SETTERS BLOCK LATE SAINT ANSELM FIELD GOAL; OFF TO BEST START SINCE 1982
POST THIRD STRAIGHT COME FROM BEHIND VICTORY

MANCHESTER, NH- The Pace football team blocked a Saint Anselm field goal attempt with under one minute to play as the Setters escaped with a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the Hawks 15-14. The Setters 3-0 start is the team best start since 1982 when Pace opened at 3-0. The Setters are now 3-0 and 2-0 in the Northeast-10, while the Hawks drop to 0-3 and 0-1 in conference play.

Junior QB Ray Gregg (Stony Point, NY/North Rockland) (Stony Point, NY/North Rockland) led the Setters comeback in the second half. Pace, down 14-3 at the break, rallied in the second half as Gregg led a nine-play 97 yard drive capped off by a Gregg 21-yard touchdown pass to Eric Ortega (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) to slice the Pace deficit to 14-9 at the end of the third quarter. The Setter would fail on the two-point conversion. The teams would trade possessions to start the fourth quarter but a punt by Ali Mourtada (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) would pin the Hawks inside their own five-yard-line. The Setter defense stood tall and forced a three and out and the ensuing punt gave the Setters offense prime field position for their winning drive. Gregg again would drive the offense down the field, with Gregg leaping in from one yard out for the eventual game-winning score with 3:40 left in the game.

Pace's defense again stepped up, stopping the Hawks in three plays but the Setters would muff the ensuing punt and Saint Anselm recovered on the Pace 33-yard line with 2:45 left in the game. The Hawks would drive down to the Pace 17-yard-line with just under 30 seconds to go in the game. The Hawks would line up for the potential game-winning field goal from 35 yards away, but Pace's Anthony Verdi (Brooklyn, NY/Trinity Pawling) (Brooklyn, NY/Trinity Pawling) would breach the line and block the attempt, recovering the ball on the Pace 36-yard-line with 18 seconds left and sealing the Setters third straight win of 2008.

Gregg finished 15-of-25, throwing for 141 and one score. Ortega caught five passes for 76 yards, while Nathaniel Ford (Queens, NY/Jamaica) (Queens, NY/Jamaica) led the Setters with 74 yards on the ground.  Defensively, Brian Schuster (Miller Place, NY/Miller Place) (Miller Place, NY/Miller Place) posted a game-high 12 tackles, while Michael LaMonica (Beachwood, NJ/Toms River South) (Beachwood, NJ/Toms River South) tallied 11 tackles on the day.

The Setters return to action next Saturday, September 27 when they travel to New Rochelle, NY to take on Division I FCS Iona College Gaels for a 1:00 pm kickoff.