The Pace Women’s Field Hockey gave it their all against Adelphi but came up short in their game on September 20. The team entered this game with a 4-2 record and a win against current-standing national champions East Stroudsburg University. This game is the rematch of the NE-10’s best from last season as Pace faced Adelphi in the NE-10 Conference Championship last year. Adelphi won that matchup to take the trophy home. However, Pace came into this one on a hot streak.
Pace Women’s Field hockey had recently been put back in the top 10 teams in the national rankings at 10. Pace’s Krista Dietz, Tavia Flecksteiner, and Noëlle Meij are all among the top of the NE-10 in points. Dietz currently has 19, Flecksteiner with 12, and Meij with 10. Along with them, freshman goalie Celeste Pagliaroli was just been honored with not only NE-10 Freshman Player of the Week but also NE-10 Goalkeeper of the Week.
The game was well underway when Pace’s Krista Dietz came in and scored early in the 1st quarter. Adelphi answered with only a minute and a half left on the clock. They followed up by sneaking in their second goal with one minute left before halftime. Down 2-1 at halftime, The Setters came out with fire and dominated the 3rd quarter. Their style of play overwhelmed Adelphi with shots and passes within their circle. The Setters’s Frankie Fava tied the game with 4:22 left in the 3rd quarter. Pace got goals back-to-back when Noëlle Meij scored only a minute after Fava’s equalizer. With more back-and-forth play, Adelphi was able to equalize with 5:11 left on the clock in the 4th quarter.
Going into overtime the score was tied at 3-3, Pace started overtime being down 6-3 on players due to penalty cards. Pace’s goalkeeper Celeste Pagliaroli put in a fantastic performance with multiple saves to keep Pace alive and send the team to a second overtime. Pagliaroli would continue her form going on to make an absolute heroic save 1 on 1 with an Adelphi attacker. The Setters would have some chances of their own but were unlucky to walk away with a loss on the day. Adelphi would score with 6:00 minutes left in double overtime. The girls left everything on the field and played fantastic, but sports, like this game can come down to one cruel chance.
After the game fans gave their perspective on the lady setter’s team this year. “I think they are a bunch of dogs on the field, and they show they got true grit this year, I’m really excited to watch them play.” – Said Max Streety. “I think it was a good game, it was really interesting and intense” -Said Becca Digga. Pace Women’s Field Hockey’s next home game is October 4th, 2023, and it’s sure to be a thrilling game against Mercy University. Come out and support your lady setters!