WEST HARTFORD, Conn. —The Hawks erased an early deficit and stormed back to defeat Manhattan, 2-1, on Al-Marzook Field in its 2019 season opener. Senior
Kaila Lozada scored the game-deciding goal in the 57th minute to seal the victory.
The Hawks improve to 1-0 with the victory while Jaspers drop to 0-1.
PHOTO GALLERY
HARTFORD 2, MANHATTAN 1
Each side drew quick penalty kicks within the first six minutes of action, but it was Manhattan that capitalized on the game's first opportunity just 2:57 into the contest to take an early lead. The Hawks wasted little time to draw the sides even, though, as senior Samantha Nelbach connected on a downfield pass from senior
Sierra Stone to make it 1-1 in the eighth minute.
Hartford took the lead in the 57th minute when Lozada turned her defender inside the box and slipped a low shot past Jaspers' keeper Camryn Nici. Despite a barrage that featured five of Manhattan's nine shots on the night inside the final two minutes — including one that forced Hartford goalkeeper
Maia Perez into action — the Hawks held on for the victory.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE & HARTFORD NOTES
- Junior Maia Perez made two saves to earn her 22nd career victory.
- Hartford outshot Manhattan, 12-9, and held an 8-0 advantage in corner kicks.
- The win marks the Hawks' second straight on opening day, and their fifth in the past six seasons.
- Freshman defender Doireann Fahey earned the start in her collegiate debut, logging the full 90 minutes, while classmates Victoria Jedrychowski and Ishani Sharma also logged significant minutes in their first career matches.
- Going unbeaten in the past four meetings with Manhattan (3-0-1), Hartford improves to 4-1-1 in the all-time series.
NEXT ON TAP
A two-game road trip begins on Sunday, Aug. 25, with a date at Merrimack, which joins the Division I ranks this season. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.
