ONEONTA, N.Y. - The Hartwick Men's Lacrosse team got back on track, taking down the Russell Sage Gators in a conference battle on Wednesday afternoon at Wright Stadium.

THE BASICS

• Final Score: Russell Sage 14 Hartwick 23

• Location: Oneonta, N.Y.

• Records: Russell Sage (3-9, 0-4 Empire 8) Hartwick (4-5, 2-2 Empire 8) 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Hartwick looked to defend home turf, facing off against a struggling Russell Sage squad on a chilly Wednesday afternoon.

• The Gators were the first to strike, taking advantage of a cross-check penalty committed by the Hawks. Russell Sage scored on the man-up opportunity with 11:30 on the clock, which would be their only lead of the contest.

• Tyler Nocito (Mahopac, N.Y.) responded with a missile into the back of the net just over three minutes after the Sage goal to knot the game up at one.

• Slick ball movement from the Hawks led to their second goal as Tararihwakohe Lazore (Hogansburg, N.Y.) delivered a perfect strike to Colin August (Garrison, N.Y.) who buried his first goal of the day with six minutes remaining.

• The Hawks continued to feed the hot hand of Tyler Nocito, as Garrett Frost (Wading River, N.Y.) dished it off to the cutting Nocito, picking up his second goal of the game as Frost nabbed his first assist.

• Frost took matters into his own hands, firing his first goal of the day with two and half minutes in the first, forcing a Gator timeout.

• The offense continued to flow through the three-headed monster of Frost, Nocito, and August, as August grabbed his second goal of the day with Nocito picking up his first assist.

• Colby Simonetti (Pittsford, N.Y.) joined in on the fun, striking for his first goal with 11 minutes remaining in the first half, putting the squad up 6-1.

• Russell Sage answered back with a goal but it was quickly matched by an August goal, securing the hat-trick.

• Luke Ward (Attleboro, Mass.) made his return back to the turf after dealing with injury, catapulting a low shot right through the keeper's legs for his first score of the day with nine minutes remaining.

• August & Lazore connected again as Colin picked up his fourth goal of the day and Lazore added on to his team lead with his second assist of the day.

• Lazore continued to conduct the offense with success, setting up Simonetti with his second goal as the Hawks went up five again.

• Coach LaSala's squad closed out the stellar first half with two more goals coming from the Frost & Nocito connection as Frost secured his third assist and picked up his second goal of the day off the Spencer Hogaboom (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) assist.

• With the second half underway, Liam Downey (Blue Point, N.Y.) continued to put the Hawks in prime position by dominating at the X, leading to an early score from Lazore to open up the third quarter.

• Frost secured his hat-trick, capitalizing on the Sage slashing penalty, putting the Hawks up nine as Hogaboom picked up yet another assist.

• Steve Grossman (Magnolia, Del.) put the Hawks up ten with his first career goal, with Matt White (Medford, NY) picking up his first career assist.

• Nocito grabbed his fourth and final goal as Hogaboom was credited with his third assist on the man-up situation. August collected his fifth goal of the day with Simonetti picking up an assist, putting the Hawks in 17-6.

• Hogaboom decided to score a goal of his own after picking up three assists, capping off his solid efforts with a goal at the four minute mark.

• Frost continued to feast on the Gator defense, scoring another man-up goal with 36 seconds left.

• The Hawks pumped the brakes on their scorching hot attack, striking for four goals, their lowest scoring quarter yet. Ward picked up his second goal on the Liam McManus (Skillman, N.J.) assist, Matthew Paquette (Newton, Mass.) scored his first goal of the season with just under six minutes remaining.

• McManus grabbed a score of his own with Nicholas Fernandez (Weymouth, MA) being credited with the assist.

• Mason Adams (Delmar, NY) capped off the amazing day for the Hawks in style, connecting on the behind-the-back shot for the 23rd and final goal for the Hawks as Ben Morenus (Homer, N.Y.) grabbed the assist.

UP NEXT FOR THE HAWKS

The Hawks will look to keep rolling, facing off against the Saxons at Alfred University on Saturday, April 12 at 1PM.

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.