TOWSON, Md. – It's a weekend that has been two and a half decades in the making. This Saturday, the Towson University women's soccer team will celebrate its 25^th anniversary as part of the University's Family Weekend.
 
The Tigers welcome back alumnae from across the years after announcing the program's 25^th Anniversary Team throughout the fall.
 
Towson (5-8-1, 2-2-0) hosts longtime Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) foe James Madison University on Saturday, with a 2 p.m. kickoff at the Tiger Soccer Complex. During halftime of the match, all alumnae in attendance will be welcomed to the pitch for a special recognition ceremony.
 
The Coverage
The lone game on tap for Towson this weekend, Saturday's match will be streamed live and free through the Towson Sports Network. Ian Jett will have the call. Saturday's tilt will also feature a live stats feed.
 
The Series: James Madison (5-8-0, 2-2-0 CAA)
Saturday's game will be the 15^th meeting all-time between the Tigers and the Dukes. Towson is hunting its first win in the series, which dates back to the 2002 campaign when Towson made the leap into the CAA. Despite the overall record, nine of the first 14 meetings have been decided by one goal, including last season's 2-1 decision in Harrisonburg.
 
With a Win Saturday…

• Towson would top the Dukes for the first time in program history.
• The Tigers would get back above .500 in league action, improving to 3-2-0 in the CAA.
• Towson gets its third win at the Tiger Soccer Complex this season, improving to 3-2-1 at home.
• Towson could move back into a first place tie in the league, depending on Friday's matches.

 
Parking for Saturday
Saturday will be a busy afternoon around Towson University. It's Family Weekend at the University, which includes a Towson football game at 7 p.m. against Stony Brook at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium. Due to the football game, fans attending the soccer match will need to park in Lot #14 and walk down the hill around Unitas Stadium to the Tiger Soccer Complex. Please refer to the map below for locations of the parking and the various fields.


 
The CAA
The CAA table is tight through the first two weeks of conference play. Northeastern and Drexel both sit at the top with identical 3-1-0 marks. By virtue of its 2-1-0 record, Elon is currently in third place. The 2-2-0 Tigers are in a three-way tie with James Madison and Delaware for fourth place. If the season ended today, Delaware would be the last team in, with the Tigers holding down fourth place.
 
The Standings
Team                              CAA Record       Points        Overall Record
Northeastern                 3-1-0                      9                 8-5-1
Drexel                             3-1-0                      9                 7-5-1
Elon                                2-1-0                      6                 7-5-1
Towson                          2-2-0                      6                 5-8-1
James Madison            2-2-0                      6                 5-8-0
Delaware                       2-2-0                      6                 3-10-0
UNCW                            1-1-1                      4                 7-3-2
Charleston                    1-1-1                      4                 8-4-1
William & Mary              1-2-0                      3                 7-5-0
Hofstra                           0-4-0                      0                 6-6-1
 
This Weekend's CAA Schedule
Friday, October 7
William & Mary at Northeastern - 6 p.m.
UNCW at Delaware – 7 p.m.
Elon at Hofstra – 7 p.m.
Charleston at Drexel – 7 p.m.
 
Saturday, October 8
Towson vs. James Madison – 2 p.m.
 
Sunday, October 9
Elon at Northeastern – Noon
UNCW at Drexel – Noon
William & Mary at Hofstra – 1 p.m.
Charleston at Delaware – 1 p.m.
 
Saturday's are for the Tigers
It's a rare occasion the Towson women's soccer team plays on a Saturday. In fact, this weekend's match will be the program's first Saturday game since the 2013 campaign when the Tigers upended Delaware State 4-3 in the season finale. It's been sometime since Towson played a CAA game on a Saturday. This week's tilt is the first Saturday league game for Towson since Oct. 29, 2011. Since head coach Greg Paynter took over the program in 2007, the Tigers have played five times on Saturdays. Towson is 2-3-0 in those games, including a 2-0-0 mark at home.
 
Honoring the Past
At halftime of Saturday's CAA soccer game, all alumnae in attendance will be honored on the field at the Tiger Soccer Complex. Additionally, members of the 25^th Anniversary Team will be recognized. The full list of the 25^th Anniversary Team is listed below.
 
Breaking a Mental Sweat
On 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.
 
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 last weekend. Pinkney needs three ties to draw level with Christi Landi's mark of 10, notched between 1994-97.
 
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). Should she take one shot on Saturday, Pinkney will also join the program's top 10 career list for shots at 99. If she takes two or more, Pinkney will become the 11^th Tiger to hit the century mark.
 
Classmate Taylor Sebolao is currently eighth all-time at Towson with 189 career saves since 2013. Last weekend, she surpassed Susie Blanco (1993-94), who had 186 during her career. Former teammate Erin Quinn (2011-14),  is next on the list with 220. Sebolao is also seventh all-time in goalie minutes played at 2,770, 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.
 
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. On Wednesday, the final set of five names was released.
 
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. A celebratory weekend is slated around a rare Saturday game for the Tigers on October 8 as Towson hosts Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rival James Madison. In the coming weeks, Towson will announce its 25^th Anniversary Team, culminating around the October 8 weekend.
 
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