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Alphabetical 2013 NCAA D1 Preview: Hartford

We’re breaking down all the NCAA D1 teams one by one. Welcome to the Alphabetical 2013 NCAA D1 Previews! We move another spot down the list and the Hartford Hawks, located in West Hartford, CT, are up for Preview! Lots of ‘H’ teams to get through…

In 2012, Hartford went 6-9 and lost AND won tight games for the most part. There were a couple of blowouts on both sides, but for the most part, Hartford was competitive. Head Coach Peter Lawrence has been doing good things at Hartford since his arrival in 2006. A 20-6 win over Brown stands out as a positive, as does a one goal loss to Denver. Losses to Holy Cross and Sacred Heart raise some questions.

In 2013, Hartford once again faces their America East foes, but the Hawks will also play Maryland, Holy Cross, Brown, Siena, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, UMass, and Dartmouth. It’s almost a carbon copy of 2012. So can Hartford improve on their 6-9 ledger from a year ago?

Carter Bender and Ryan Compitello are both gone, and with them goes 90 points. Kevin O’Shea returns at attack as a sophomore and Tim Engel and Andrew Cacchio might be able to step in this year. Austin Gorman, coming in from Monroe CC (NJCAA), could provide a spark as he put up over 100 points in 20 NJCAA games last year.

Hartford’s strength may lie in its midfielders. While they only have about six attackmen on the roster, they have 17 midfielders. A number of guys put up some small numbers last year, but if a few can improve and emerge as threats, Hartford could be well stocked.

A potential problem for Hartford is in goal, as they return 15 minutes of 2012 experience. Frank Piechata, Dan Zenevitch, and Zach Jones are the three goalies on their roster. Hartford has a number of poles on their roster, and Nick Ceme, Ben Liebel, and Alex Matarazzo return with experience to lead a group with size and potential.

Hartford has talent, and has taken big steps over the last couple of years. To improve on their 2012 record will be a tough haul, but talent keeps finding its way to West Hartford, and I’m excited to see who the next gun slingers are for the Hawks. I bet I missed one or two in this preview! My only concern is that there won’t be enough to fill the holes that 2012 left.

Click HERE to see Alphabetical 2013 NCAA D1 Preview posts for Air Force, Albany, Army, Bellarmine, Binghamton, Brown, Bryant, Bucknell, Canisius, Colgate, Cornell, Dartmouth, Denver, Detroit, Drexel, Duke, Fairfield, and Georgetown!