BIDDEFORD, Maine - The Hartford women's lacrosse team defeated the University of New England in overtime this Saturday with a final score of 12-11 on the road.

Rapid Recap:

• Hartford battled through a back-and-forth opening quarter, responding to an early two-goal deficit with three straight tallies to briefly win back the lead. After the Nor'Easters struck first, the Hawks found their rhythm behind free position goals from junior Laurel McIntosh (West Kingston, R.I.) and junior Talei Ricketson (Centennial, Colo.). McIntosh added a man-up finish to make it 3-2. UNE answered late to even things up, sending the game into the second quarter tied 3-3.
• Hartford opened the second with another free-position goal from senior Sara Costa (Shrub Oak, N.Y.) to take a 4-3 lead. Yet again the Nor'Easters fought back with back-to-back scores to nab back the advantage. The Hawks continued to generate chances with multiple saves from the d-line and goalkeepers to keep it tight, before sophomore Kate Zonin (North Smithfield, R.I.) found the equalizer late in the half. Hartford and UNE headed into the break knotted at 5-5.
• The Hawks came out of the break strong, taking a 6-5 lead on a junior Lauren Samela (Cheshire, Conn.) goal off a feed from junior Katie Graham (Colchester, Conn.). UNE found their offensive surge with two straight scores. Hartford maintained their composure with Costa converting on a free-position attempt midway through the score, gathering another equalizer now at 7-7. Strong defensive stands and key saves from junior Mandi Rivard (Vernon, Conn.) kept it level heading into the fourth.
• The fourth played out in similar back-and-forth fashion to the first three quarters, UNE briefly took control before Hartford kept answering to remain matched on the board. The Hawks tallied key goals from Samela, Costa, McIntosh, and a late Graham man-up finish. Graham's finish found the back of the net with seven seconds on the clock and forced the teams into extra minutes, 11-11.
• In overtime, Hartford controlled possession early with Costa winning a crucial draw control. Sophomore Brenna Slattery (Wilbraham, Mass.) finished off a man-up feed from McIntosh to secure the tense 12-11 victory, just 45 seconds into the fifth.

Post Game Press:
We were able to catch up with sophomore Brenna Slattery (Wilbraham, Mass.) who was the Hawk to bring home the final goal in overtime and she had this to share on the victory, "It's a great feeling to get it done together and do my part, especially in an important conference (Conference of New England, CN) game on the road. Everyone stayed composed, we played our game, and in the end we showed up when it really mattered."

Inside the Numbers:

• McIntosh and Costa were top on the offensive leaderboard this afternoon each sharing three goals a piece. McIntosh added one assist and went 2-3 in free-position attempts. Costa was 3-3 in her free position shots claiming all of her goals off of penalty attempts.
• Rivard put up seven saves in the match to earn the team win and played all 65 minutes of action.
• The Hawks' win today came down to their ability to convert on free-position attempts and were 6-10 while the Nor'Easters went 3-9. Hartford won 14 to UNE's 11 draw controls.

Up Next:
The Hawks will return home to challenge Roger Williams University this upcoming Tuesday, April 14th at 4:00 p.m.

For the latest information on Hartford Athletics follow the Hawks on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.