Hartford Stuns No. 6 UMBC; Fans Rush Field
from press release
WEST HARTFORD, Conn. -- The University of Hartford lacrosse team
pulled off a stunning upset over sixth-ranked UMBC on Saturday by a
final score of 10-8 on senior day at Alumni Stadium.
Hartford (2-10 overall, 1-3 America East) picked up its first
conference win of the season and handed UMBC (9-3 overall, 3-1
America East) its first conference loss. It also marked Hartford's
first conference victory since the 2007 season; the Hawks have now
won consecutive games for the first time since 2006. The
Retrievers, whose only other losses this season have come against
Johns Hopkins and Princeton, hadn't lost a conference game since
2007.
The Hawks got a stellar performance in goal from freshman Scott
Bement, who tied a career high with 19 saves while holding the
nation's fifth-best scoring attack in check. The Retrievers came
into the game averaging just over 12 goals per game but were held
to their second-lowest scoring output of the season.
Eight players scored a goal for the Hawks. Leading the way on the
offensive end was freshmen Aidan Genik, who finished with two goals
and an assist. Sophomore Michael Cudmore also netted a pair of
goals while senior Jacob Eustice added two assists.
Hartford's defense was solid throughout. UMBC entered the game
with the top man-up offense (.568) in the country but went just
1-for-6 on extra-man opportunities.
The Hawks got off to a great start, taking a 1-0 lead in the
opening minute off the stick of Cudmore on a feed from junior
Justin Bearse. Hartford then added a man-up goal with 7:35 to go in
the quarter when Genik found freshman Ryan Compitello for a goal.
UMBC bounced right back, however, to tie the game with a pair of
goals in the final five minutes of the quarter.
The Retrievers took their only lead early in the second quarter on
a score from Matt Latham, who led the team with three goals on the
day. The Hawks then shut down the Retrievers' attack for the final
13 minutes of the half and took back the lead behind three straight
goals. Genik tied the score at 3-3 and freshman Carter Bender put
the Hawks up for good with an unassisted goal with 8:00 to play in
the half. Bearse added a goal on a bang-bang play in front of the
net to give Hartford a 5-3 lead heading into the halftime
intermission.
Hartford increased its lead in the third quarter, outscoring UMBC
by a 4-3 margin. The Retrievers started the second half with a
man-up goal from Kyle Wimer, but the Hawks answered with three
straight scores to pump the lead to 8-4. Genik, Cudmore and
sophomore Vinny Pellizzi all scored during the stretch as Hartford
took its biggest lead of the game.
After a goal by sophomore Leif Abrahamson put Hartford up 9-5,
UMBC picked up some momentum at the end of the quarter when Latham
netted his third goal of the day. The Retrievers then cut the
deficit to 9-7 with a quick score to start the fourth quarter, as
Alex Hopmann scored just 12 seconds into the stanza.
On the ensuing face-off, sophomore Tim Fallon made a game-changing
play. After winning the face-off at midfield and scooping up the
ground ball, he raced to the net and beat UMBC goalie Jeremy
Blevins to swing the momentum back to Hartford's side.
The Retrievers furiously tried to claw their way back into the
game in the final 10 minutes. Bement made the play of the game with
8:11 to play, stonewalling UMBC's Peet Poillon on a one-on-one
attempt after he picked up a loose ball in front of the Hartford
goal.
UMBC scored its final goal with 3:02 to go but couldn't rally all
the way back. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Hawks
celebrated the victory as fans rushed the field.
Hartford will close out the regular season at Binghamton
University on Saturday, April 25 at 7 p.m. The Hawks are still in
the running for the final spot at the 2009 America East
Championship.
