Towson’s “Bend Don’t Break” Strategy Fails as Late Goal Spoils Tigers First Conference Win
By: Tommy Pelle, Deputy Sports Editor
On a muggy evening in Towson, the Tigers hosted the Northeastern Huskies at Tiger Field. With both teams searching for their first conference win, there was a lot of energy on the pitch and in the stands.
Towson would channel this energy early on to take the lead. A backheel flick from Kale’a Perry froze Northeastern keeper Sophie Theresia Augustin in her tracks. With just six minutes off the clock, the Tigers would look to build on their early momentum.
However, it would be the Huskies that would control the rest of the first half. Northeastern dominated possession and made it difficult for Towson to create chances downfield.
The Huskies’ pressure would peak with just under six minutes left in the half. An outside the box curler from Huskies forward Lughano Nyondo would loop over Tigers keeper Riley Melendez to tie the game at 1-1 heading into halftime.
After halftime, both teams brought the same energy as in the first half. Both teams were playing end-to-end soccer, trading chances on each other’s goals.
The Tigers would strike first in the second half thanks to the first goal of the season from Danielle Campbell. Towson was able to capitalize on a loose ball in the box thanks to a corner kick to make it 2-1 Tigers.
“We wanted to score and keep it out of the back of our net,” said Head Coach, Katherine Vettori, when asked about what kind of message she wanted to send at halftime.
So far in the second half, the Tigers were doing just that. After taking the lead, Towson implemented a “bend don’t break” mindset on defense. The Tigers were letting the Huskies keep the ball, but playing calmly enough to handle any offensive efforts Northeastern tried.
Unfortunately, the Tigers would break. After a foul against Towson, Northeastern was awarded a free kick near the halfway line. A long cross into the box would cause chaos, with Jessie Hunt capitalizing on the loose ball to tie the game again at 2-2.
“That wasn’t good defending,” said Vettori. “We have to have the maturity to close out a game when you’re up with four minutes left.”
Despite last effort chances, the final whistle would blow with the game ending in a 2-2 draw. The Tigers have not beaten the Huskies since 2011.
The story of the day for Towson was missed opportunities in front of goal. The Tigers managed 14 shots, only getting six of them on target
The Tigers record stands at 2-3-6. Their next game is on the road against Hofstra on September 29 at 1 p.m., and their next home game is October 3 against Elon with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m.
