NEWARK, Del. – The Pace University men's lacrosse team continued its impressive start to the 2023 season, defeating Wilmington University 18-8 Saturday, March 4.

Sophomore attack Daniel Zabbia (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West) picked up where he left off following his six-goal performance earlier this week, putting in the first goal of the game to give Pace (2-0) the early lead. Just over a minute later, senior attack Marcus Ottaviano (Crystal Beach, Ontario, Canada/Nichols School) scored his second of the year to extend the lead to two. Junior midfielder Rafael Rodriguez, Jr. (Farmingville, N.Y./Sachem East) then scored back-to-back goals, and Zabbia put in two more as the Setters outscored the Wildcats (0-3) 6-0 in the opening quarter.

Pace scored five more times in the second quarter, as they shut Wilmington out in the first 30 minutes to take an 11-0 lead. Zabbia picked up two more, while Rodriguez added one. Senior midfielder Anthony Caputo (Westbury, N.Y./W.T Clarke) and grad student attack Ryan Brown (Northport, N.Y./Central Bucks) then got in on the action, scoring one apiece for the visitors in the second.

The Wildcats got on the board early in the third, as Logan Stinson netted a pair of goals for the home team. Caputo scored twice more during the third, while Brown and Ottaviano each put in one more. Late in the third, freshman attack Declan Landers (Liverpool, N.Y./Christian Brothers Academy) scored the first goal of his collegiate career, making it a 16-5 game after three quarters.

Brown and sophomore midfielder Timmy Morrow (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) each got a goal in the fourth for Pace, as the Setters cruised to an 18-8 victory on the day. Zabbia led the Setters with five goals on the day and added an assist and three caused turnovers. Caputo had three goals and two assists, while Brown and Rodriguez each had three scores and one helper. Junior attack Rowan Kelly (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip) led the team with six ground balls, and junior midfielder Maxwell Streety (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park) went 15-of-23 from the faceoff circle. Grad student goalkeeper Louis Ragusa (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) got the win in net, making seven saves on the day in just over 52 minutes of action.
 
Up Next
The Setters are back at it Saturday, March 11, as they head down to Baltimore, Md. for a noon matchup with Lynn University.