Pace Field Hockey Defeats Saint Anselm to Advance to NCAA National Semifinals

PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – History Made! The Pace University field hockey team earned the program's first-ever postseason win on Sunday afternoon, defeating Saint Anselm College, 6-1, in the NCAA Championships First Round. The Setters, who improve their record to 18-2, will now advance to play in the national semifinals at the NCAA Division II Festival next week in Pittsburgh, Pa. "It's an awesome feeling right now," said head coach Kayte Kinsley. "The fact that our first-ever postseason win comes in the NCAA Tournament is huge. We are all pumped to be going to Pittsburgh." Pace, which earned home-field advantage courtesy of being seeded No. 3, jumped all over the sixth-seeded Hawks on Sunday. The Setters scored their first goal less than eight minutes into the contest as senior Halley Rose (Dauphin, PA/Central Dauphin) found the back of the net off an assist from classmate Katrina Mikitish (Pittston, PA/Pittston Area). Rose would go on to tally another goal in the first half, giving Pace a 2-0 lead in the 28th minute. Freshman Mia Radici (San Diego, CA/Scripps Ranch) provided the helper on the Setters' second tally. Taking a 2-0 edge into halftime, the Setters opened things up in the final 35. Sophomore Lieke van Nieuwenhuizen (Utrecht, Netherlands/St. Bonifatius) and Mikitish recorded goals within just four minutes of each other to provide the home team a 4-0 lead at the 40:23 mark. Following the Hawks' lone goal of the game in the 43rd minute, van Nieuwenhuizen and senior Jenna Sanossian (Miller Place, NY/Rocky Point) added two more goals to the Setters' ledger. Sanossian's goal was a historic one as it marked the 100th career point for Rose, who provided the assist on the play. Rose, already the Setters' all-time leading scorer, will enter the final week of the season with 41 career goals and 18 career assists. Up Next The third-seeded Setters will now take on the No. 2 seed, East Stroudsburg University, next Thursday at 5 p.m. in Pittsburgh, Pa.