GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – #4 Pace University Men's Lacrosse saw its 2026 season come to a close Wednesday afternoon, falling to undefeated #1 Adelphi University, 12-5, in the NCAA Quarterfinals at Motamed Field. The Setters finished the year at 13-6 overall after making a run to the Northeast 10 Conference Championship game and earning an NCAA Tournament victory over Seton Hill University to reach the national quarterfinal round.
Adelphi opened the scoring with the first two goals of the afternoon, but Pace answered midway through the first quarter when
Lee Poulin found the back of the net to cut the deficit to 2-1. The Panthers added one more late in the frame to take a 3-1 lead after 15 minutes.
The Blue and Gold continued to battle in the second quarter after Adelphi pushed the margin to 5-1.
Caiden Myers brought Pace back within three off a feed from
Will Danowski at the 3:55 mark, and Poulin followed less than a minute later with his second goal of the game to make it 5-3. Adelphi answered late in the half, sending Pace into the break trailing 6-3.
The Setters looked to generate momentum in the third quarter, but the Panthers stretched the lead with two goals in the period.
Zach Goetze answered with 1:56 left in the third, trimming the deficit to 8-4 and giving Pace a chance heading into the final frame.
However, the hosts created separation in the fourth quarter with four straight goals before
Matt Baldino added the final goal of the season for the Setters with 1:52 remaining. When the final whistle blew, Adelphi held a 12-5 advantage, eliminating the Setters from postseason contention.
Poulin led Pace with two goals, while Baldino, Myers, and Goetze each scored once. Danowski added an assist and generated a team-high 11 shots, while Goetze finished with three ground balls and a caused turnover.
Hugo Villalba went 10-for-20 at the face-off dot and collected three ground balls, helping Pace stay close in face-offs with Adelphi holding just an 11-10 edge.
Jack Kern made 10 saves in goal before
Hunter Willcox added three saves in relief. As a squad, the Setters forced 18 Adelphi turnovers and finished 16-for-21 on clears, but the Panthers held advantages in shots, 42-35, and ground balls, 36-22.
Wednesday's NCAA Quarterfinal marked the end of a memorable 2026 campaign for the Setters, who reached the NE10 Championship game for the first time since 2003 and advanced in the NCAA Tournament behind a strong postseason push. Pace finished the season with 13 wins and continued to establish itself among the top programs in Division II.
