ALBANY, N.Y. – The No. 14 ranked Pace University men's lacrosse team finished off the regular season with a victory, defeating the College of Saint Rose 10-9 Saturday, April 22.
The Setters (11-3, 7-3 NE10) were dominant to start the day, scoring the first five goals to take control of the game. Grad student attack Jake Veres (Robbinsville, N.J./Robbinsville) got the scoring started just past the four-minute mark, and freshman midfielder Colin Reese (Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon) added another just 25 seconds later to give Pace a quick two-goal lead.
Veres added his second of the day on a man-up opportunity, followed by back-to-back goals from grad student attack Ryan Brown (Northport, N.Y./Central Bucks). The Golden Knights (5-11, 3-6 NE10) picked up a goal with less than a minute to go, making it a 5-1 game after one.
After Veres scored his third of the day in the second, Saint Rose closed out the quarter with three straight goals, including one with just one second to go, to pull within two goals at 6-4 heading into halftime.
Two more goals by the home team early in the third tied the game at six, but the Setters fired back with three straight to take the lead back. Veres got it started with his fourth goal, then sophomore attack Daniel Zabbia (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West) scored his team-leading 45th goal of the season with Pace a man-up. With less than a minute to go, Brown scored his third goal while the Setters were down a man, giving the visitors a 9-6 advantage.
An early goal by the Golden Knights was answered by senior midfielder Anthony Caputo (Westbury, N.Y./W.T Clarke), putting Pace ahead 10-7. Cam Smith then scored two straight goals for Saint Rose in a span of 1:19, bringing them within a goal. The Setters then looked to their defense, as Saint Rose got 12 shots off in the fourth. But Pace held the home team off the board the rest of the way, as grad student goalkeeper Louis Ragusa (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) made four saves in the final period to help the Setters hang on for a 10-9 victory.
Veres led Pace with four goals on the day, while Brown scored three times. Ragusa got the win in net, making seven saves.
Up Next
Pace now advances to the NE10 Conference Championships, with its first round opponent still TBD.
