WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The Hartford women's lacrosse team delivered a commanding performance in its 2026 home opener, defeating Wentworth Institute of Technology, 18-1 this Wednesday afternoon. The victory marks the Hawks' first Conference of England (CNE) face-off and win of the season, as Hartford dominated from start to finish. 

Rapid Recap:

• The Hawks controlled the pace early, applying consistent pressure on the Leopards defense. Despite multiple early saves from the Wentworth goalkeeper Lily Cohen, the Hawks stayed persistent and finally broke through midway through the first period. Senior Sara Costa (Shrub Oak, N.Y.) got Hartford on the board with a man-up goal, capitalizing on the player advantage. The Hawks continued to dictate this game late in the quarter, as junior Lauren Samela (Cheshire, Conn.) found the back of the net off a feed from junior Talei Ricketson (Centennial, Colo.) to extend the lead. Wentworth responded shortly after with a goal of their own, to take the score, 2-1 Hawks into the next period.
• Hartford kept its foot on the gas in the second, striking early with goals from junior Katie Graham (Colchester, Conn.) and sophomore Kate Zonin (North Smithfield, R.I), both set up by Samela. The Hawks took advantage of another opportunity soon after, as junior Laurel McIntosh (West Kingston, R.I.) buried a man-up goal. The momentum didn't slow, with Smaela adding one more before the half to push the Hawks ahead 6-1 moving into the break.
• The Hawks kicked off the second half with a burst, as Costa and Zonin combined for three quick goals to break things open. They continued to cash in on player-up opportunities stretching the margin to double digits with under five minutes to go in the third. Samela and freshman Olivia Shepherd (Cheshire, Conn.) added to the run, while Zonin finished off the quarter with yet another goal, giving Hartford a 13-1 lead heading into the final quarter.
• Hartford put the finishing touches on a strong showing in the fourth, continuing to tack on goals with Costa, freshman Madeline Aiello (Whitesboro, N.Y.), and sophomore Jaleen Ruiz (Goshen, N.Y.). The Hawks showed no signs of slowing down, converting on a free position opportunity and keeping the pressure applied. Graham and Aiello added late goals to close it out, as the Hawks secured the 18-1 win.

Post Game Press:
"I think our team has a lot of grit," said senior Sara Costa (Shrub Oak, N.Y.), "we always get the ball back even if we drop it, I think we need to have less turnovers as we get into some more challenging conference play. There are so many players on our team who can score and do amazing things so we just have to keep utilizing one another. Today, I personally tried to stay in the present, doing what I am supposed to do. A lot of the time in practice we go through all of the plays and everyone knows how it should work so sticking to our plans helped us out today."

Inside the Numbers:

• Hartford saw a balanced scoring effort in the win, with multiple Hawks turning in multi-goal performances. Costa and Zonin led the charge offensively, both tallying four goals and two assists a piece to take six points home for the afternoon.
• Samela also played a key role in the attack, collecting three assists and three goals, picking up four ground balls and forcing two turnovers.
• Defensively the Hawks were relenting, sophomore Emily Bussiere (Agawam, Mass.) picked up two ground balls causing three turnovers to keep the Leopards on their heels.
• In net, three goalkeepers made appearances today, junior Mandi Rivard (Vernon, Conn.) took home the win with two saves, junior Emily Campbell (Plainville, Mass.) and sophomore Nora Miller (Ellington, Conn.) split time, combining for a strong showing in net to close out this match.

Up Next:
The Hawks will remain at home to take on Plattsburgh State this upcoming Thursday, March 19th with a start time of 1:00 p.m.

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