WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Hartford men's lacrosse overcame an early four-goal deficit to defeat Utah, 14-12, for its third straight win on Saturday afternoon at Al-Marzook Field. Sophomore attackman Christian Paley netted his third hat trick in four games to pace the Hawks, who improve to 4-9.
 
Utah (4-9), which is in its first-ever season, was led by a six-goal effort from Jimmy Perkins.
 


HARTFORD 14, UTAH 12
 
The Hawks were dealt a four-goal deficit early, as the Utes jumped out to a 5-1 lead with 12:18 to go in the second quarter. But Hartford clawed its way back, outscoring Utah by a 5-1 margin to tie up the game at 6-6 heading into the halftime break. Trepeta struck twice during that half-ending run, which also featured scores from sophomore Tyler Corpora, Paley and junior Ryan Lovell.
 
Three straight goals to open the third capped by a Perkins score with 15 seconds left put Utah up, 9-6. Hartford battled back again, though, as a faceoff win followed by a goal by sophomore Justin Tkachuk with three seconds left in the stanza sparked a 5-0 run that put the Hawks up for good with 10:03 remaining in the game. The Utes managed to pull within a goal on back-to-back strikes at the 3:02 and 1:06 mark, but freshman Hunter Krauss scored on an empty net with 44 seconds left to seal the victory.    
 
INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES

• Freshman goalie Cam Logan had a solid game between the pipes, making 15 saves 
• Hartford held the advantage at the X, winning 17-of-29 faceoffs behind a 14-of-23 effort by Tkachuk
• Tkachuk added 12 ground balls, matching a career-high that was set at Quinnipiac last month
• Freshman Andrew Boniface also tallied three points for the Hawks, finishing with one goal and two assists, while Trepeta, Krauss and senior Alex Borja contributd two goals apiece to the offense
• Hartford went 2-for-4 on man-up opportunities while holding the Utes to a 1-for-3 effort on the EMO
• The Hawks' three-game winning streak is its longest since 2016

 
NEXT ON TAP
The Hawks resume America East action with a trip to Binghamton on Saturday, April 20. Opening faceoff from Vestal, N.Y., is set for 1 p.m.