QUEENS, N.Y — A pair of rallies to end each half helped St. John's sneak past Hartford men's lacrosse, 13-11, in non-conference action on Saturday afternoon. Hartford junior Carter O'Connell and classmate Christian Paley each finished with hat tricks for the Hawks, however their efforts were not enough to stop the Red Storm's late-game comeback.
Hartford falls to 0-2 with the defeat, while St. John's improves to 1-2.
ST. JOHN'S 13, HARTFORD 11
Hartford came out of the gate hot to start the game, taking a 7-3 advantage midway through the second quarter. Early scoring by Paley and O'Connell, as well as goals from sophomore Andrew Boniface, junior Tyler Corpora, and sophomore Braeden McKercher helped the Hawks build that early cushion. The Red Storm would rally late, though, rattling off a 3-1 spurt to close Hartford's lead to one goal (8-7) at intermission.
The Hawks benefited from another strong start in the second half, working their way out to an 11-8 lead. But St. John's mounted another late rally, scoring five-unanswered goals to end the game and take the come-from-behind, 13-11 victory.
INSIDE THE BOX & NOTES
- O'Connell, who matched a career high in scoring with four points, has tallied hat tricks in back-to-back games for the Hawks
- Paley notched a hat-trick for the first time this season, matching O'Connell's team-best four points
- Sophomore Joe Prikadoko recorded six saves in goal
- O'Connell led the way for Hartford with nine shots on goal
- Freshman Andrew Moynihan went 10-of-19 at the X to pace the Hawks
- Mike Madsen scored five goals for St. John's to lead all scorers, while Dylan Willis added a trio of scores
NEXT ON TAP
The Hawks make their home debut on Saturday Feb. 22, when they play host to Canisius. Opening faceoff is set for 11 a.m.
For more information on the Hartford men's lacrosse team, stay with HartfordHawks.com for updates and follow the team on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
