THE BASICS:

RESULT: Hartford 2, New Hampshire 0
RECORDS: Hartford (10-2-4, 4-0-3 AE); New Hampshire (6-9-3, 4-4-0 AE)
LOCATION: Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium

THE LEAD: The University of Hartford women's soccer team clinched at least one home game in the upcoming America East Championships on Thursday night thanks to a 2-0 victory over visiting New Hampshire at Al-Marzook Field. After a scoreless first half, freshman Julia Carr took advantage of a pair of defensive miscues by the Wildcats, as she buried penalty kicks in the 52nd and 65th minutes for her fifth and sixth goals of the season. The Hawks, who conclude the regular season on Sunday at UMass Lowell, remain unbeaten in America East action.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

·         UNH had the better of play in the first half, holding the Hawks without a shot through the first 42 minutes while producing its of their own. The Wildcats finished with a 4-1 edge in the opening stanza, but didn't get any of their opportunities on net. Redshirt senior Stephanie Santos was credited with Hartford's first threat of the match, but her attempt from on top of the box missed high.

·         Out of the halftime break, the Hawks picked up the pressure. At the 51:57 mark, Santos got tripped up inside of the box, and Carr easily finished on the ensuing penalty kick to provide the Hawks with the 1-0 edge.

·         Momentum continued to swing in favor of Hartford, as junior Tori Tripp received a centering pass from the left, and forced Mimi Borkan to come up with her first save of the night on a shot from point-blank range in the 55th minute. The Wildcats threatened to tie three times over the next six minutes, but Hartford keeper Jessica Jurg was down for the challenge, making the saves on Gabrielle Sloan and Brooke Murphy's shots in the 57th and 63rd minutes. A chip shot that went wide on an empty net by Murphy, also in the 63rd minute, proved to be New Hampshire's last chance at getting on the board for the remainder of the match.

·         In the 65th minute, a hand ball by New Hampshire led into the Hawks finding the back of the net for an insurance tally. Securing the win was Carr, who buried her second penalty kick of the night past Borkan to make it a 2-0 contest.

·         For the remainder of the match, it was all Hartford as Carr came just a few inches high of completing the hat trick on a long blast from 30 yards out at the 20:41 mark while junior Aaliyah Ingram beat Borkan with a shot from the right, but hit the far post with 8:02 left.    

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

·         After putting up just one shot to New Hampshire's four in the first half, the Hawks finished even with the second half as each side attempted six shots apiece.

·         Finishing with the 10-7 advantage in shots, the Wildcats also edged the Hawks in corner kicks, 3-2.

·         Jurg posted two saves in the shutout effort while Borkan also made a pair of stops

NEWS & NOTES:

·         Thursday's match served as a rematch of last season's America East Championship title game as the Wildcats upended the top-seeded Hawks last November, 2-1, to earn their first-ever title.

·         Hartford's win over New Hampshire secured a home game in the upcoming America East Championship.

·         With Thursday's triumph, Hartford has posted double-digit win totals in each of the last five seasons.

·         The Hawks have hosted at least one playoff game at home in each of the last six seasons.

·         Coming off her first multi-assist game against Albany last Thursday, Carr recorded the first multiple goal outing of her career in her team's win over Hartford.

·         Heading into its final contest on Sunday at UMass Lowell, Hartford remains unbeaten in the America East at 4-0-3.

·         Furthermore, the Hawks have gone unbeaten in 13 of their last 14 games, as they are 9-1-4 since the start September.

·         Amidst his 12th season, head coach John Natale is one win away from becoming the program's all-time winningest coach (102-84-38).

·         Hartford's shutout was the eighth this season, and the eighth for Jurg, who improves her career total to 22.

UP NEXT:                                                                    
The Hawks conclude the 2015 regular season on the road at UMass Lowell on Sunday, Oct. 25. In two meetings with the River Hawks, Hartford is 2-0 with 4-0 and 5-1 victories in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Kickoff from Cushing Field is scheduled for 4 p.m.