PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Grad student attack Jake Veres (Robbinsville, N.J./Robbinsville) netted a goal with just 10.3 seconds remaining for the No. 14 ranked Pace University men's lacrosse team, as the Setters defeated No. 10 ranked Saint Anselm College 10-9 Wednesday, April 19 at Pace Stadium.
Pace (10-3, 6-3 NE10) overcame two different three-goal deficits on the day, getting two goals and two assists from senior midfielder Anthony Caputo (Westbury, N.Y./W.T Clarke), while Veres and grad student attack Ryan Brown (Northport, N.Y./Central Bucks) each scored twice with one assist. Grad student goalkeeper Louis Ragusa (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) had a strong day in net, making 13 saves.
The Setters took the early lead thanks to a goal by senior attack Marcus Ottaviano (Crystal Beach, Ontario, Canada/Nichols School) just past the one-minute mark. The Hawks (7-3, 6-3 NE10) then rattled off four straight goals, as Jack Andrews and Chase Lilly each scored back-to-back goals for the visitors. The fourth goal took place just 16 seconds into the second quarter, giving Saint Anselm a three-goal cushion.
Pace got one back just past the five-minute mark on a man-up goal by junior midfielder Rafael Rodriguez, Jr. (Farmingville, N.Y./Sachem East), but Chris Claflin scored for the visitors to give them a 5-2 lead. The Setters came back with a goal before the end of the period, cutting their deficit to two on Caputo's first of the day.
The home team struck twice in a 32-second span early in the third, knotting the score at 5-5 thanks to goals by Brown and sophomore attack Daniel Zabbia (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West). After a Hawks goal gave them the lead back, a pair of goals from Caputo and Veres gave Pace its first lead of the day. Saint Anselm picked up a goal late in the third, tying the game at 7-7 heading to the fourth.
Andrews' third goal of the day gave the Hawks a lead just 17 seconds into the fourth quarter, but a goal by Ottaviano off an assist from Rodriguez tied the game at eight with 12:35 to go. Lilly the picked up his third goal for the visitors with just over seven minutes remaining, giving Saint Anselm the lead right back. The Setters were able to draw even with 1:23 remaining on a great play by Brown, who intercepted a pass from the Saint Anselm goalie and ran past him to put it in the open net to tie the game. Then, with just 10.3 seconds remaining, Veres received a pass from sophomore midfielder Timmy Morrow (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) and put the ball past the Saint Anselm goalkeeper, scoring the game-winning goal to give Pace a 10-9 victory.
Up Next
The Setters finish off the regular season Saturday, April 22, when they travel to the College of Saint Rose for a 3 p.m. matchup.
