Towson Women’s Lacrosse on three-game losing streak heading to CAA Tournament after loss to Delaware
By: Courtney Ott, Deputy Sports Editor
Towson Women’s Lacrosse came up short 13-9 against the University of Delaware in their last regular season game. The Tigers were able to stay in the game throughout the gameplay but could not come out on top.
“I thought Delaware played a great game; they were really locked in. They played us really tough, and unfortunately, we weren’t as locked in as we needed to be,” said Head Coach Sonia LaMonica. “There were little things that we didn’t anticipate, and we came up short, and that was the story from start to finish.”
In the first quarter, Delaware took the lead early, 3-1, after two Towson turnovers in a row as they tried to set up their offensive possession.
The Blue Hens had a chance to score on a free position shot, but goalkeeper Jo Torres made the save. The Tigers went coast to coast and stayed patient as midfielder Blair Pearre eventually found the back of the net as just over four minutes remained in the first, Towson trailed 4-2.
Just under 10 minutes remained in the second quarter when midfielder Valerie Thompson was awarded a free position shot and ripped it into the top right corner of the net, putting Towson down by one.
Towson tied it at four as Pearre recorded her second goal of the game. The Blue Hens responded on their next possession with a goal inside the crease and hit the lower left corner.
Delaware gained a two-goal lead as 1:28 remained in the second when Towson turned over the ball from a long pass rolling out of bounds. The Blue Hens took it downfield, and midfielder Sydni Rosa rolled the crease to roll it past Torres.
At halftime, Delaware held a 7-5 lead. The Blue Hens led in draw controls with 10, and the Tigers had four. Delaware also led in shots on goal, 12-9.
“We played too much defense today and made some mental errors in times where we have to take care of the ball and make smarter decisions. If we do that, we can regain control of the game,” said LaMonica.
To start the third quarter, midfielder Milana Zizakovic cut Delaware’s lead to one as she fired the ball from the top of the eight meters into the back of the net. The Blue Hens responded with a goal as attack Riley Gillin rolled the crease, beating her defender and putting the ball in the lower corner.
Just over four minutes remained in the third quarter, and Towson was setting up for a shot. Delaware’s goalkeeper Mercy McCarthy stepped out of the crease to intercept the ball from attack Lindsey Marshall but missed and gave Marshall the wide-open shot. Towson still trailed 9-7.
At the end of the third quarter, Towson pulled themselves back in the game after trailing by three when Zizakovic capitalized on the free position shot. Towson went into the fourth quarter trailing 10-8.
Just over eight minutes remained in the game, and Delaware took their largest lead at 12-8 when attack Delaney McDaniel dove in front of the net to get her shot in the goal. The Blue Hens started to pull away as they took the 13-8 lead when three minutes remained in the game.
Towson will play in the CAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed on May 4 at 2:30 p.m. at Tiger Field. Coming off of a three-game losing streak, the Tigers hope to bring their momentum back in time for the playoffs.
“We have all the pieces, but we have to be ready to fight, claw and compete in every moment and also bring composure where there is pressure. The conference is really tough, so we have to be prepared to battle and to do it together as a team,” said LaMonica.