Sparkill, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Field Hockey team came out on the losing side of an NE10 clash with Pace University on Wednesday afternoon at Spartan Field in Sparkill, falling 2-1 to the Setters.
 
Though the Spartans posted nine shots in the match, a pair of Pace goals in the second and third quarters helped the visitors power past STAC.
 
The game was filled with back-and-forth action between the two sides, but it took almost 17 minutes for a goal to be scored.

Early in second quarter, a penalty corner by the Setters Noelle Meij would allow teammate Yske Brongersma to get a shot on net that was saved by Spartan keeper Jessie Hohenstein. However, Cienna Bosher would find a loose rebound and put it to the back of the net to make it 1-0 Pace. The slim one-goal lead would hold true through 30 minutes of play, as the teams retreated to their respective sidelines for halftime.

After the break, Pace would expand their lead to 2-0, as Noelle Meij would find Cienna Bosher wide open in front of the Spartan net for her second goal of the contest just 1:43 into the third stanza. The Setters would have a 6-3 advantage in shots for the quarter, but were unable to expand their lead any further before the buzzer.

STAC would attempt to mount a comeback in the final quarter of play, as Lauren Cooper would steal a Pace pass and power her way up the middle of the field to score her first of the season and cut the Setters lead in half at 2-1. The Spartans would apply pressure to the visitors in the hopes of tying the contest, but Pace would ratchet up their defensive play and wind down the clock to close out the match and take the victory.
  
Inside the Box Score

• Pace held a 14-9 shots advantage and a 7-5 edge in penalty corners for the match.
• Jessie Hohenstein (L, 1-5) stopped 7 of 9 shots faced.
• Lauren Cooper tallied the fourth goal of her collegiate career in Wednesday's contest.
• STAC finishes 0-2 in their season series with the Setters, and were outscored 5-1.

Up Next
St. Thomas Aquinas (1-5) will travel to Bentley University on Saturday, September 25 for a noon NE10 matchup with the Falcons.