DANBURY, Conn. - Senior attacker Gina Giambald (East Meadow, N.Y.) tallied a game-high four goals while classmate midfielder Madison Ratchford (Ridge, N.Y.) added a hat trick and two assists to propel the Western Connecticut State University women's lacrosse team to a 13-9 victory over the University of Hartford in a non-league battle at the Westside Athletic Complex on Saturday.

Graduate student middie Victoria Gracy (Bethel, Conn.) tacked on two goals and a pair of helpers, while junior midfielder Isabella Pota (East Meadow, N.Y.) added two scoring strikes. Sophomore midfielder Kate Zonin (North Smithfield, R.I.) put forth a solid effort to lead the Hawks. She tallied one goal and an assist while earning a game-high 11 draw controls. 

Despite the Hawks' dominance on the draws, WestConn managed to force 19 turnovers while coughing the ball up just 11 times. Furthermore, the Wolves outshot the Hawks, 35-27, while winning the ground ball contest, 18-13. 

It appeared things were heading towards a blowout in the early going. The hosts netted seven goals to begin the day. Gracy, Ratchford and Giambald notched two goals apiece during the red-hot beginning. Hartford came to life in the second quarter with a three-goal spurt, slicing it to 7-3 at the break. WestConn countered with a trio of goals to begin the third stanza. Ratchford buried her team-leading 12th of the season during the flurry. The Hawks would outscore the Wolves in the fourth but it was too little to late. WestConn held a 13-7 advantage before the Hawks tallied a pair of late goals to round out the scoring.

With the victory, the Wolves improved to 2-2 overall while the Hawks sank to 0-3. WestConn returns to action when they host Westfield State University on Tuesday at 7 p.m.