TOWSON, Md. ? Junior midfielder Nikki Marcinik scored a season-high four goals and added two assists as the Tigers (3-1) earned their first home win of the season, a 13-7 non-conference victory over Temple University (0-4) at Johnny Unitas® Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

Marcinik was one of three Tigers to record a “hat trick” as the Tigers jumped out to an 8-3 half-time lead and held off the Owls in the second half for the victory.

“I think the team did great today,” Towson Coach Missy Doherty said. “It is hard to underestimate the team that we have because of the tradition our players have built of being a great team.”

Led by two goals from senior attacker Meggie McNamara, the Tigers jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the first 13 minutes of the opening half. The teams traded goals three times over a 12-minute span before McNamara ended the first half with her third goal of the game, converting a pass from Marcinik for her ninth goal of the season.

After a slow start to the second half, the Tigers extended their lead to 10-3 when junior Lauren McAfee and senior midfielder Britt Woodfield scored back-to-back goals. However, the Owls responded with two straight goals from senior attacker Brittney Hoffman, narrowing the margin to 10-5 with 11:31 left.

The Tigers upped their cushion to 12-5 when senior attacker Cassie Krause and Marcinik scored two consecutive goals in a 38-second span.

The teams exchanged goals before junior defender Tracy Zimmer scored her first goal of the season, an unassisted marker past sophomore goalkeeper Kristy Hankinson with 33 seconds remaining.

While Marcinik recorded the eighth “hat trick” of her career, Woodfield scored three goals for her third straight “hat trick”. Meanwhile, McNamara moved past Amy Buck, '99 on the Tigers' career goals list with her three-goal effort. She now has 108 goals in her career, which ranks fifth in school history.

Hoffman led the Owls with four goals in a losing effort while Lindsay Colferai added two goals and two assists. Junior Jessica Colucci made 11 saves as the Owls were outshot by a commanding 41-14 margin.

The Tigers will travel to George Washington on Saturday afternoon for a 1 p.m. match-up against the Colonials before starting a six-game homestand next week against Syracuse.  

College Women's Lacrosse: Towson University 13, Temple University 7
Temple (0-4)  3-4 / 7
Towson (3-1)  8-5 / 13

Goals: TEMP ? Brittney Hoffman 4, Lindsey Colferai 2, Tracy Zimmer 1; TOW ? Nikki Marcinik 4, Meggie McNamara 3, Britt Woodfield 3, Cassie Krause 1, Lauren McAfee 1, Ali Lathroum 1. Assists: TEMP ? Lindsey Colferai 2, Chelsea Rosiek 2; TOW ? Nikki Marcinik 2, Meggie McNamara 2, Jacie Kendall 1, Britt Woodfield 1. Saves: TEMP ? Jessica Colucci 11 (60:00, 13 goals allowed); TOW ? Mary Teeters 3 (47:05, 4 goals allowed), Casey Lean 0 (7:33, 2 goals allowed), Kristy Hankinson 1 (5:22, 1 goals allowed). Shots: TEMP ? 14; TOW ? 41. Free-Position Shots: TEMP ? 0 for 0; TOW ? 2 for 6. Attendance: 235.

Game Notes:

·        It was the first-ever meeting between the Tigers and the Owls in women's lacrosse.

·        Temple has now lost six straight games, dating back to last year.

·        The Tigers are now 7-1 in their last eight home games at Unitas Stadium. The only loss during that stretch came against George Mason last year.

·        The Tigers took a season-high 41 shots in the win over Temple on Wednesday afternoon. It was the most shots in a game by the Tigers since they attempted 49 shots in a 17-8 win over American on March 4 of last season.

·        The 14 shots allowed by the Tigers were the fewest shots in a game by an opponent since Old Dominion took 16 shots in an 11-8 loss last season.  

·        Senior midfielder Hillary Fratzke missed the game due to a season-ending injury she suffered in the Tigers' 15-12 loss against Loyola on Saturday. It was the first game she has missed in her career.

·        Despite missing the game, Fratzke still has a 48-game goal-scoring streak and a 54-game point-scoring streak, which are the longest active streaks in NCAA Division I.

·        Marcinik's four goals were her highest single-game total since a six-goal effort in the Tigers' CAA Championship Game victory over William & Mary on May 4 of last season.

·        McNamara, who was named as the CAA Player of the Week on Monday, has scored six of her goals in the last two games.

·        With her five-point effort against the Owls, McNamara moved to within two points of tying Amy Buck, '99 and Kim Wilson, '95 for sixth place on the Tigers' career points list.

·        With her four-point performance in the win over Temple on Wednesday, Woodfield became the 19th player in school history to reach 100 career points. She has 72 career goals with 28 assists.