PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – The 2024 Pace University men's lacrosse season is one for the record books as this season has inked its place in the history of the Pace men's lacrosse.

The Setters concluded the regular season in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Division II Men's Lacrosse Championships with a record of 13-4 overall and 7-2 in Northeast-10 play.

Prior to the start of the season, standout attack Daniel Zabbia was named a Preseason Second Team All-American by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. Joining him on attack this year would-be graduate student Ryan Kemp, who transferred in from DI Saint Joseph's University.

As a team, Pace started the season in the USILA Top 15, slotting in at 15^th in the preseason poll. By the time Pace began play, they moved up to 13^th.

Another big change for the Blue and Gold was who would be between the pipes this year, as this was the first year without Louis Ragusa as the last line of defense. Jack Kern earned the starting role for the 2024 season.

The campaign began on Long Island on Feb. 28 with an afternoon showdown with Molloy University, and it was there that Setter fans got their first taste of Kemp in action. In a 19-13 win for the Blue and Gold, Kemp provided six goals and two assists. Bolstering his offense was Declan Landers, who tallied four goals and four assists.

Up next for the Setters was the home opener against Wilmington University (Del.). In a constant downpour, Pace dismantled the Wildcats, 26-11, with 14 different Setters finding the back of the cage. The offense was led by Zabbia and Rafael Rodriguez, Jr. each of whom tallied four goals.

Pace once again hit the road for their next contest, heading to Lakewood, NJ to face off with Georgian Court University, who at the time was receiving votes in that week's USILA Coach's poll. The Blue and Gold encountered little resistance as they blasted through the Lions in an 18-5 triumph behind four goals from Landers.

The non-conference finale awaited the Setter after Georgian Court, returning home to Northwell Stadium to face off with the eventual Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Champions, Chestnut Hill College. While the Setter offense stole the show in the three prior contests, it was the defense's turn to be the headline. Holding Chestnut Hill to just three goals, the Setters forced them into 26 turnovers, 17 of which were caused, in a 12-3 win. The long poles did the heavy lifting, with Chris Butler causing four turnovers and Nick Honan and Chris Caputo forcing three each. Caputo also tacked on two assists to round out his performance.

After an undefeated non-conference run, the time had come for the Blue and Gold to begin Northeast-10 play, which began at home against the College of Saint Rose. The good times kept on rolling as the offense delivered a 20-goal performance while the defense held the Golden Knights to just eight goals in a dominant showing. Preston Kral led the charge for Pace, ripping five goals while Landers provided four goals and two assists and Zabbia handed out five assists. Defensively, Kern made five saves while Caputo and James Mantione forced three changes of possession.

NE10 play continued with a trip north to Rindge, NH for a date with Franklin Pierce University. Maxwell Streety lost a mere one face-off, going 16-17, in a commanding 19-8 victory. 11 different goal scorers got involved, with Zabbia and Kral each posting hat tricks.

The Setter's first-year test was up next, the yearly installment of the rivalry between Pace and Adelphi University, the fourth-ranked team in all the land at the time of the showdown. Taking place under the lights at Northwell Stadium this year, the two teams met on Mar. 29. A slow first quarter doomed Pace to a 12-6 defeat, the first setback of the season for Pace, who fell to 6-1.

Pace was not out of the woods yet, having to make a trip up to Waltham, MA. to take on the 13th-ranked Bentley University Falcons. In another downpour, 60 minutes was not enough for these two teams to determine a victor. An additional 10 minutes was necessary, and Pace needed a hero and Zabbia turned out to be the man of the hour as he fired the game-winning goal into the back of the net in the third overtime to emerge on top, 11-10, and help get the Setters back to their winning ways.

Returning home, Pace welcomed Southern New Hampshire to Pleasantville for their next test. 11 of Pace's 18 goals came from the sticks from Zabbia and Kemp to power Pace to an 18-10 win over the Penmen.

Another ranked team was next up on the schedule for the Blue and Gold with Assumption University coming to campus for a showdown under the lights. Kemp dueled with the Greyhounds Patrik McGrath, each of them firing off five goals, but Pace was able to outlast a stubborn Greyhounds team to come out on top, 16-11.

Another long road trip awaited Pace after Assumption, heading up to Colchester, Vt. for a 10 a.m. battle with Saint Michael's College, who also garnered votes in that week's USILA coaches' poll. Pace utilized a scoreless second quarter while outscoring SMC, 10-2, in the second and third quarters to emerge on top, 15-11. Kern held the line, making 18 saves in the contest.

In the regular season home finale, Pace faced an unexpected challenge from American International College. Trailing the majority of the game heading into the fourth quarter, Kemp took over the game scoring three fourth-quarter goals as Pace edged AIC, 17-14. Kemp and Zabbia once again did the damage, each logging six goals. The regular season closed with a tough 13-7 road loss at Saint Anselm College, who came in at 11^th in DII that week.

The postseason was now upon Pace, entering the Northeast 10 Championship ranked seventh with a record of 11-2 overall and 7-2 in NE10 play. The Setters earned the right to host the quarterfinals and found Assumption once again coming to Pleasantville. While the Greyhounds gave Pace a solid run in the regular season, Pace had no issues with them this time around. Kemp stepped up on the elevated stage and led Pace with yet another six-goal showing in a 16-8 win over Assumption. Kemp's sparing partner last time, McGrath, only logged one shot and a lone assist as he was taken out of the game by the Setter defense.

Prior to the semifinals, the Setters racked up multiple All-NE10 selections. Kemp and Rodriguez were named as first-team selections while Zabbia and Caputo were voted to the second-team. Streety found himself on the third team and Dominic Veratti was named a member of the All-Rookie squad.

Pace once again had to return to Manchester, NH for a second meeting with Saint Anselm. Pace appeared to have flipped the script in the fourth quarter, entering down 10-6, Pace fired off five unanswered goals to take a one-goal lead, 11-10, with 5:25 left. Time was winding down and with under 60 seconds left, Colin Mulvey beat Kern low to tie the game with 49 seconds left. The momentum shift from that goal was the difference as the ensuring face-off was won by the Hawks, who called a timeout once they got into the offensive third. With 18 seconds left, Mulvey fired a shot to the low left post and once again beat Kern to escape Pace, 12-11, ending the NE10 Championship run in the semifinals, but the season was far from over.

Pace would end up earning the fourth seed in the upcoming NCAA North Regional, meaning Pace not only earned a birth in the NCAA Division II Men's Lacrosse Championship but also hosted rights for the first round. The team that was selected to make the trip to Northwell Stadium was last year's National Runner Up, Mercyhurst University.

The stage was set on May 8^th for the meeting between the Lakers and the Setters. From the opening face-off, the energy of the game lived up to the hype as both sides battled and needed someone to step up, and Pace was the team who got that in Streety. Playing on the biggest stage of his collegiate career, Streety was almost unbeatable on the X, going 21-29 with 12 ground balls, but he did so much more than set the offense up, he became the offense. The FOGO took four of those face-off wins and turned them into goals himself, and the fifth became a Streety assist as he compiled four goals and an assist to be the x-factor for Pace. The win marked not only the program's first-ever win in NCAA Tournament play but also head coach Tom Mariano's 200^th career win.

A familiar foe awaited Pace in the quarterfinals, the top-seeded team in the region, Adelphi. Pace made the trip to Garden City on Sunday, May 12 with the stakes raised from the last meeting with the Panthers.

Pace looked sharp out the gate, scoring the first two goals of the season, but the Panthers got both back and capped it off with a goal with one second left in the quarter to take a 3-2 advantage into the second quarter. The second quarter was another battle, with Adelphi edging Pace by one in the quarter to enter halftime with a 6-4 lead. The difference was the third quarter, as Adelphi outscored the Blue and Gold, by two to run the lead up to 10-6 heading into the final quarter. A final push was made by the Blue and Gold, but the four-goal lead was too much to overcome as the season came to an end at Motamed Field.

After the season, there was no shortage of national awards for the Setters. On the USILA All-Region front, Kemp Rodriguez, Jr. and Caputo earned first-team selections. Kemp was also crowned the Co-Offensive Player of the Year. Zabbia slotted in on the second team and Streety and Rowan Kelly earned third-team placements.

There was no shortage of USILA All-Americans for the Setters. Kemp was a first-teamer, Rodriguez, Jr., and Caputo were second-teamers. Kelly, Streety, and Zabbia were honorable mentions.