GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – In the pouring rain and howling wind at Adelphi University's Motamed Field, the No. 4-seed Pace University men's lacrosse team turned in an incredible effort against the top-seeded Panthers, but ultimately fell, 10-9, in a classic matchup between Northeast-10 Conference rivals in the First Round of the 2017 NCAA Division II Men's Lacrosse Championship Tournament. This was Pace's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
FIRST QUARTER
- Adelphi got on the board just 39 seconds in when Nicolas Racalbuto netted the game's opening goal.
- Nick Reisig scored at the 11:14 mark to give the Panthers an early 2-0 edge.
- Junior
Michael Pappalardo (Ossining, NY/Ossining) intercepted a pass in Adelphi's offensive zone, took it the distance of the field, and fired low past the keeper to get Pace on the board and make it a 2-1 game.
- Gordon Purdie, Jr. scored quickly off a turnover near the Setters' net to give the Panthers a 3-1 edge.
- Reisig then scored his second at the 7:52 mark to put the home team ahead, 4-1.
- Sophomore
Bradley Paterson (Caldwell, NJ/Depaul Catholic) got the Setters back on the board with a man-up goal with 3:43 left in the first to cut the deficit to two.
- Sophomore
Daniel Keenan (Mount Sinai, NY/Mount Sinai) scored another man-up goal for Pace with just 55.1 left on the clock to make it a 4-3 game.
SECOND QUARTER
- Junior
Ryan O'Hagan (Watervliet, NY/Christian Brothers Academy) scored off a feed from junior
Liam Brennan (Huntington Station, NY/Walt Whitman) at the 13:01 mark to tie the game at 4-4.
- Purdie gave the Panthers the lead again with 7:35 left in the half off an assist from John Arcidiacono.
- Freshman
Max Scandale (Port Jefferson, NY/Earl L. Vandermuelen) later tied it up at 5-5 with 5:04 on the clock off a pass from O'Hagan.
THIRD QUARTER
- Michael Osmundsen scored 70 seconds into the second half to give Adelphi a 6-5 lead.
- Brennan then scored on a fantastic diving shot in front of the net to tie the game at 6-6.
- With 4:14 left in the period, junior
Joshua Kreitler (Shelton, CT/Shelton) finished a fast break to give Pace its first lead of the game at 7-6.
- Shane DeBoer knotted the game up at 7-7 at the 2:04 mark after picking up a loose ball in Adelphi's offensive zone and quickly firing to the top-left corner of the net.
FOURTH QUARTER
- Purdie scored with 13:37 on the clock off a feed from Osmundsen to give the Panthers an 8-7 lead early in the fourth.
- John Arcidiacono followed with another Panther score at the 10:49 mark to give the home team a two-goal advantage.
- Kreitler then scored on a beautiful behind-the-back goal right in front of the net to get Pace back within one.
- Chris Racalbuto put the Panthers back up by two with 8:13 left in regulation.
- Brennan scored with 3:48 left in the fourth to get the Setters back within a goal late.
GOALIE DECISIONS
Win: Brendan McDougal (15-3)
Loss:
Robert Beshlian (Wantagh, NY/Wantagh) (12-4)
SETTER STATS
- Paterson netted a goal and dished out three assists for a four-point evening. He added three ground balls.
- Brennan scored twice, handed out an assist and picked up three ground balls.
- Kreitler scored twice, while O'Hagan totaled two points on a goal and an assist.
PANTHER LEADERS
- Purdie scored a game-high three goals to help lift the Panthers to the win. He also grabbed three ground balls.
- Reisig netted two, while four other Panthers totaled two points with a goal and an assist apiece.
RECORDS
#4 Pace: 12-3
#1 Adelphi: 14-3
WHAT'S NEXT?
- Pace's historic season comes to a close with Saturday's defeat, while Adelphi advances to the NCAA Final Four against Merrimack College next weekend.
For all information regarding Pace University men's lacrosse, log on to
www.PaceUAthletics.com, follow Pace Athletics on Facebook (
T-Bone, Official Mascot of Pace University Athletics), and follow the men's lacrosse team on Twitter (
@PaceLacrosse) and on Instagram (
@PaceUnivLax).
