TOWSON, Md. - Senior attacker Jess Dunn recorded her fourth "hat trick" of the season, but the Tigers (4-5) were unable to contain top-ranked Maryland's high-powered offense as the Terrapins (11-0) kept their perfect record intact with a 17-8 victory over Towson at Johnny Unitas® Stadium on Tuesday evening.
Senior attacker Sarah Mollison tallied a career-high 10 points by scoring five goals with five assists as the defending national champion Terrapins extended their win streak to 21 straight games with the win over the Tigers.
Mollison, who leads NCAA Division I with 32 assists, scored two goals with four assists in the first half as the Terrapins jumped out to an 11-4 lead en route to the victory.
"I think we made Maryland work hard to score goals tonight and our defense did a good job," Towson Coach Sonia LaMonica said. "It is tough to stop a team with so many offensive threats like Maryland has."
Led by three goals from senior attacker Karri Ellen Johnson, the Terrapins jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the first 10 minutes of the first half. After a goal by senior attacker Jess Dunn trimmed the margin to 5-2, Maryland put together another four-goal run, including a pair of goals from senior midfielder Laura Merrifield, to increase the advantage to 9-2 with 16:19 remaining in the first half.
The Tigers scored back-to-back goals from Dunn and junior midfielder Jackie LaMonica to end the Terrapins' run, but junior attacker Kristy Black and sophomore midfielder Katie Schwarzmann answered by scoring a pair of goals in the final 25 seconds of the half, giving the Terrapins an 11-4 edge at the intermission.
After Johnson scored twice in the first 90 seconds of the second half, the Tigers scored three straight goals to cut the deficit to 13-7 with 14:31 remaining. Sophomore midfielder Kelly Custer and junior attacker Sarah Appelt each scored a goal with an assist during the run.
But, the Terrapins scored four of the final five goals in the final 13 minutes, including three from Mollison, to secure the victory.
While Mollison led Maryland with her career-high 10-point effort, Johnson added five goals as the Terrapins outshot Towson by a 32-19 margin.
Appelt led the Tigers in a losing effort with two goals and two assists while Dunn added a team-high three goals. Junior goalkeeper Mary Teeters made six saves while contributing a career-high seven ground balls and three caused turnovers.
The Tigers, who ended a three-game homestand with their game against Maryland, will open their Colonial Athletic Association schedule on Saturday afternoon when they travel to the University of Delaware for a 1 p.m. game against the Blue Hens.
Meanwhile, the Terrapins will open a three-game homestand on Friday night against eighth-ranked Penn at 7 p.m.
Post-Game Notes:
- Tuesday night's game between the Tigers and the Terrapins marked the 37th all-time meeting between the two teams ... Maryland now leads the all-time series by a 31-6 margin and has won 31 straight games over its in-state rival.
- The Tigers faced the number one-ranked team in the nation for the 10th time in the program's history on Tuesday night ... It also marked the first time Towson has faced the nation's top-ranked team since 2003 when the Tigers lost to Loyola by a 9-8 margin at Unitas Stadium.
- Dunn has now scored a goal in six straight games after her three-goal effort on Tuesday night ... During the current six-game streak, she has tallied 17 goals with one assist.
- Appelt matched her career high with her four-point effort on Tuesday night ... She had a goal with three assists in the Tigers' win over George Washington on March 12.
- In addition, Appelt recorded the second multi-goal game of her college career ... She had two goals in the Tigers' win over Richmond on March 19.
- Appelt now has a point in four consecutive games.
- LaMonica has scored a goal in three straight games ... She also extended her point-scoring streak to four games in a row with her goal against the Terrapins on Tuesday night.
- Over the last two years, the Terrapins have now posted a 33-1 record, including the current 21-game win streak ... Maryland's only loss came against North Carolina in a 13-9 setback on April 10, 2010.
- The Terrapins held their opponent under 10 goals for the 10th time in 11 games after allowing just eight goals on Tuesday night ... Maryland allowed a season-high 11 goals against third-ranked Duke on February 25.
- After her five-goal effort against the Tigers on Tuesday night, Johnson has now scored 15 goals with 3 assists in four career visits to Johnny Unitas® Stadium ... She scored five goals with three assists in helping Maryland win the NCAA championship last May.
- With her five assists against the Tigers on Tuesday, Mollison moved into fifth place on the Terrapins' all-time assists list ... She now has 107 career assists and needs four assists to move into third place on the career ledger.
