BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Men's Lacrosse team fell to Conference of New England (CNE) foe Hartford on Wednesday evening, 7-6, as UHart struck three times in the final 2:12 of regulation, on Bayside Field.
 
RWU outshot Hartford 47-29 on the day, with 22 shots landing on target to Hartford's 15. UHart's CJ Ledwick was outstanding in the cage, saving 16 shots while holding the Hawks to six goals in the contest. Aaron D'Aversa was strong in net as well, saving eight shots in the matchup.
 
Aidan Ezra and Gavin Pelletier each had three points, while both scored key goals late in the contest. Tobias Ballester was also key on the defensive end, securing seven ground balls, while Ben Costanzo went 9-for-14 in faceoff attempts.
 
Jack Kester had two points with a goal and an assist, to pair with three ground balls, while Malcolm Steegstra recorded a pair of goals. Eric Izzo had six caused turnovers and six ground balls to lead the defense, while Kyle Zirn had two and one, with Carter Shelton and Will Doncaster each picking up a pair of caused turnovers.
 
Hartford (4-4, 1-0 CNE) opened by scoring the opening two goals of the contest, with Novotny scoring on a man-up opportunity with 2:52 remaining, taking a 2-0 lead into the second quarter.  Roger Williams responded with three straight goals to take a 3-2 lead, with 8:55 remaining in the half, before Pelletier struck for the first time with 5:27 remaining as the two Hawk programs took a draw into the break.
 
In the second half, Jake Ojert scored the opening goals, but three straight goals from Kester, Steegstra, and Brady Lee gave RWU the 6-4 lead with 6:33 remaining in the contest. Hartford would not back down as Maxton McPhee scored with 2:12 to pull within one, followed by a goal from Ezra off a pass from Pelletier to level the score at 6-6 with 1:31 remaining. Another key faceoff win by Costanzo gave them the opportunity to level the score. Following a timeout, Ezra returned the favor, finding an open Pelletier, who buried the shot in the back of the cage.  The ensuing faceoff went in favor of Hartford as they held off RWU for the win.
 
Roger Williams (4-6, 0-1 CNE) will travel to Curry on Saturday, Mar. 29 at 2:00 pm before heading to Gordon on Tuesday, Apr. 1 at 7:00 pm.  The Hawks will then host Endicott and Western New England for key CNE matchups on Wednesday, Apr. 9 and Saturday, Apr. 12 on Bayside Field.