ALFRED, N.Y. - The Hartwick Men's Lacrosse team hit the road for an important conference battle with the Saxons, grinding out the victory over Alfred on Saturday afternoon.

THE BASICS

• Final Score:Hartwick 12 Alfred 11

• Location: Alfred, N.Y.

• Records: Hartwick (5-5, 3-2 Empire 8) Alfred (4-6, 2-3 Empire 8)

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Hartwick and Alfred prepared for the opening faceoff in a crucial matchup with playoff seeding at stake with only four games remaining in the regular season.

• Colin August (Garrison, N.Y.) looked to set the tone early with the first shot on goal but was turned away by the Saxon keeper. Alfred went on to score off the counter-attack for the first goal of the game with 12:56 on the clock.

• The Saxons struck for another goal at the 11:25 mark as the Hawks looked to break out of the slow start, down by two early.

• Tyler Nocito (Mahopac, N.Y.) put the first goal up on the board for the Hawks, as Garrett Frost (Wading River, N.Y.) was credited with the assist.

• Liam McManus (Skillman, N.J.) knotted the game up at two, scooping up the rebound off a Tararihwakohe Lazore (Hogansburg, N.Y.) shot and putting it in the back of the net with seven minutes on the clock.

• The Hawks began to gain momentum, taking their first lead of the contest at the 6:32 mark with a Matthew LoCasto (Floral Park, N.Y.) goal.

• August, who came into the contest ranked third in the Empire 8 conference with an average of 2.8 goals per game, collected his first goal of the afternoon off the Lazore assist. Wick carried their two goal lead into the second quarter after the remaining four minutes of the first saw no scoring.

• The Saxons would be first to strike again to open the second quarter, picking up their third goal at the 12:56 mark.

• In a tight contest, the two squads vyed for possession as they upped their physicality as the course of the game progressed.

• Frost connected on his first goal of the day with Nocito collecting the assist to give the Royal Blue & White some breathing room. Alfred closed out the second quarter with a late goal at the 23 second mark as the Hawks entered the half up one.

• Lazore opened up the third quarter with an exclamation mark, scoring on a fancy play to inject some energy into his teammates. Alfred won the faceoff and looked to get organized by retreating and getting the ball to the keeper but Kohe had other plans. Lazore was able to rise up and snag the pass out of mid-air and fire it past the keeper for the swift score, six seconds into the quarter.

• Lazore kept rolling, finding his second goal of the afternoon as August picked up his first assist at the 12:08 mark.

• After a barrage of shots from Wick, McManus was able to put it away to put the Hawks up four with 9:16 remaining in the third.

• Alfred secured their fifth goal but was quickly matched by Mason Adams (Delmar, NY), just 28 seconds after as McManus was tabbed with his first assist.

• Nocito was able to drive deep into the Saxon defense and find the score to put the Hawks back up five to cap off their big third quarter.

• The Saxons found another late goal in the third quarter, scoring with 28 seconds left to cut the deficit to four with one quarter remaining.

• With 15 minutes remaining, the two squads gave it their all, battling to the wire with Alfred cutting the lead to three, two minutes in.

• August secured the ground ball and set up Adams for his second score of the day, putting the Hawks back up four with just under 12 minutes remaining.

• Alfred went on to score in the same minute and tacked on two more after to pull within one goal with eight minutes left on the scoreboard as the Hawks looked to get in check defensively.

• As the two teams continued to battle, Nocito picked up the team's 12th and final goal to put the Hawks up two with just under five minutes left.

• Coach LaSala's squad was able to hold off the Saxons despite the late score with 32 seconds left to pull back within one, securing a crucial victory over Alfred.

UP NEXT FOR THE HAWKS

The Hawks will look to make it three in a row, facing off against the SUNY Poly Wildcats on Wednesday, April 16th at 4PM.

About Hartwick College:

Hartwick, often referred to as The Life Balance College, is a private liberal arts and sciences institution in Oneonta, N.Y. Through its distinctive FlightPath approach, Hartwick blends academic excellence, career preparation and an active campus life to help students achieve a balanced and fulfilling college experience. With transparent tuition and a focus on health and wellness, Hartwick prepares students for lifelong success—both professionally and personally.