Hartford Women’s Lacrosse opened its 2026 season with a close 12-10 loss to Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.
The game began with Hartford taking the first shot, but Vassar responded quickly by scoring two goals within the first three and a half minutes. Senior midfielder Sara Costa scored Hartford’s first goal of the year, helping her team stay in contention. Junior midfielder Laurel McIntosh added another for Hartford as both teams traded goals, making it 4-2 in favor of Vassar. Junior midfielder Lauren Samela then scored twice in under a minute to tie the game at four by the end of the first period.
In the second period, both teams continued to exchange goals. Costa scored again for Hartford after a yellow card was issued to Vassar. The defenses tightened for most of the period until Samela took advantage of a power play to score her second goal, giving Hartford a one-goal lead at halftime.
Vassar started strong after halftime and tied the game early in the third period. Samela responded by scoring two more goals for Hartford, and junior attack Talei Ricketson contributed her first goal of the season. However, Vassar matched each effort with goals from three different players. Despite some late opportunities for Hartford, they ended the third period ahead 9-8.
Early in the fourth period, Vassar quickly equalized before Samela scored unassisted for her sixth goal of the match. In the final minutes, Vassar gained momentum and scored three unanswered goals to secure a 12-10 win.
Statistically, Vassar outshot Hartford 35-19. Samela led Hartford with 10 shots while Tess Billings led Vassar with 11. Ground balls were also dominated by Vassar at 15 compared to Hartford’s 10; sophomore Emiley Bussiere led Hartford with two ground balls and Liz Lange led Vassar with four. In goal, junior Mandi Rivard made 10 saves for Hartford while two different goalies combined for four saves for Vassar.
Hartford will next travel to Northampton, Massachusetts on March 4th to face Smith College before hosting Wentworth Institute on March 17th for their home opener.
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