NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College men's lacrosse team opened the 2026 season with a 12-5 victory over the University of Hartford on Saturday afternoon at Silfen Field.

The Camels, who never trailed, led 6-0 after dominating the opening half. The Hawks countered with four goals in the third quarter but never got closer than three, and Conn slammed the door by outscoring the visitors 4-1 in the final stanza.

Will Zaslow (Trumbull, Conn.) led the Camels with three goals and an assist while Andrew Rainville (Watertown, Conn.), Graydon Diamond (New Canaan, Conn.) and Ryan Breheny (Bridgewater, Mass.) each added a pair of scores. Patrick Hogan (Wyckoff, N.J.) made 10 saves in goal to secure the win.

Rainville scored twice in the opening 1:31—the first on an unassisted effort, and the second off an assist from Matthew Sofarelli (Jupiter, Fla.)—to get the Camels off to a strong start. Breheny and Sean McCarthy (West Roxbury, Mass.) also added goals before the period was over, giving Conn a 4-0 advantage heading into the second quarter.

Zaslow netted his first of the game less than five minutes into the second, and Isaiah Kozub (Wilbraham, Mass.) later tallied in the final minute of the half to extend the lead to 6-0. On the defensive end, Hogan recorded six saves in the half to keep the Hawks off the scoreboard.

After a goal by Diamond made it a 7-1 game early in the third quarter, Hartford scored three goals inside of a minute of game time. Gavin Pelletier scored twice during the stretch, including a man-up tally with 6:06 to go that pulled the Hawks to within 7-4.

Sofarelli notched his first collegiate goal before the end of the third to get Conn back on track. Zaslow then scored twice in the fourth as the Camels put the game away, and Diamond and Breheny each added late scores to seal the victory.

Conn newcomers Ardem Sarajian (Ridgewood, N.J.) and Max Garro (Vista, Calif.) combined to go 13-for-21 in faceoffs and finished with five and four ground balls, respectively.  

Pelletier led Hartford (1-2 overall) with three goals. Goalie CJ Ledwick finished with 11 saves in 60 minutes of action. 

Conn (1-0 overall) will next host Coast Guard on Tuesday, March 3 at 7:00 p.m.