PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. –  No. 9 Pace University Women's Lacrosse dropped a tightly contested non-conference matchup to West Chester University on Saturday afternoon at Northwell Stadium, falling 16–15 in a back-and-forth contest. Despite a late surge that saw the Setters score four goals in the final six minutes, the Blue and Gold came up just short, moving to 2–1 overall on the season. 

Pace struck first early in the opening quarter when Maddie Schubert converted a feed from Mary Kate Nawrocki to give the Setters a 1–0 lead. After West Chester responded to tie the game, the Blue and Gold regained control with goals from Jamie Petrullo and Lia Villari to build a 3–1 advantage. The Golden Rams cut into the lead late in the quarter, but Schubert added her second goal of the afternoon in the final moments to give Pace a 4–2 lead after the first period. 

The offensive momentum continued in the second quarter as the Setters kept the pressure on. Marissa Doty capitalized on a man-up opportunity midway through the period to extend the lead before Villari added another tally. Schubert later struck again during the run, scoring her third goal of the game and 100th goal of her collegiate career, marking a significant milestone for the Pace attacker. The Blue and Gold closed the half with another highlight when Mackenzie Carita finished a pass from Schubert to push the advantage to 8–4. West Chester managed a late goal before the break, but Pace still carried an 8–5 lead into halftime

The third quarter proved to be the turning point of the game. While Villari added another goal early in the frame for Pace, the Golden Rams mounted a strong offensive push and rattled off six unanswered goals to turn a three-goal deficit into an 11–9 lead heading into the final quarter. 

West Chester extended its advantage early in the fourth quarter, building a 16–11 lead midway through the period. The Setters refused to back down and mounted an impressive late rally. Schubert sparked the comeback with a goal late in the 4th before Villari added another to trim the deficit. Lindsay Radmann scored with just over a minute remaining, and Villari followed with her fifth goal of the afternoon with 43 seconds left to pull Pace within one. However, the Setters were unable to regain possession in the final seconds as West Chester held on for the victory. 

Villari led the Pace offense with five goal as well Schubert finished with five goals and two assists. Doty, Petrullo, Carita, Radmann, and Lisa Heffernan each contributed a goal in the contest. Annie Sheehan facilitated the attack with five assists for the Blue and Gold.

Pace returns to action on Monday when they host the University of Tampa. Opening draw is scheduled for 7:00 p.m..