PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Pace University Men's Lacrosse used a dominant second-half surge to advance in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday afternoon, defeating Seton Hill University, 18-13, at Northwell Stadium. The Setters improved to 13-5 overall after erasing an early four-goal deficit and outscoring Seton Hill 11-4 after halftime, powered by a seven-point performance from
Zach Goetze and a balanced offensive attack that produced 18 goals on 50 shots.
Seton Hill came out quickly, building a 5-1 lead midway through the opening quarter. Pace answered with a strong close to the frame, as
Trevor Lamoureux got the Setters on the board before
Matt Baldino scored twice,
Jake Cenci added another and Goetze buried the equalizer with 50 seconds left to tie the game at 5-5 after one.
The second quarter stayed tight, with the teams trading momentum throughout the period. Goetze and
Will Danowski each scored in the frame, but Seton Hill closed the half with back-to-back goals to take a 9-7 lead into the break.
Pace took full control in the third quarter. Goetze opened the half with consecutive goals, including an extra-man finish, before Danowski gave the Setters their first lead of the day at 10-9.
Colin Reese followed with another goal, Baldino added his third of the afternoon and
Shae Linegar scored with six seconds left in the quarter to cap a 6-0 frame and give the Blue and Gold a 13-9 lead heading into the fourth.
Seton Hill pushed back early in the final quarter, but Pace had an answer each time. Lamoureux scored twice in the fourth, Danowski added two more and Goetze finished off his five-goal day with a fourth-quarter strike as the Setters pulled away for the NCAA Tournament victory.
Goetze led Pace with five goals and two assists, while Danowski finished with four goals and two assists. Baldino and Lamoureux each recorded hat tricks, while Cenci, Reese and Linegar also found the back of the net. Cenci,
Lee Poulin,
Cody McClean, Goetze, Reese and Danowski each tallied multiple assists as Pace finished with 14 helpers on 18 goals.
Hunter Willcox was strong in goal, making 10 saves over 55:24 to earn the win. Pace also held a 47-37 advantage in ground balls, led by Lamoureux and Willcox with seven apiece, while
Hugo Villalba added six ground balls and went 12-for-27 at the faceoff dot.
The Setters limited Seton Hill to no goals in the third quarter and forced 20 turnovers, using that defensive stretch to flip the game and keep their NCAA Tournament run alive.
The Setters advance to the NCAA Quaterfinals and will face Adelphi University on Wednesday in Garden City, N.Y., with game time to be announced.
