PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Pace University Men's Lacrosse staged a dramatic comeback on Saturday afternoon at Northwell Stadium, defeating Assumption University, 11–10, in their Northeast 10 (NE10) Conference opener. After trailing by four goals early, the Setters rallied throughout the final three quarters and scored the game-winning goal in the closing minutes to improve to 5–1 overall and 1–0 in the NE10.

Assumption controlled the opening quarter, scoring four unanswered goals to take a 4–0 lead after the first 15 minutes. The Setters answered early in the second quarter when Jake Cenci got Pace on the board with an unassisted goal. Moments later, Will Danowski finished a feed from Cody McClean to cut the deficit to 4–2.
After Assumption briefly extended the lead to 5–2, the Blue and Gold began to close the gap. Zach Goetze scored off an assist from Cenci before Declan Landers added a goal from Danowski, trimming the deficit to 5–4 heading into halftime.

Pace continued its push in the third quarter. Danowski scored twice to tie the game, and after Assumption briefly regained the lead, Matt Baldino scored to even the contest at 7–7. Landers then finished a feed from Caiden Myers to give the Setters their first lead of the afternoon, though Assumption responded late in the quarter to make it 8–8 heading into the fourth.

The back-and-forth battle continued in the final quarter. Baldino tied the game at 9–9 off an assist from Colin Reese, and after Assumption regained the lead once more, Baldino delivered again with two goals in the final minutes. His second tally, assisted by Landers with 1:27 remaining, proved to be the game-winner as Pace held on for the one-goal victory.

Baldino led the Setters with four goals, while Danowski added three goals and one assist. Landers finished with two goals and one assist, and Cenci and Goetze each scored once. Jack Kern made 13 saves in goal to secure the win.

Men's Lacrosse returns to action on Tuesday, when the Setters travel to face Franklin Pierce University in another Northeast 10 Conference contest. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.