WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Hartford men's lacrosse team made a statement in their home opening, pulling a 12-9 victory over Vassar College in front of a full crowd this Saturday afternoon.

Rapid Recap:

• The Hawks came out aggressive in the opening quarter, setting the tone in front of the home crowd. After early saves from junior CJ Ledwick (Falmouth, Mass.) and strong defensive pressure led by graduate student Nick DiDomizio (Cheshire, Conn.), Hartford capitalized on its first extra-man opportunity, Junior Colin Reilly (Southington, Conn.) buried the man-up goal at the 9:15 mark off a sharp assist from sophomore Shaun Wright (Frederick, Md.). Vassar evened the score midway through the frame, but Hartford responded with poise. Junior Michael Novotny (Cornwall, N.Y.) found the back of the net at 4:13 off a smooth feed from junior Aidan Ezra (New Milford, Conn.) to reclaim the advantage.Novotny struck twice in the quarter including a buzzer beater at the one second mark. While, junior Nick Forgione (Denville, N.J.) added a goal off another Ezra feed to extend the lead. Behind key early saves from Ledwick, the Hawks closed the first ahead 4-1.
• The second quarter continued at a fast pace as Vassar trimmed the deficit early with a goal from Tate Tinker, yet Hartford answered once again on the man-up opportunity. Novotny buried his third of the afternoon off a  sophomore Gavin Pelletier (Southington, Conn.) assist to push the lead back to three. Vassar found some success, adding a two-goal push over the Hawks in a five-minute stretch to make it a one-goal game. The Hawks responded with composure, Forgione finished off another Pelletier feed before Ezra added a late strike to create separation. With just five seconds remaining, Novotny tallied his fourth completing a shot off a senior Aidan Kemp (South Orange, N.J.) assist, sending the Hawks into the break with strong momentum at an 8-4 advantage.
• Hartford wasted little time in the third quarter, as Novotny recorded his fifth goal of the afternoon just over two minutes to extend the lead 9-4. Vassar answered with a push of their own, scoring three times in the frame, including a man-up finish from Tate Tinker to cut the deficit to two. The Hawks' defense settled in behind big saves from Ledwick and caused turnovers from senior Tobias Ballester (Westwood, N.J.) and DiDomizio to halt the momentum swing. With the Brewers threatening late, sophomore Nick Ugolini (Agawam, Mass.) came through with a clutch goal with 15 seconds remaining to give Hartford a 10-7 advantage moving into the final quarter.
• The Brewers started the final quarter with a quick goal to make it yet again a two-score game, but the Hawks answered at the right time. Reilly capitalized midway through the period to steady the Hawks, and moments later Pelletier followed with another finish to push their lead 12-8 with under 10 minutes remaining. Vassar added one more to keep things interesting, yet Hartford never let the momentum fully shift. Behind timely stops from Ledwick and the brick wall set up by DiDomizio on defense, the Hawks controlled the final minutes with ease to secure the 12-9 home-opening win.

Post Game Press: 
"Today's win was huge for us," said junior Michael Novotny (Cornwall, N.Y.). "Being able to handle the adversity of a bad loss last week and bounce back really shows how this team can respond. We're excited about this win, but we're back to work to prepare for a great opponent next week." 

Inside The Numbers:

• Novotny led the offensive charge for Hartford with five goals on the afternoon, including a man-up tally, and added one ground ball. Forgione contributed two goals in his four shot attempts. Reilly also tallied two goals to add to the Hawks win. 
• On the defensive end, DiDomizio caused four turnovers from the Brewers and scooped up four ground balls to disrupt Vassar's offense. 
• Ledwick made 14 clutch saves in the net this afternoon, including stops in the final minute to preserve the win.
• The Brewers' leader was Anderson Eads adding three goals and two assists to this contest to kick off his senior season.
• Junior Ben Costanzo (Chester, Conn.) went 7-15 in the faceoff winning crucial draws to help Hartford maintain possession. Sophomore Ian Reynolds (Queensbury, N.Y.) also stepped up in the faceoff ending the day 5-8 for the team.

Up Next:
The Hawks will travel to New London, Conn. to take on Connecticut College this upcoming Saturday, February 28th with a start time of 3:00 P.M.

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