Expecting it this time, he takes the opening. Most men his height are used to being taller than their opponents, and he was no exception when he was younger, but he's learned a few more strategies in the meantime. He lunges, shield up to catch the place he expects the mace to be. She's created an opening with the swing where he can hit her lower abdomen; if she's nimble enough to change course, her blow will necessarily lose its power, and if she's not, he's likely to get his hit in, even as she jars his arm. It does, however, mean sacrificing his own mobility for a moment if he's misjudged the arc of her blow.