A mud coated pitch was the backdrop for the Setters defeat at the claws of the Panthers.
Adelphi University bested Pace 3-0 in a game where rain was as much of a factor as the opposition.
After Panther forward Emily Masiello found the back of the net for the second time this season, the elements slowed down the pace of the game for the rest of the first half. Each team only managed to put up seven shots each in the first 45 minutes and the weather further deterred both offenses in the second half.
Both teams trudged through the elements until the 52 minute mark in the second half. Panthers forward Olivia Czavar notched her third goal of the season on the assist by midfielder Alison Gronethal. As the match wound down, Panther forward Katlin Monteith found the back of the net for the seventh time this season to seal the win for the visitors.
In a game where statistics were few and far between for both teams, one Setter passed a milestone. Senior marketing major Courtany Hagen was the first player in the Northeast-10 Conference to surpass the 60 save mark on the season. Hagen picked up five saves against the Panthers to put her season total at 64.
Although Hagen was the first Setter to reach the 60 goal mark, it was Adelphi goalie Sam Whitney who had more saves than the Setter keeper. Whitney recorded eight saves in the game compared to Hagen’s five stops.
The Setters were held without a goal for only the second time this season and did not score at home for the first time in 2012. Although Pace had 12 total shots compared to Adelphi’s 14, sophomore communications major Jill Ferro put a shot on goal three times during the match. Still, both teams put just eight shots on goal throughout the game.
The season is now in Oct. and the ominous postseason implications weigh in at the end of every game. With the loss Pace now has a record of 4-4-3 overall and is 4-3-1 in NE-10 Conference play. There are currently six teams in the NE-10 with better records than Pace, yet Pace would be in the playoffs if the season ended with this game in the rain.
The Setters will leave the friendly confines of Briarcliff Manor for their next game when they take on the River Hawks of UMass-Lowell in Massachusetts.