WEST HARTFORD, Conn.  –  A first-half goal on a penalty kick from sophomore midfielder Udi Cohen followed by an insurance tally off the boot of classmate Jeff Tryon, a forward, in the 62nd minute lifted the University of Hartford men's soccer team to a shutout victory over the visiting New Hampshire Wildcats in America East action on Saturday evening at Al-Marzook Field. With the win, their second-straight, the Hawks (7-5-2 overall) improve to 2-2-0 in the conference while keeping their undefeated record in West Hartford intact at 6-0-0.

Coming off a win over Albany Wednesday, UNH dips to 5-7-1 overall and 1-3-0 in America East games. With six points in league action and three regular season games remaining, the Hawks are currently in fourth place in the league standings behind UMBC (2-0-1), Vermont (2-1-1) and Binghamton (2-0-0). The top six teams qualify for the America East Championships.

Hartford, which held the upperhand on both sides of the pitch throughout the entire 90 minutes, landed on the right side of a foul-riddled first half when Cohen was taken down in the box. Taking the honors on the ensuing penalty kick, the sophomore sent a low shot the left post and gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute after beating UNH keeper Travis Worra.

Less than four minutes later, the Wildcats lost their top goal-scorer, David Schlatter, to a red card, rewarding the Hawks with an extra-man advantage for the remainder of the match. Hartford capitalized on the advantage in the second half, outshooting its opponents, 6-1, during that stretch while doubling its lead to 2-0 in the 61st minute when Tryon put the finishing touches on a downfield pass from junior forward Javoni Simms.

Between the posts, Hartford keeper David MacKinnon was forced into action just one time to earn his fourth shutout of the season. With 17 on his career, he now ranks fifth in Hartford's all-time record books.

GOALS SUMMARY:

• With nine minutes left in the first half, sophomore Udi Cohen was tripped up in the box and the Hawks were awarded a penalty kick, their first of the season; Cohen took the honors on the kick, sending a low shot to the left post, a ball that deflected off a diving Worra into the back of the net
• Initiated by a ball played just outside of the box by Javoni Simms from midfield, Hartford's second goal came off the boot of Jeff Tryon, who turned his defender from the center and finished with a high shot to the right post in the 61st minute 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

• In the 12th minute, Connor Yeaney had Hartford's first scoring opportunity out of a corner kick, but New Hampshire keeper Travis Worra was up to the challenge and made the stop on the high header
• The Hawks were awarded a penalty kick in the 36' after sophomore Udi Cohen was taken down in the box; he went on to capitalize on the Wildcats' miscue to provide his team with the 1-0 edge at the half
• In a foul riddled first half that featured 21 whistles, New Hampshire took another blow late in the first half, as a red card was assessed to David Schlatter with 7:56 left in the half, giving Hartford an extra-man advantage for the remainder of the match
• Later in the match, junior forward Javoni Simms fed sophomore Jeff Tryon with a pass from midfield; Tryon turned his defender and sent a high ball to the right post to double Hartford's advantage to 2-0 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Hartford and New Hampshire combined for 21 first-half fouls
• The two squads each registered five shots in the first half, but the Hawks did not concede a shot on goal to the Wildcats during that stretch
• The Hawks held the Wildcats to just one shot on goal the entire match, a season-low, and finished with an 11-6 shot advantage overall
• Hartford held UNH without a corner kick the entire game, marking the first time it did not conceded a corner since hosting American last season on September 13 

TWEETABLES (140 characters or less): 

• Defeating UNH, 2-0, at home, Hartford is now undefeated at Al-Marzook Field with a 6-0-0 mark
• No other Hawk team has gone 6-0 at home in the program's DI history; three have gone unbeaten through their first six (1995, 1996, 2008)
• SO Udi Cohen netted his first career goal in the 36' on a PK, the Hawks' first of the season, to provide Hartford with the halftime lead
• SO forward Jeff Tryon's insurance tally in the 61' against the Wildcats was his second goal of the season
• With Tryon's tally in the second half vs. the Wildcats, his second of the year, three Hawks now have multiple goals (Simms, R. Jones)
• Called into action just once during the match vs. UNH, SO David MacKinnon collected his fifth shutout of the season and 17th of his career
• With 17 career shutouts, SO David MacKinnon has cracked Hartford's top-five all-time and fourth in the program's DI era
• Hartford is currently fourth in the @AmericaEast standings with six points behind UMBC (7 pts), Vermont (7 pts) and Binghamton (6 pts) 

UP NEXT:
The Hawks continue to move through their America East schedule as they head north to Burlington, Vt., for their next matchup. Hartford and Vermont will meet next Saturday afternoon with a scheduled 2 p.m. kickoff from Virtue Field.

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