TOWSON, Md. – The first weekend of home athletic events at Towson will kick off with a bang as the women's soccer team hosts High Point University Friday afternoon and Villanova University Sunday afternoon. Game times are set for 4 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively, at the Tiger Soccer Complex.
 
The pair of soccer games bookend a 14-game weekend for Towson Tigers athletic programs, as the volleyball team hosts a 12-match tournament at SECU Arena.
 
Follow The Action
Both games on Friday and Sunday will feature live stats through Stat Broadcast. Fans can access the links on the women's soccer schedule page of TowsonTigers.com as well as the quick links section. Fans can also follow the action on the team's official Twitter account, @Towson_WSOC with key plays and notes throughout the game.
 
Social Media
There will be live tweets available throughout the season from the Towson women's soccer official Twitter account, @Towson_WSOC. Fans are also encouraged to follow the Tigers on Facebook (Facebook.com/TowsonWSOC). 
 
Tickets
All home games for the 2015 women's soccer season will be free of charge at the Tiger Soccer Complex.
 
Promotions
There are three promotions set for this weekend's women's soccer home openers. Friday's game against High Point will be the Gold Rush game and the Towson International Student and Scholar Office game. Light food will be available on the concourse of the Tiger Soccer Complex. Sunday's game against the Wildcats will be Youth Soccer Day, with area teams coming to enjoy the afternoon match.
 
The Series: High Point
Friday's game will be just the second-ever meeting between Towson and High Point. The two teams square off at the Tiger Soccer Complex for the second time and meet for the first time since Sept. 4, 2011. The Panthers took a 2-1 win after a scoreless first half. High Point got the game-winning goal with just over three minutes left in regulation.
 
The Series: Villanova
The Tigers and Wildcats will meet for the fourth time in program history on Sunday. Villanova holds control of the series at 2-0-1, with the 0-0 draw coming last season in a road game for the Tigers. The two teams first met in 2002 at the Tiger Soccer Complex, a 1-0 Villanova win. Sunday's game will be the second meeting at home for the Tigers.
 
Strong Schedule Early, Strong Team Later
Preparing to play in a historically strong conference such as the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), the Tigers will see a tough schedule to open the 2015 campaign. Three of the first four teams Towson faces were picked in the top five of their respective conference preseason polls, with Bucknell (Patriot League) picked fifth, St. John's (BIG EAST) tied for first and High Point (Big South) voted second. Villanova was picked to finished seventh in the BIG EAST. Like Towson, all four of the Tigers' first four opponents made their league tournament's last year.
Sixteen Times
During the opening weekend, junior goalkeeper Taylor Sebolao saw a bevy of shots, making 16 saves in two games. The Scotch Plains, New Jersey native stopped 10 shots against Bucknell in the season opener, followed by another six against No. 21 St. John's. She played with a good defense in front of her, which allowed only 18 of the 34 shots on goal.
 
Home Openers Under Paynter
Friday will be the ninth home opener for Towson under head coach Greg Paynter. Since his first season in 2007, the Tigers are 5-3-0 all-time in home openers, winning three in a row from 2007-09. Towson is hunting its first home opening-win since it topped former CAA foe Old Dominion 3-1 on Sept. 28, 2012.
 
Plenty of Fresh Faces
The Tiger roster boasts 11 true freshmen this season, while adding a junior transfer to the mix. In a survey of NCAA Division I, Towson was tied for 11^th in the nation in terms of true newcomers, ranking second in the CAA behind 12 true freshmen at James Madison.
 
But Lots of Experience
The Tigers return 15 players who saw time in last season's CAA Tournament game against Hofstra, while bringing back 16 players from last season. Those 16 players combined for over 200 appearances last season, including eight returners who played in all 19 games in 2014.
 
Ninth Time's a Charm
Head coach Greg Paynter begins his ninth campaign at the helm and coming off one of the best season in program history. After topping William & Mary for the first time in team history, the Tigers qualified for the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament for the first time since joining the league in 2002. Towson went 6-9-4 overall last year and posted a 3-4-2 finish in the league.
 
According to the Coaches…
In the 2015 CAA Women's Soccer Predicted Order of Finish, a poll of the league's 10 head coaches, the Tigers garnered 22 points, tying for eighth with Elon. The Huskies of Northeastern were predicted to capture their third league title, followed by Hofstra, James Madison and William & Mary to round out the top four.
 
Friday-Sunday, Friday-Sunday
Taking much of the guessing game out of the 2015 schedule for the Tigers, Towson will play all of its regular season games on either Friday or Sunday, following the pattern set by the league office. Towson will play 10 non-conference games before beginning a nine-game CAA slate on Sept. 25 at James Madison.

- TowsonTigers.com -