PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – An explosive opening play set the tone early for Pace University Football on Saturday afternoon, as the Setters jumped out to a quick lead against the University of New Haven. However, despite the early spark, Pace was unable to sustain its momentum in a 28-14 road setback. The Setters move to 0-6 on the year and 0-2 in Northeast 10 play with the result.

Pace's high-energy start came in front of a crowd of 6,384 on a sunny October afternoon, as the Setters looked to build off a strong defensive effort in their conference opener a week earlier. Against a top contender, the Blue and Gold delivered several explosive moments — including two touchdown connections between Ethan Coady and Elizjah Lewis — and forced a pair of turnovers to stay within striking distance throughout the afternoon.

The Setters stunned the Chargers on the opening snap when Coady hit Lewis for a 70-yard touchdown to make it 7-0 just nine seconds in. New Haven answered quickly with back-to-back scores to lead 13-7 after one quarter and added a touchdown and a late field goal before halftime to go up 22-7.

Two third-quarter field goals stretched the Chargers' advantage to 28-7, but Pace mounted a fourth-quarter push. Mathaias Edmond picked off a pass to set up a short field, and after an Ali Seidou fumble recovery, Luke Porcaro found Lewis for a 16-yard touchdown — his second of the day — to pull within two scores with just over six minutes left. The defense forced one more stop, but the Setters couldn't close the gap in the final minutes.

Lewis finished with six catches for 137 yards and both touchdowns, while Coady threw for 232 yards and a score. Travis Osterhout and Seidou each tallied nine tackles to lead the defense, which forced two turnovers.

Next in store for the Setters is another road match-up against Assumption University set for Saturday at 12:00 p.m.