Towson punches ticket to CAA Championship on golden goal from Thibeault
By Kylie Jones, Sports Editor
Towson women’s soccer clinched its spot in the Coastal Athletic Association Championship after earning an overtime victory against Stony Brook on Sunday afternoon at Tiger Field.
Senior forward Sophie Thibeault scored the golden goal in overtime for Towson to earn the semifinal win.
“It’s an unreal feeling,” Thibeault said. “Hopefully we can do it again next week.”
Towson’s first goal of the game was scored by junior forward Angel Reid in the first two minutes of the match.
(Ali Suleman/The Towerlight)
With just under 11 minutes to go in the first half, graduate forward Kale’a Perry notched Towson’s second goal assisted by Meron Koro and Emely Rubio.
Towson’s defensive effort held the Seawolves scoreless at the end of the first half.
“At halftime, we said two is the hardest lead to keep,” Thibeault said.
The Seawolves were able to gain momentum in the second half, notably taking 18 shots to their previous five in the first half.
Stony Brook was able to capitalize on the momentum by scoring two goals within two minutes of each other to tie the game.
“Stony Brook kept fighting,” Thibeault said. “They got two goals in quick, but we stayed resilient. We stayed together.”
With the clock winding down and both teams looking to make something happen, play quickly turned physical. Four Tigers and two Seawolves were assessed yellow cards during the second half of play.
Despite the physicality, the score remained unchanged and overtime ensued.
The teams battled through the first-to-score situation, but with one minute left on the clock, Thibeault found the back of the net and Towson earned the 3-2 win.
“I think it kinda sums up the season,” said head coach Katherine Vettori. “To be able to finish it off when you’re tired, exhausted– the will was so great.”
Towson is set to face off against the University of North Carolina Wilmington in the CAA Championship game on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Wilmington, N.C.
“The winner’s the one who wants it the most and we’re gonna have to give everything we have,” Vettori said.
