PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The Pace University football team was defeated by Merrimack College in Saturday's Northeast-10 Conference matchup at Pace Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Setters started off hot with
Jason Habash (San Jose, CA/Leland) hitting a wide open
Marvin Jean Baptiste (West Orange, NJ/West Orange), who saw only daylight in front of him, taking it 62 yards for a quick touchdown to give Pace a 7-0 lead.
- A big kickoff return to the 50, with a 15-yard penalty tacked on, gave the Warriors excellent field position to start their first drive.
- Derrick Villard took it into the end zone on a 23-yard rush on Merrimack's second play to tie the game.
- After stopping the Setters, Merrimack went on an 11-play, 61-yard drive, capped off by another rushing touchdown by Villard, to take a 14-7 lead with six minutes left to play in the first.
- Once Merrimack got the ball back, it once again put together a methodical drive, taking it 79 yards on nine plays.
- Brenton Martin hit Devin O'Reilly for a diving 36-yard touchdown to improve the Warrior lead to 21-7.
- Brenton Martin followed the last drive up with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Sebastian Lucas with just under five minutes to play in the half to take a 28-7 lead, which the Warriors took into halftime.
- Merrimack received the kickoff to start the second half, and a kick out of bounds gave them possession on their own 35-yard line.
- The Warriors used 17 plays on the drive, not a single one for longer than 10 yards, eventually going 65 yards for another score to go up, 35-7.
- The Setters responded with a strong drive that started on their own 24-yard line.
- Pace nearly mirrored Merrimack's last drive, turning in 15 plays, all for short yardage, to work their way down to the goal line, where
Michael Scotman (White Plains, NY/White Plains) punched it in to make it a 35-14 game.
- Late in the game, the Setters took over at their own 39-yard line.
- On 4th-and-1, Scotman was able to convert with a three-yard run to keep the drive alive.
- On the next third down,
Faustino Saucedo (Perth Amboy, NJ/Perth Amboy) hit
Darius Jones (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) on the near sideline with no defenders in front of him, and he took it 49 yards to the house to cut the deficit to 14 with just over two minutes to play.
PACE LEADERS
- Saucedo led Pace in the air, going 10-of-13 for 112 yards and a touchdown.
- Scotman rushed for 44 yards and a score.
- Jones caught two passes for 67 yards and a touchdown in the game, adding a 33-yard kickoff return.
- Jean Baptiste took his only reception 62 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.
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David Grant (West Orange, NJ/West Orange) had a strong defensive game, making eight tackles and forcing a fumble.
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Olatayo Ishola (Irvington, NJ/Sayreville/Lackawanna College) had a big sack for Pace, causing the Warriors to lose 11 yards on the play.
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Matthew Ferrara (Cresskill, NJ/Cresskill) had an interception, also adding six tackles, including one for loss of yards.
MERRIMACK LEADERS
- Quarterback Brenton Martin went 15-for-23 for 173 yards, two touchdowns and a pick. He also added 72 yards on the ground and another score.
- Villard led the Warriors with 96 rushing yards and two touchdowns, also catching two passes for 22 yards.
- Devin O'Reilly made four receptions for 60 yards and a score.
- Enrique McFarlane led all players with 12 tackles, including three for loss and a sack.
PACE GOES PINK
- During the football team's annual Pace Goes Pink event, the Pace Student-Athlete Advisory Committee raised $1,100, which will all go to the Breast Institute at Northern Westchester Hospital.
WHAT'S NEXT?
- The Setters take to the road to visit Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H. on Saturday, Oct. 22, for another NE-10 matchup. The game is set to begin at 12 p.m.
For all information regarding Pace University Football, log on to
www.PaceUAthletics.com and follow Pace Football on Facebook (
Pace Football), Twitter (
@Pace_Football) and Instagram (
@Pace_Football).
