TOWSON, Md. – Entering Sunday's home finale against Delaware, the Tigers had two goals in mind. They wanted to give their seniors one last victory at the Tiger Soccer Complex and improve their chances of earning a berth in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament.
However, the Blue Hens had other ideas and used three goals in the second half to earn a 4-2 CAA victory over Towson to spoil Senior Day at the Tiger Soccer Complex.
Junior forward Ali Miller scored two goals and added an assist as the Blue Hens snapped a four-game winless streak and moved into a tie for seventh place in the CAA standings with Drexel, which defeated George Mason on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Tigers drop to ninth place in the CAA standings with the loss on Sunday. The top six teams qualify for the CAA Tournament, which will be hosted by William & Mary on November 3-6.
“Delaware played a very good second half,” Towson Coach Greg Paynter said. “We went into the half with the lead after a very emotional finish to the half. I think Delaware came out very active and it seemed like they wanted more in the second half.”
Trailing by 2-1 to start the second half, the Blue Hens scored three times after the intermission to earn the victory. With 26:06 remaining in regulation, Miller tied the game at 2-2 when she scored off a through pass from senior forward Amy Pickard for her eighth goal of the season. Just under eight minutes later, Pickard gave Delaware a 3-2 edge when she scored on an unassisted goal past freshman goalkeeper Erin Quinn.
With 7:47 left, Miller upped the Blue Hens' cushion to 4-2 when she collected a loose ball inside the penalty area and tallied her second goal of the game with a shot to the left side.
The Tigers took a quick 1-0 lead just 72 seconds into the first half when sophomore forward Emily Banes took a pass from senior defender Kaysi Ward and scored her eighth goal of the season.
But, the Blue Hens answered with 24:28 remaining in the period when junior forward Melissa Pennington scored her third goal of the season on a shot to the right side after passes from Miller and junior forward Tania Domingos.
Just before the end of the first half, freshman midfielder Rhianna Zalewski gave the Tigers a 2-1 advantage when she collected a long pass from senior defender Kim Speese and scored the first goal of her college career.
While Miller led the Blue Hens with her second two-goal game of the season, Pickard added a goal with two assists. Senior goalkeeper Breanna Stemler made two saves for the Blue Hens, who held Towson to just one shot in the second half.
Making the first appearance of her college career, Quinn made five saves in a losing effort for the Tigers, who were outshot by a 14-7 margin.
The Tigers, who had their two-game win streak snapped, will finish the regular season on Saturday evening when they travel to George Mason for a 5 p.m. game against the Patriots. Meanwhile, the Blue Hens will face UNC Wilmington on Friday afternoon in a game played at Virginia Commonwealth University before hosting Drexel next Sunday afternoon.
College Women's Soccer: University of Delaware 4, Towson University 2
Delaware (8-6-3, 4-3-2) 1-3 / 4
Towson (9-9-0, 4-6-0) 2-0 / 2
Goals: DEL – Ali Miller 2 (63:54, 82:13); Melissa Pennington 1 (20:32), Amy Pickard 1 (71:39); TOW – Emily Banes 1 (1:12), Rhianna Zalewski 1 (44:56). Assists: DEL – Amy Pickard 2, Ali Miller 1, Tania Domingos 1; TOW – Kaysi Ward 1, Kim Speese 1. Saves: DEL – Breanna Stemler 2 (90:00, 2 goals allowed); TOW – Erin Quinn 5 (90:00, 4 goals allowed). Shots: DEL – 14; TOW – 7. Corner Kicks: DEL – 6; TOW – 2. Attendance: 522.
Game Notes: The Tigers honored their five seniors in pre-game ceremonies … Sunday's game marked the 19th all-time meeting between the Tigers and the Blue Hens … Delaware has won four of the last six meetings and now leads the series by an 11-7-1 margin … The Tigers have now scored 31 goals in 18 games this season, marking the first time they have scored 30 or more goals in a season since 2002 … It is also the fifth-highest single-season total in school history … Banes' goal was the quickest goal scored by the Tigers this season ... She also scored just over two minutes into the Tigers' 3-1 victory over Northeastern on Oct. 9 … It is also the quickest goal to start a game by a Towson player since Ashlee Douglas scored at the 1:08 mark against Mount St. Mary's on Sept. 22, 1994 … In addition, Banes moved into fifth place on the Tigers' single-season goals and points lists … She now has tallied 21 points this season, scoring eight goals with five assists … In addition, Banes moved into 11th place in school history with 31 points … With 11 career goals, she is also ranked 12th in school history … Senior midfielder Courtney McKee set the Towson career record by playing in her 77th game on Sunday … She broke the record, which was previously held by Tina Steck (1997-00), Bridget Harthausen (1996-99) and Jenn Cook (1997-00) … The Tigers lost for just the second time this year when leading at the half (5-2) … They are also now 7-3 when scoring the game's first goal … Miller also scored both goals in the Blue Hens' 2-0 win over Delaware on Sept. 16 … Pickard scored the 24th goal of her college career, moving into a tie for fifth place on Delaware's career list with Brittany Campbell (1999-2002) … In addition, she moved into seventh place in Delaware women's soccer history with 54 career points … Prior to Sunday, the Blue Hens had scored just four goals in their previous four games, which included two ties and two losses … Delaware matched a season high with its four-goal output on Sunday … The Blue Hens earned a 4-1 win over Siena on Sept. 9.
