DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – Facing one of the nation's top teams on the road, Pace University Women's Soccer delivered a gritty performance in a 1-0 setback to No. 20 nationally ranked Mercy University on Tuesday night. The Setters move to 4-5 overall this season, including 1-2 in Northeast-10 Conference play.

The opening 45 minutes featured an even and high-intensity battle between the two sides. Pace created several promising opportunities, outshooting the Mavericks 7-6 while also earning four corner kicks. Allison Carr put a pair of shots on goal early, while Andrea Flores and Meredith Klosek also forced saves as the Setters kept the pressure on. Defensively, Anna Fiore was sharp between the pipes, collecting three first-half saves to keep the match scoreless heading into halftime.

Mercy broke through just 59 seconds after the restart, converting off a corner kick to take a 1-0 advantage. Pace responded by pushing numbers forward throughout the second half, generating six more shots in search of the equalizer. Klosek nearly provided it in the 84th minute, when her strike from the top of the box caromed off the crossbar. Fiore continued to shine, making five more saves over the final 45 minutes to finish with a season-high eight stops.

By the end of the night, Pace held a narrow 13-15 shot margin, led 5-4 in corner kicks, and matched Mercy with six fouls apiece. Carr, Flores, Klosek, and Juliana Procopio led the attacking efforts, combining for nine of Pace's 13 shots.

Pace returns to the pitch this Saturday at 3:00 p.m. for a road meeting against Assumption University.