Towson slowly but surely making strides
By Brooks Warren, Staff Writer
File Photo by Patrick Burke/The Towerlight
The Tigers went 1-1 this past weekend, falling to Delaware 2-1 but prevailed over Temple 1-0.
Towson (3-12, 0-2 CAA) has struggled to pick up wins this season, but has slowly improved. Head coach E.A. Jackson wants a team that can be held accountable and believes this team is heading in that direction.
“No one’s going to get better, I think, if you just talk about the things that we need to work on,” Jackson said, “It really drives the point home when we watch film and we’re able to watch with a critical eye and if we can have athletes who watch film collectively together and lose the ego.”
After a quick turnaround after the Delaware contest, the Tigers shutout Temple (5-8, 1-4 Big East) for a 1-0 win. This was Towson’s first shutout since 2011 versus Northwestern. The win ensured this was their first campaign with at least three wins since going 10-10 in 2011.
“It shows a lot of growth with this team,” Jackson said, “I think today was not necessarily the prettiest brand of hockey we can play. We can connect better. We have connected better in the past. It still counts as a win so we’ll take it and celebrate it.”
The Tiger’s lone goal by junior attack Bierra Ho off a corner opportunity was just enough to maintain the win. The play was set up by junior attack Jessica Von Schmidt-Pauli putting the ball into play, sophomore defender Gretchen Alderfer stopped the ball and passed it to Ho who shot right passed the Owls.
Freshman goalie Tess Okkerse was a key factor behind the net against the Owls, stopping the three shots on goal she faced.
“I’m super happy,” Okkerse said, “I’m really proud. [The] last couple games I had to make a lot of saves but this game was about all the defense and the defenders.”
The stats were practically equal for both teams; however, the Tigers one extra shot on goal made the difference.
The first game against Delaware (9-3, 2-0 CAA) went the Blue Hens way 2-1. Delaware scored both of their goals in the third quarter. Delaware was aggressive throughout the afternoon, but in the third quarter, they shot seven times. The Blue Hens took three consecutive shots including two saved by Okkerse. The third shot, however, found the net for the first goal of the day.
A few minutes later Delaware scored off an assist with about 15 minutes left in the period. The Tigers cut the deficit to one when freshman attack Mackenzie Tillman fed freshman attack Samantha Aljets for a goal in the fourth quarter.
Towson did not attempt a shot the remainder of the game and took the loss.
Aljets lead the team with four shots including three on goal. Okkerse had another strong game in goal saving 13 shots.
The Tigers go on their final road trip of the season against Drexel on Friday, Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. and Hofstra on Sunday, Oct. 27 at noon.
