BALTIMORE, Md. – The Towson University women's lacrosse team outscored No. 19 Loyola University 6-2 in the second half to claim the 9-5 upset victory on Sunday afternoon. The Tigers (4-0) earned their first win over their local rival since 2012 and their first win over a ranked team since the 2014 season.

THE BASICS
Towson 9, No. 19 Loyola 5
Ridley Athletic Complex, Baltimore, Md.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The two teams battled early as neither squad was able to find the back of the net in the first four minutes of the game.
• Towson struck first as sophomore midfielder Kaitlyn Montalbano scored with 15:45 to play in the half.
• The Tigers would add to their lead as freshman attacker Carly Tellekamp scored a free position goal and junior attacker Michaela Duranti rocketed a shot home off a pass from sophomore midfielder Emily Gillingham.
• The visitors held a 3-0 advantage with 10:41 to play in the half.
• Loyola responded with three goals in a little over two and a half minutes and tied the game at 3-3.
• The two teams went into the half all tied up. Towson outshot the Greyhounds 12-9 in the first half and won five of the seven draw controls.
• The two teams traded goals early in the second half and found themselves tied at 4-4 with 28:53 to play.
• Towson used a 3-0 run to take a 7-4 lead with 16:29 left in the game. Montalbano tallied her second of the game during that run while Gillingham and freshman midfielder Katie Sciandra each scored a free position goal.
• Loyola (1-3) briefly halted the run as Hannah Savage picked up a Tiger turnover and scored.
• Towson scored the final two goals of the game to secure the 9-5 victory. Duranti scored her second of the contest off a pass from junior attacker Gabby Cha, while redshirt junior midfielder Michelle Gildea scored off an assist from Montalbano.

QUOTABLE

• "I thought today was a game of momentum swings," said Towson head coach Sonia LaMonica. "We came out strong, they came back and then we took control in the second half. We continued to do a good job on the draws for the most part and our defensive zone was really strong and make some big stops for us. Our attack played good team defense and shared the load with the scoring being so balanced."

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The Tigers have now won four straight to start the season, it's the best start to a season under LaMonica.
• The win was the first for the Tigers against Loyola since 2012 when they beat the Greyhounds 7-6 at Ridley Athletic Complex.
• The win gave the Tigers their first win over a ranked opponent since they beat then No. 10 Georgetown during the 2014 season.
• The Tigers continue to use a balanced attack as six player scored in the game and three of those six had two goals each.
• Montalbano led the Tigers with three points, on two goals and an assist.
• Towson finished the game outshooting Loyola 26-17. The Tigers also held a 10-7 advantage in draw controls.
• Freshman Angie Benson made two saves to earn the win in goal. Molly Wolf made 10 saves in the loss for the Greyhounds.

The Tigers are back in action on Saturday, March 5 when they host Georgetown at 3 p.m. That will be the second game of a doubleheader in Johnny Unitas® Stadium. The Tiger men's lacrosse team hosts UMBC at 12 noon that day.