The Hartford men’s lacrosse team lost to Western New England University by a score of 15-12 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference semifinals, according to an April 29 announcement.
The result ends Hartford’s season with a record of 11-6 overall and a 7-2 mark in conference play. The game was closely contested, with both teams exchanging leads before Western New England secured the win late in the fourth quarter.
Western New England started strong, scoring four goals within the first four minutes. Colin Reilly scored Hartford’s first goal, assisted by Michael Novotny. Despite falling behind early, Hartford responded with a three-goal run to close out the first quarter trailing just 5-4. In the second quarter, Reilly sparked another comeback for Hartford as they took an 8-6 lead into halftime after goals from Gavin Pelletier and Aidan Ezra.
The Golden Bears regained momentum at the start of the third quarter with four consecutive goals to go ahead 10-8. Ugolini and Novotny answered for Hartford, tying the game at ten heading into the final period. However, Western New England pulled away again in the fourth quarter with back-to-back scores that gave them a decisive lead.
Nick Ugolini led all Hawks scorers with four goals while Novotny and Reilly each contributed three points. Trent Beggs led defensively for Hartford with one goal and two caused turnovers. CJ Ledwick made twelve saves but took the loss in net. For Western New England, Jacob Roy had two goals and four assists while Thomas Labbe scored five times.
This match concludes Hartford’s season as they exit from postseason play.
