Towson falls in final in-conference game versus rivals Delaware

By Kylie Jones, Staff Writer and Jonathan Totten, Contributing Writer

The Towson Tigers welcomed the Delaware Blue Hens to Tiger Field on April 13 for the last time as conference rivals. A back and forth affair saw the Tigers lose in heartbreaking fashion 16-15.

The first quarter of the game proved to be an indicator of how tight this game would be. The Tigers took the first point of the match with a goal by Katie Roszko. Delaware responded with two goals of their own, making it 2-1 Blue Hens. Towson’s Milana Zizakovic answered back with a goal of her own, tying things back up at 2-2. 

Officiating had a hand in how the rest of the first quarter would play out. Delaware broke the tie on a free-position shot with six minutes left in the first quarter, following a controversial foul call on Towson’s Luca DeMaio.

The calls didn’t stop there. Back-to-back green cards were handed out to Towson’s Valerie Thompson, followed by one on Delaware’s Riley Sturtevant.

With just over two minutes left in the quarter, Tigers midfielder Ocea Leavy scored to tie things up at 3-3. A free shot goal from Thompson gave Towson a 4-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. 

The Blue Hens opened the lid in the second quarter, putting one in the back of the net less than two minutes into the quarter. Towson orchestrated a couple of scoring opportunities in the second quarter, despite taking less shots on goal compared to the first quarter and dealing with turnovers. Goals from Roszko and Gabby Bjugan created a little separation from Delaware, going up 6-4. 

However, Delaware fought back and tied the game at 6-6 with five minutes left in the half. In the last five minutes, Delaware closed out the half with explosive offensive play. With 2:34 left, the Blue Hens scored a goal that would give Delaware a 7-6 lead going into halftime.

“I think Delaware did a really good job pressuring us in the clear,” said Zizakovic. “I think we could handle that better and get the ball to the offense quicker.”

The Tigers would strike quickly in the second half, scoring a goal within a minute of play to tie the game at 7-7. The Blue Hens responded quickly thanks to two free position shots, making it a 9-7 game.

The battle continued after Towson fought back with two goals of their own from Thompson and Zizakovic, bringing the game to a 9-9 draw. The Tigers became more aggressive in the third quarter, taking 10 shots on goal, eight of those resulting in goals. 

Towson’s energy on offense translated to their defense as they allowed only four Delaware goals. The Tigers controlled the draws well, contrary to the first quarter where they recorded just one. Towson led Delaware 14-11 going into the fourth quarter. 

Delaware made their mark in the fourth quarter. After controlling the draw, the Blue Hens put one in the net within the first two minutes of play. Towson’s Thompson responded to put them up 15-12 with 13:01 left to play.

This is where things started falling apart for the Tigers. 

The Blue Hens scored four unanswered goals to close out the game. Towson did not attempt a shot in the final two minutes because of many unforced turnovers, resulting in a 16-15 loss for the Tigers.

“We’ve had trouble playing all four quarters and today I’m really proud of the team for sticking it through and truly playing with grit and being fearless all throughout the game,” said Zizakovic.

“I think playing the next three games with pride will make those games better because they’re all we have left.” 

The Tigers record now stands at 6-7.