PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – On Saturday, Pace University Men's Lacrosse earned a hard-fought Northeast 10 Conference victory on the road, defeating No. 19 Saint Michael's College, 6–5. The Blue and Gold used a strong second half to secure the win, extending their streak to eight consecutive victories while improving to 8–1 overall and 3–0 in the Northeast 10 Conference (NE10).
Saint Michael's struck first in the opening quarter, taking a 1–0 lead midway through the frame. Pace generated consistent offensive pressure, outshooting the Purple Knights early, but was unable to break through before the end of the quarter.
The Blue and Gold responded in the second quarter, as
Zach Goetze found the equalizer to make it 1–1. In the closing seconds of the half,
Matt Baldino connected off an assist from
Will Danowski, giving Pace a 2–1 lead at halftime.
Out of the break, the game tightened as both teams traded goals. After Saint Michael's tied the score early in the third,
Colin Reese finished off a feed from Baldino to regain the lead at 3–2. The Purple Knights answered once again, evening the score at 3–3 heading into the final quarter.
In the fourth, Saint Michael's briefly took a 4–3 lead, but the Blue and Gold responded immediately. Danowski scored to tie the game at 4–4 before Baldino delivered a go-ahead goal to give Pace a 5–4 advantage. Moments later,
Declan Landers added an insurance goal off an assist from
Trevor Lamoureux, extending the lead to 6–4.
Saint Michael's added a late goal to cut the deficit to 6–5, but Pace's defense held firm down the stretch to secure the one-goal victory.
Jack Kern made key saves in the final minutes as the Blue and Gold closed out the win.
Baldino led the offense with two goals and an assist, while Danowski added a goal and an assist. Landers, Reese, and Goetze each scored, as Pace totaled six goals on 37 shots.
Defensively, Kern recorded nine saves, while the Blue and Gold collected 36 ground balls and forced consistent turnovers to control the game.
Men's Lacrosse returns to action next week, continuing NE10 play with a home meeting against American International College set for 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
