TOWSON, Md. – The final weekend of the regular season is upon the Towson University women's soccer team. The Tigers will make a push for the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament with a pair of league games this weekend.
 
The push begins Friday night in Boston, Massachusetts as Towson takes on league-leading Northeastern at 6 p.m. from Parsons Field. The Tigers cap the regular season with a 1 p.m. game on Sunday against Hofstra at the Pride's Hofstra Soccer Stadium.
 
The Coverage
This weekend's matches will feature both live video and live stats. Links to both games can be found on the women's soccer schedule on TowsonTigers.com. Links will also be made available on the team's social media accounts prior to the games.
 
The Series: Northeastern (10-6-1, 5-2-0 CAA)
Friday's match will be the 16^th meeting all-time between the Tigers and the Huskies. The series began on Oct. 31, 1997, a 1-0 Towson win in Boston. Towson, which leads the series 8-6-1, won the first four meetings by shutout, while going unbeaten in the first six matches. The Huskies have won the last four meetings, however two of those have been in overtime, with the first of that run resulting in a one-goal game. Towson is hunting its first win in Boston since a 2-1 victory on Oct. 10, 2011.
 
The Series: Hofstra (8-7-1, 2-5-0 CAA)
The Towson-Hofstra series dates back to the programs' membership in the America East Conference, competing for the first time during the 1995 season. Hofstra leads the all-time series 18-3-1. The Pride have won the last five meetings. Towson is looking for its first win over Hofstra since Oct. 7, 2011. Towson's last victory over the Pride on Long Island came as a 3-0 victory in the second-ever meeting between the schools on Nov. 2, 1996 to cap the regular season.
 
With a Win Friday…

• Snap a four-game slide against the Huskies.
• Towson would win its first game at Parsons Field since the 2011 season.
• Hand the Tigers their second CAA road win of the year. Towson is 1-1-0 in the league during road games in 2016.
• The Tigers would win their fourth CAA game of the season, the most conference wins since Towson won four during the 2011 season. Towson has won four CAA games just once previously.

 
With a Win Sunday…

• Towson would halt a five-game losing streak against Hofstra, including four in the regular season.
• Lift the Tigers to their first victory in Hempstead since the 1996 campaign.
• Towson would win its second-ever CAA game over the Pride and first on the road.

 
The CAA
Per usual, the CAA standings are tight heading into the final weekend of the season. Just six points separate the table from fourth place (William & Mary) and last place (Hofstra). Sunday opponents Northeastern and James Madison lead the standings with 15 points apiece. Drexel, which plays just once this weekend against Delaware, is close behind with 14 points while William & Mary sit in fourth with a dozen points. Charleston is fifth and the only other program with double-digit points so far this year. Towson, which sits in sixth place, is tied with Delaware with nine points, but hold a tiebreaker over the Blue Hens thanks to a 1-0 win earlier this season.
 
The Standings
Team                              CAA Record       Points        Overall Record
Northeastern                 5-2-0                      15               10-6-1
James Madison           5-2-0                      15               8-8-0
Drexel                             4-2-2                      14               8-6-3
William & Mary              4-3-0                      12               10-6-0
Charleston                    3-3-1                      10               10-6-1
Towson                          3-4-0                      9                 6-10-1
Delaware                       3-5-0                      9                 4-13-0
UNCW                            2-3-2                      8                 8-5-3
Elon                                2-4-1                      7                 7-8-2
Hofstra                            2-5-0                      6                 8-7-1
 
This Weekend's CAA Schedule
Friday, October 21
Towson at Northeastern – 6 p.m.
James Madison at Hofstra – 7 p.m.
Elon at Charleston – 7 p.m.
William & Mary at UNCW – 7 p.m.
 
Sunday, October 23
Towson at Hofstra – 1 p.m.
William & Mary at Charleston – 1 p.m.
Delaware at Drexel – 1 p.m.
James Madison at Northeastern – 1 p.m.
Elon at UNCW – 2 p.m.
 
Reversing a Trend
The 2016 season is nothing if not one for reversing trends. Earlier this season, Towson picked up its first-ever win in Williamsburg over the Tribe of William & Mary. A week later, Towson upended longtime rival Delaware 1-0 for the team's first home win over the Blue Hens since the 2009 campaign.
 
The Tigers reversed another trend last weekend as well: Beating UNCW for the first time at home since the 1994 season. That changed in the 25^th minute as Marissa Green booted home what proved to be the game-winning goal, thanks to an Emily Marshall assist. Only one current member of the program was alive the last time Towson beat UNCW on home turf: Marissa Green.
 
Regular Season Finales
On Sunday, the Tigers will look to keep the ball rolling in the regular season finale. Towson has won its last three regular season finales, dating back to the 2013 season. That year, the Tigers topped Delaware State 4-3 before beating William & Mary 2-0 for the first time ever in the final regular season game of 2014. Last season, Towson bested Elon 1-0 in front of the home crowd on Senior Day.
 
Breaking a Mental Sweat
Last Thursday, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) announced its Team Academic Awards. The Tigers were one of eight CAA teams to win the award. To qualify for the award, the team must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 or higher for the entire academic year. The team GPA is determined by adding every player's GPA, then dividing by the number of players. Towson finished the last academic year with a 3.25 grade point average.
 
Dynamic Duo
Marissa Green and Emily Marshall were a dynamic duo last weekend, pairing up for both Towson goals. On Friday, Marshall sent in a pass to Justine Stoner, who crossed in a ball for a Green one-timer. Marshall was credited with the secondary assist. On Sunday in the 83^rd minute, Marshall sailed in a set piece to the head of the 5-9 Green to pull Towson back within one of College of Charleston. Earlier this season, the pair hooked up for a game-tying goal with just 13 seconds left in regulation at Elon. Three of Green's four goals in 2016 have had Marshall on the assist.
 
Climbing the Books
Several Tigers appear on the program's top 10 charts.
 
Senior forward Natalia Pinkney is now tied for second in program history with seven game-winning goals after her deciding strike against Delaware two weeks ago. Pinkney needs three ties to draw level with Christi Landi's mark of 10, notched between 1994-97. Pinkney has ripped off 100 career shots, becoming the 11^th player in team history to hit the century mark.
 
Pinkney is now ninth all-time in program career goals after scoring against Bowling Green at the Navy Invitational. She sits alone in ninth with 16 career markers. The senior is now in the program's top 10 for career points with 36 (16g, 4a). Pinkney nears the program's all-time games play mark as well. She has played in 74 contests for Towson. Should she play in each of the remaining regular season games, she will have 76 matches to her name, tying her for third all-time. The program record is 78 appearances, set by Courtney McKee from 2008-11.
 
Classmate Emily Marshall moved into the program's top 10 in assists, hitting the mark with her assist on Sunday to Marissa Green. She has six helpers this year, tying her for seventh in a single season at Towson.
 
Redshirt junior Taylor Sebolao is currently eighth all-time at Towson with 207 career saves since 2013. Former teammate Erin Quinn (2011-14), is next on the list with 220. Sebolao is also seventh all-time in goalie minutes played at 3,234, surpassing Michelle Robinson (1992-93) at 2,550 minutes. Next on the list for Sebolao to catch is Quinn, who logged 3,493 minutes. She will need to play in every minute of regulation until the end of the season to surpass Quinn.x
 
The 25^th Anniversary Team
In the past weeks, the Towson women's soccer team released names for the program's 25^th Anniversary Team.
 
Towson University Women's Soccer 25^th Anniversary Team (to date) – Alphabetical
Emily Banes (2010-13)
Brandi Daniels (2004-07)
Vasthy Delgado (2012-15)
Ashlee Douglas (1993-96)
Melissa Gomes (2007-10)
Brittany Hadaway (2006-09)
Bridget Harthausen (1996-99)
Jaime Hartigan (1993-96)
Shannon Jackson (2001-05)
Christi Landi (1994-97)
Maggie Lennon (1998-2001)
Megan Lumsden (1996-97)
Erica Marshall (2006-09)
Courtney McKee (2008-11)
Courtney McLelland (1992-95)
Melissa Mueller (1999-2002)
Holly Noga (2000-03)
Jocelyn Papciak (2008-11)
Erin Quinn (2011-14)
Katie Ponce (2011-14)
Shelley Seivert (1995-98)
Cheyenne Skidmore (2009-12)
Tina Steck (1997-2000)
Kaitlyn Zamroz (2005-09)
Tracy Zettle (1992-95)
 
The Silver Anniversary
The 2016 campaign marks the 25^th anniversary for the Towson University women's soccer program. Playing its first game on September 9, 1992, the program begins its silver year on campus. The celebratory weekend was held around a rare Saturday game for the Tigers on October 8 as Towson hosted CAA rival James Madison. Each week throughout the season, Towson will announced its 25^th Anniversary Team five at a time on TowsonTigers.com.
 
- TowsonTigers.com –