TOWSON, Md. – Sophomore forward Cortlyn Bristol scored two goals, including the eventual game-winner with 10:21 remaining in regulation, as the College of William & Mary (5-3-1, 1-0-0) snapped a three-game losing streak with a 3-2 Colonial Athletic Association victory over the Tigers (4-4-2, 0-1-0) in the CAA opener for both teams at the Towson Center Soccer Complex on Friday afternoon. 

It was the Tribe's first win since a 1-0 victory over Richmond on September 5 at Albert-Daly Field.

“William & Mary is a good team and we were excited to play against a quality opponent like them,” Towson Coach Greg Paynter said. “The early goal was a big lift for us and we were playing well. But, we made a couple of mistakes and William & Mary was able to take advantage of those mistakes.”

The Tigers took a quick 1-0 lead in the 12th minute when sophomore forward Cheyenne Skidmore scored off a pass from freshman forward Emily Banes for her third goal of the season.

But, the Tigers' advantage was short-lived as the Tribe scored twice in the final 25 minutes of the first half to take a 2-1 lead at the intermission. After freshman forward Lauren Gough scored the first goal of her college career in the 21st minute to tie the game, Bristol scored with 4:12 remaining in the first half to give William & Mary a one-goal advantage.

William & Mary held its one-goal advantage until the 80th minute when Bristol took a pass from freshman defender Tara Connors and scored her second goal of the game past junior goalkeeper Jocelyn Papciak.

The Tigers trimmed the deficit to 3-2 in the 86th minute. After junior forward Kaysi Ward was fouled inside the penalty area, the Tigers were awarded a penalty kick.

Freshman forward Allie Boubouheropoulos had her penalty kick attempt stopped by sophomore goalkeeper Katherine Yount, but Boubouheropoulos was able to collect the rebound and scored the first goal of her college career from just in front of the goal area.

However, the Tribe defense kept the Tigers without a shot in the final four minutes to preserve the one-goal lead.

Yount made three saves for the Tribe in the victory while Papciak also tallied three saves.

The Tribe outshot Towson by a 15-11 margin while the Tigers had a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks.

The Tigers will continue their three-game homestand on Sunday afternoon when they host Old Dominion in a CAA game at 1 p.m. Meanwhile, the Tribe will travel to George Mason for a 2 p.m. game against the Patriots on Sunday.

College Women's Soccer: College of William & Mary 3, Towson University 2
William & Mary (5-3-1, 1-0-0)  2-1 / 3
Towson (4-4-2, 0-1-0)  1-1 / 2

Goals: W&M – Cortlyn Bristol 2 (40:48, 79:39), Lauren Gough 1 (20:05); TOW – Cheyenne Skidmore 1 (11:17), Allie Boubouheropoulos 1 (85:11). Assists: W&M – Tara Connors 1; TOW – Emily Banes 1. Saves: W&M – Katherine Yount 3 (90:00, 2 goals allowed); TOW – Jocelyn Papciak 3 (90:00, 3 goals allowed). Shots: W&M – 15; TOW – 11. Corner Kicks: W&M – 4; TOW – 7. Attendance: 216.

TIGER TIDBITS: With the win on Friday, the Tribe remained unbeaten all-time against the Tigers … William & Mary has a 7-0-2 all-time record against Towson … The Tigers were making their home debut on Friday afternoon … They had played the first nine games this year on the road … The Tigers matched a season high by allowing three goals on Friday … They also allowed three goals in a season-opening loss against Loyola (Md.) on August 21 … Prior to Friday, the Tribe had been outscored by a 9-2 margin in its last three games … Boubouheropoulos became the sixth different Tiger to score a goal this season … Skidmore scored a goal for the second straight game … The Tigers scored the game's first goal for the fifth time this year.