MANCHESTER, N.H. – No. 9 Pace University Men's Lacrosse built a five-goal lead midway through the third quarter but could not hold off No. 3 Saint Anselm College in a 14-12 loss on Saturday afternoon in the regular-season finale. The Setters scored 10 goals in the second quarter and first minute of the third to take control before Saint Anselm answered with a late surge, as Pace moved to 10-4 overall and 5-3 in Northeast 10 Conference (NE10) play.

Saint Anselm scored the game's first two goals before Declan Landers got the Setters on the board off an assist from Will Danowski. Jake Cenci followed less than a minute later with an unassisted goal to tie the game at 2-2 midway through the opening quarter.

The Hawks answered with three straight goals to close the first quarter and carried a 5-2 lead into the second. Pace responded with one of its strongest stretches of the season in the second quarter, scoring eight goals in the frame.

Caiden Myers opened the quarter with a goal off an assist from Trevor Lamoureux before Danowski scored to make it 5-4. Lee Poulin and Landers added goals to tie the game at 6-6 before Matt Baldino scored three straight goals over less than two minutes to give the Setters their first lead of the afternoon at 9-6. Colin Reese added a late goal before halftime as Pace took a 10-7 advantage into the break.

Danowski opened the third quarter with a goal before Zach Goetze scored with 11:06 remaining to push the lead to 12-7. Saint Anselm answered with a late third-quarter goal before taking over in the fourth.

The Hawks scored six unanswered goals in the final quarter, including the tying goal with 5:29 remaining and the go-ahead goal with 3:29 left. Pace generated multiple chances in the final minute, but could not find the equalizer before Saint Anselm added an insurance goal in the closing moments.

Baldino led the Setters with three goals, while Danowski totaled two goals and two assists. Landers added two goals and one assist, and Goetze, Poulin, Myers, Reese, and Cenci also scored. Jack Kern made 10 saves in goal, while Trevor Lamoureux collected five ground balls.

The Setters await their seeding for the Northeast 10 Conference (NE10) Championships, which begin Saturday.