WORCESTER, MA. – Pace University Field Hockey made the trip to Worcester on Tuesday night, opening the week with a Northeast 10 (NE10) match-up at Assumption University. Despite a determined effort and multiple key stops from goalkeeper Morgan Strecker, the Setters were unable to crack the Greyhounds' defense and dropped a 3-0 decision. With the loss, Pace moves to 5-8 overall and 4-3 in NE10 play.

The opening quarter was a scrappy, evenly contested affair, as both teams probed offensively without finding the cage. Early on, Strecker was called into action, making a pair of diving saves in the first eight minutes to keep the game level. Pace also earned its first penalty corner in the fifth minute, when Carlotta Oschmann slipped a pass to Feline Rook, whose initial shot was deflected away by the Assumption defense before a follow-up bid was cleared.

As momentum began to tilt toward the hosts in the second quarter, Assumption struck first in the 20th minute off a well-executed penalty corner. Less than three minutes later, they converted another set piece to double their lead before the half. Pace countered late in the half, earning another corner opportunity in minute 27; Josefina Villa Alonso sent the ball wide on that attempt, and the teams headed into halftime with the Greyhounds up 2-0.

Coming out of the break, Pace's defense tightened significantly. Strecker was steady in goal, denying multiple rebound chances and scrambling across the goal line to block shots on corners. The Setters also generated some sustained pressure in the third, as Kyleigh Kearney tested the keeper with two shots within minutes of one another, but neither could find the back of the net.

In the 52nd minute, Assumption capped the scoring with an insurance goal that sealed the outcome. Still, Strecker continued to shine down the stretch, finishing with 13 saves, including seven in the final quarter.

The Setters head to Franklin Pierce University for an NE10 road contest on Saturday, October 18 at 12:00 p.m. in Rindge, N.H.