DANBURY, Conn. - Senior attackman Peter Traina (East Moriches, N.Y.) scored four times and graduate student Benjamin Hawthorne (Manorville, N.Y.) set a program record with his third of three assists, as the Western Connecticut State University Wolves handed the visiting Montclair State University Red Hawks a 14-9 loss in men's lacrosse action this afternoon at Westside Stadium.  WestConn improves to 3-0 and the Red Hawks drop to 1-1. The Wolves will host Merchant Marine next on Saturday at 1 p.m.  WestConn senior Julian Duque (Mastic, N.Y.) totaled three goals and three assists, and Montclair State's Cody Cooper scored five times with one assist.

Trailing, 1-0, after a goal in the opening minutes by Cooper, WestConn rattled off six goals in a row and never looked back to win for the first time in three tries against Montclair State.  Sophomore midfielder Sam Rosa (Holbrook, N.Y.) tied the game at 1-1 at the 12:25 mark of the first quarter, while Traina notched three goals and Duque scored twice during the 6-1 run.  Hawthrone assisted on two of the six to tie Dennis Skarda '08 for the WestConn all-time assist mark at 134.  Montclair scored three of the last four goals prior to halftime, including two more by Cooper, to make the score, 7-4 at the break.

WestConn scored the lone three goals of the third quarter, including two off feeds by sophomore defenseman James Krieg (Port Jefferson, N.Y.), who also scored twice in the contest. to open up a 10-4 lead.  Jack Cleay and John Crank scored for the Red Hawks to open the fourth frame, before Duque assisted grad student Tyler Starrett (Redding, Conn.) for his second of two goals and then scored his third on Hawthorne's record-breaking assist to push the home team's advantage up to 12-6 with 11:20 remaining in the final stanza.  The teams traded goals back and forth the rest of the way for a 14-9 final tally.

WestConn outshot Montclair State, 44-37, and nearly doubled up the Red Hawks in ground balls, 29-14.  Sophomore Connor Atwater (Cheshire, Conn.) made 15 saves and Nicholi Halse made 13 stops for Montclair State.  Wolves' graduate student Jonathan Russack-Baker (Groton, Conn.) won 17 of 24 faceoffs and scooped a game-high 13 ground balls.  Duque added four ground balls and junior Charlie Guidera (Redding, Conn.) had three caused turnovers for WestConn.  Julian Varona scored twice and Max Morosoff assisted on two goals for the Red Hawks.