WEST HARTFORD, Conn.  –  University of Hartford sophomore Romario Jones struck twice for the men's soccer team on Wednesday night, helping the Hawks overcome a 1-0 deficit and score a 2-1 triumph over UMass at Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium. Improving to 4-0-0 on their home field, the Hawks go to 5-4-2 on the season while the Minutemen drop to 1-9-0 with the loss, their fourth-straight.

Overcoming a sluggish first half by producing several scoring opportunities to start the second, Jones tied up the match for the Hawks in the 57th minute after taking a cross from senior forwardOmar Tall and one-timing UMass keeper Ryan Buckingham. Despite continuing to apply pressure throughout the remainder of regulation, the Hawks were unable to produce the go-ahead tally and forced overtime for the third time this season.

Less than five minutes into extra time, Jones provided the heroics and lifted Hartford to its sixth-straight win over UMass after kicking home a deflection off of a shot from Jeff Tryon, which was initially saved by the Minutemen's keeper. Jones now leads the Hawks with three goals this season as his squad improves to 1-0-2 in overtime this season.

Another hero of Wednesday's match was redshirt freshman Scott McKirgan. Making his first career start between the pipes, he faced a plethora of UMass shots in the opening half and came up with six saves, including a diving stop on a penalty kick from Josh Schwartz. The Minutemen managed to get one opportunity past the Hawks' defense, though, as Schwartz fed Luke Pavone on a give-and-go in transition in the 35th minute to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage before the end of the period.

McKirgan finished with eight total saves, a career-high.

America East action resumes for the Hawks as a rematch of last season's America East Championship title match is next on the docket. Hartford will head to UMBC to face the reigning league champions on Saturday afternoon with kickoff from Retrievers Soccer Park scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
 

GOALS SUMMARY:

• On a breakaway, UMass' Luke Pavone, who initiated a give-and-go with John Schwartz, put the finishing touches on a pass inside the box to put the Minutemen ahead, 1-0, in the 35th minute
• Romario Jones manufactured the game-tying marker in the 57th minute after taking a crossing pass from senior Omar Tall and one-timing UMass keeper Ryan Buckingham for Hartford's first score of the evening
• Thirty-five minutes later, Jones went on to provide the heroics for the Hawks as he knocked-in the game-winning tally from inside of the box; following a scramble out of a corner kick that saw the Hawks produce two scoring opportunities, a blocked Udi Cohen's shot preceding a Jeff Tryon attempt that was deflected of the UMass goalie, Jones ended the match by getting his right foot on the loose ball and sending a low shot out of reach of Buckingham 

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

• Junior defender Blake Jones produced Hartford's first scoring opportunity of the match in the fifth minute, but his blast from the right went high and wide left of the mark
• Of the 12 UMass first-half shots, seven of which were on target, forcing Hawk keeper Scott McKirgan to make six saves in his first career start
• Less than a minute after Blake Jones' shot, McKirgan chalked up his first save of the match, snagging a Peter Alvarenga shot out on the counter
• Within a two-minute span, McKirgan made two more key saves, first coming up with the diving stop on a UMass penalty kick off the boot of Schwartz before smothering a point-blank shot from Matt Keys on a breakaway
• Sophomore forward Jeff Tryon produced Hartford's best scoring opportunity in the 21st minute, heading a ball served into the box from junior Anthony LoBello into the bottom part of the crossbar
• On a breakaway, the Minutemen converted on numbers downfield in the 35th minute as Schwartz fed Luke Pavone on a give-and-go; the marker was Pavone's first of the season
• Following a Tryon blast from 22 yards out in the 55th minute – the Hawks' first shot on goal all contest – and an Andre Morrison shot that nicked the bottom of the crossbar out of a corner kick less than a minute later, Romario Jones made it a new match for Hartford with the game-tying score
• In the 57th minute, senior Omar Tall helped produce the equalizer, sending a crossing pass from the right side to sophomore Romario Jones, who one-timed Minutemen keeper Ryan Buckingham for his second score of the season
• Both teams had chances to net the go-ahead tally in the final five minutes of regulation; Matt Keys put up a near miss for UMass with his attempt sailing just high of the crossbar while Tall, who broke free of Minutemen defenders, sent an unselfish pass to Udi Cohen, who's shot went just wide of the net
• In extra time, Hartford, which was awarded a pair of corner kicks within a 34 second span, produced the game-winning tally as Romario Jones rifled-home a deflection on a Tryon attempt for his second goal of the match 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• In a tale of two halves, Hartford, which was outshot, 12-8, in the first half, held an 11-9 advantage in shots while maintaining possession for most of the latter period; the Hawks went on to finish with a 22-21 edge in the shots column
• Hartford was rewarded a season-high 13 corner kicks on the evening, tallying nine more than its opponents
• Sophomore forward Jeff Tryon produced a team-high eight shot opportunities, two of which were marked on target but several of them being near misses for the Hawks
• Freshman Scott McKirgan made eight saves between the pipes for Hartford in his first career start, earning his first college victory 

TWEETABLES (140 characters or less): 

• Romario Jones' equalizer in the 57' was the sophomore's second this season, tying senior Javoni Simmsfor the team lead
• Netting the game-winner five minutes into OT, Jones produced his first multi-goal outing of his career
• At home, the Hawks, who have gone 10-2-2 in West Hartford dating back to last season, remain unbeaten with a perfect 4-0-0 mark
• With Wednesday's win, Hartford extends its win streak over UMass to six games and is now 17-7-1 all-time against the Minutemen
• Making his debut between the pipes, redshirt freshman Scott McKirgan made nine saves, including six in the first half, for his first career win
• In the last two years, Hartford has gone into overtime 11 times and is 5-0-6 in those matches; this season, the Hawks are 1-0-2 in OT 

UP NEXT:

Hartford resumes America East play when it heads to UMBC, the reigning America East champion, for a rematch of last season's conference title game on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. 

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