Christopher sets record for goals in a game as Towson shuts out Delaware State
By: Jake Shindel, Senior editor and Sam Peterson, contributing writer
Towson shutout Delaware State University 7-0 as forward Nia Christopher set a new program record with five goals in a game.
The Tigers lead the Colonial Athletic Association in shutouts with six as of Sept. 13.
“I think it was a true team performance from start to finish,” Head Coach Katherine Vettori said. “I think we moved the ball well, we combined well, we played some really nice balls through.”
Towson started the scoring off in the first five minutes of the game, with Christopher scoring a goal on a through ball from Canoles. Their second goal came from a corner kick by Canoles, which Christopher tipped in for her second goal of the game and Canoles’ second assist.
Christopher led the way for Towson, while midfielder Phoebe Canoles also had a good showing with two assists and two shots. Forwards Jasmine Hamid and Khori Banks also netted a goal for the Tigers.
At the 24:00 mark of the first half, Hamid scored on a shot from close to midfield to give Towson a 3-0 lead less than halfway through the first period.
With 18:49 left in the first half, Christopher saw her third shot reach the back of the net, giving her a hat trick on the night.
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The Tigers took a 4-0 lead into halftime, led by Christopher, who had netted three goals on the season before this game, and matched that number in the first half. Canoles finished the half with two assists, while Hamid chipped in with a goal.
“Everyone knows who [Christopher] is at this point, and she gets doubled a lot,” Vettori said. “Great news is, we’ve had a very balanced attack with Phoebe scoring and Jasmine scoring.”
Christopher continued where she left off in the first half, with a goal 20 seconds into the second half and then another one at the 38:39 mark for her fourth and fifth goals of the game. Towson took a 6-0 lead.
With her fourth and fifth goals, Christopher broke the single-game record of three goals. Previously, the single game record for goals by a towson women’s soccer player was three goals.
The Tigers’ last goal came on a penalty kick with 9:21 left in the second half, as Banks put the ball in the goal. Delaware State had a handball in the goal box, leading to the kick for Towson.
Towson won the game 7-0, with the team’s defense allowing two shots the entire game and none in the second half.
“We’ve taken a lot of pride, ever since the La Salle game, we kind of had to snap out of it and really focus on defending,” Vettori said. “Not only defending with pressure and cover balance but also blocking. We’ve taken a lot of pride in every single shutout.”
Towson travels to UMBC to take on the Retrievers on Thursday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m.
