Manchester, N.H. (September 23, 2006) -- At Grappone Stadium on Saturday afternoon, the Saint Anselm football team lost a tight defensive struggle to Pace, by a final of 7-2. The Hawks out gained the Setters (110-85) and had more first downs (7-4) but lost the crucial turnover battle (6-1). 

After both teams were held off the board in the first quarter, Pace got their only seven points after a second quarter interception by Dan Reilly put the Setters at the Saint Anselm 24-yard line. From there, it took three plays for Pace to score, finished off by a P.J. Columbo run of 3 yards to gain a 7-0 lead.

The Hawks' two points came in the fourth quarter as the ball was snapped over the head of punter Adam Headley for Pace and he kicked the ball out of his own end zone for a team safety. The Hawks were unable to move the ball on the following free kick and turned the ball over on downs during their last possession with 55 seconds left to play.

The Saint Anselm defense put together a strong performance with five sacks and a fumble recovery in keeping the Setters to less than 100 yards of total offense. Senior All-America candidate Casey Larson (Pascoag, R.I.) again put together a defensive display with three and a half sacks and four and a half tackles, for a total loss of 19 yards. Tom Kelleher (Wakefield, Mass.) would lead the team with eight total tackles and added half a sack.

With the loss, the Hawks fall to 0-4 overall and 0-3 in the Northeast-10, while the Setters are now 3-1 overall and 2-1 in league play. The Hawks are back in action on Saturday, September 30th as the team travels to C.W. Post for a contest beginning at 12 p.m.