WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — The Hawks emerged victorious in their home opener as they took down in-state rivals Fairfield, 2-0, on Saturday to extend their winning streak to four. Redshirt sophomore
Jordan Koduah scored his first goal of the season in the first half, while a second half own goal by Fairfield saw Hartford take home the win. The Hawks improve to 4-2 on the year while the Stags drop to 1-3-2 with the loss.
HARTFORD 2, FAIRFIELD 0
The Hawks started the game off strongly as sophomore
Sergi Martinez drove into the penalty box and was taken down, but the referee denied the Hawks a penalty and the chance at the early lead. The breakthrough would come in the 22nd minute, though, when sophomore
Tomer Drimmer sent in a cross and gave Koduah an easy headed tap in for the 1-0 lead.
Fairfield would pile on the pressure for the remainder of the half, outshooting the Hawks, 11-4, but senior goalkeeper
Jimmy Slayton came up with four saves to deny the Stags an equalizing goal.
The second half featured a midfield battle as neither team could muster a chance on goal. The Hawks would have the majority of chances, and their efforts would be rewarded in the 73rd minute after
Aitor Elena sent in a low ball across the six-yard box, forcing a Fairfield defender to put it in their own net to give the Hawks the 2-0 lead. The Stags' best chance of the night — a late free-kick —t went just wide of the post, and the Hawks defense stood firm to record their third consecutive shutout.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE & HARTFORD NOTES
- Koduah scored his first goal of the season
- Drimmer recorded his second assist on the season
- Slayton finished with a season high five saves on 13 shots faced to earn his third shutout in a row
- The Stags held a 13-7 advantage in shots, while the Hawks held the 4-0 edge in corner kicks
- Redshirt-junior Ryan Innes and sophomore Connor Aksoz led the offensive effort with two shots each
- The Hawks improved to 9-1-2 in the all-time series against Fairfield
NEXT ON TAP
The Hawks head back on the road with a meeting against another in-state rival in Central Connecticut on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Kickoff from CCSU Soccer Field is set for 6 p.m.
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