juniors Griffin Feiner and Justin Huggins recorded five points apiece on Saturday to help the University of Hartford men's lacrosse team cruise to a 13-8 victory against UMBC on Senior Day at Al-Marzook Field. Huggins, who became the fourth player this season to eclipse the 100-point mark, netted each of his game-best four goals in the first half, helping the Hawks jump out to an 8-4 halftime lead that they would not relinquish.

Feiner, who matched a career high in assists with three, added a pair of goals while senior Jaedon Henderson netted a hat trick for the second-consecutive outing, finishing with four points. With its second-straight win, Hartford remains alive in the America East playoff race heading into the final week of the regular-season. UMBC was led by three goals from Billy Nolan.
 
Prior to opening faceoff, Hartford honored its 11 seniors (Logan Ball, Doug Biondi, Alec Brown, Conor Daley, Chris Duffy, Henderson, Nick Kimmins, Evan Quinn, Kevin Sanna, Conor Van Duzer and Dylan White) in addition to Ian Woodward, a Simsbury, Conn., native who joined the Hawks in 2014 through Team IMPACT.
 
THE TURNING POINT:
A 2-1 start in the first 10 minutes of the game favored the Retrievers, but six-straight goals – three over the final 1:47 of the opening quarter followed by three during the first 5:37 of the second – landed the Hawks a commanding 7-2 lead with 9:23 remaining in the half. Huggins netted a hat trick during that 11-minute spurt while Henderson and Brown rounded out the scoring with two and one goal, respectively.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Following Hartford's run of six-unanswered scores, UMBC ended the rally and pulled within four (7-3) with 3:50 to go behind an unassisted goal from Nolan and Gunnar Schimoler's lone goal of the game.
• Huggins' final goal of the afternoon with six seconds left in the half gave the Hawks an 8-4 advantage at the break. Both sides were quiet in the first six minutes of the third, but Feiner ended the silence with back-to-back scores 65 seconds apart, putting Hartford up by a 10-4 count with 7:15 left in the stanza.
• The Hawks kept the foot on the gas, scoring two of the next three goals of the game to take their largest lead of the afternoon. Junior Brendan Gates' first goal of the year – a man-down tally – stretched the advantage to seven at 12-5 with 3:47 left to play in the third.
• UMBC rallied at the end, scoring the next three goals to pull within 12-8, but Hartford's lead was too much for the Retrievers to overcome. Junior Trevor O'Brien pushed the lead back to five, providing the final margin of 13-8 with 6:21 left to play.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• The Hawks' defense – specifically Duffy – nearly shut down UMBC's leading scorer, Max Maxwell. He was held to just one goal on the afternoon.
• Junior Ryan Vanderford had a solid outing between the posts, making a career-high 18 saves while limiting the Retrievers to eight goals. It marked the fourth time this season he holds an opponent to single-digit goals.
• Brown added one goal and three assists while O'Brien totaled a career-high in scoring with four points on two goals and a pair of assists.
• UMBC outshot the Hawks, 38-27, while also holding advantages in shots on goal (26-19) and ground balls (31-27).
• The Hawks were without heir top faceoff guy, Dylan Protesto, for the second-straight game, but defender Nicholas Vazquez and midfielders Spence Andrews and Nolan Little stepped up to win half of the game's 24 faceoffs. Vazquez led the way with a 7-of-11 effort, while sophomore Zach Elkinson came away with five ground balls.
• Hartford continued its success on extra-man opportunities, converting on its lone attempt. The Hawks are 14-of-26 in EMOs this season. The Hawks' penalty-killing unit was also on point today, limiting the Retrievers to a .250 (1-of-4) conversion rate.

 
NEXT ON TAP:
The 2017 regular-season finale lands Hartford in Albany on Saturday, April 29. The rematch of last season's America East semifinal match between the Hawks and Great Danes is slated for a 7 p.m. opening faceoff from Bob Ford Field.