PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The Pace Football team welcomed in the 2015 season with a bang as they downed the Ave Maria Gyrenes 36-23 in their first-ever game in front of a standing room only crowd of 1,250 at the brand new Pace Stadium. The Setters have now won two in a row dating back to last season and advance to 1-0 on the year.

Pace got the scoring started early in the first quarter. After an incompletion forced the Gyrenes to bring out the punt team, senior Jamir Gee went back deep to field the punt and brought it 48 yards to the house, helping the Setters claim a 7-0 advantage. The special team's touchdown marked the first points scored in the new facility. 

After back-to-back three and outs by both teams, Ave Maria took the field on offense. The Gyrenes picked up a first down and advanced the ball to their own 40 yard line before Olatayo Ishola came up with the sack to halt the threat.

After Ave Maria was able to take advantage of a Setter turnover and toss a touchdown pass to tie the game, Pace responded with a TD drive of their own. Michael Scotman and Delaney Wallace rattled off runs of 18 and nine yards respectively before captain Kyle Johnson was able to scoop up a fumble and advance it 27 yards downfield. The very next play, Scotman took a carry for a 23 yard touchdown.

After Ave Maria scored another touchdown but missed the extra point, the Setters held a 14-13 lead. Immediately following the Gyrenes touchdown, Jhalen Bien-Aime took the kickoff 70 yards to put Pace back in the red zone. The Setters jumped out to a 17-13 lead after a Nick Fountis field goal attempt split the uprights. The Gyrenes added a late field goal to cut the Setter lead to 17-16 at halftime.

During the first series of the second half, the Setter defense again came up big. David Grant picked off a Gyrene pass and returned it 69 yards to the house to put Pace up 23-16.

Later in the third quarter with the Setters on offense, quarterback Dan Anerella completed a five yard pass on 3^rd and three to tight end Marvin Jean Baptiste to extend the drive. Then on 2^nd and 18, Anerella again made a big play, this time with his legs as he rushed for 19 yards to give Pace a first down. Delaney Wallace took care of the rest as he took a handoff for a 54 yard touchdown on the very next play to give Pace a 30-16 lead.

Ave Maria added a touchdown with just under eight minutes remaining in the game, but the Setter defense buckled down to preserve the victory. With just seconds left, and Pace clinging to a seven-point edge, Micah Hunter picked off an Ave Maria pass and returned it 80 yards to the house to give the Setters the win as time expired.

For the game, the Setters out-rushed the Gyrenes by a 282-88 margin. Scotman rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown on 18 attempts. Wallace added 93 yards and a TD on eight carries while Bien-Aime recorded 50 yards on eight attempts. Anerella tossed for 31 yards while adding seven yards on the ground.

Defense and special teams played a huge role in the win for the Setters. Pace intercepted two passes, returning them for 149 yards and two scores. Their average of 24.8 yards per kickoff return helped set the offense up with stellar field position throughout the game. 

Matthew Corrie led the way for the Setter defense. He piled up 11 tackles with one being for a loss. Jah'Sheem Martin contributed nine tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. Tyler Deneau and Ishola each added sacks for the Setters while Hunter and Grant both recorded interceptions.

Before the game, Pace University honored former coaches George Maier and Fred Calaicone who each passed away this year. Members of both families and alumni were in attendance.

The Setters return to the field on Saturday, September 12^th when they host Saint Anselm at 12:00 p.m.