TOWSON, Md. – With the month of August winding down, the Towson University women's soccer team will once again split its weekend between its home pitch and a road game.
 
The Tigers (0-2-0) open play with St. John's University on Friday at 4 p.m. from the friendly confines of the Tiger Soccer Complex. Towson gets its first chance to play under the lights on Sunday with a 7 p.m. clash at former conference foe George Mason University.
 
The Coverage
Both games this weekend will feature live stats and live videos. Friday's action with the Red Storm sees the Towson Sports Network launch video stream for the first time at the Tiger Soccer Complex. Ian Jett will have the call on the free video stream. There will also be live stats available through Stat Broadcast.
 
Sunday night's tilt will also have live video and live stats from George Mason Stadium. Sunday's game has a $6.95 fee to stream the game.
 
The Cost of Admission
Friday afternoon's game between Towson and the Red Storm will be free of charge. Sunday's game has ticket prices set by George Mason at $6 for adults, $4 for youth, 12 and under, as well as $4 for seniors 62 and older.
 
The Series: St. John's
Here, there or anywhere, the Tigers will take on the Red Storm of St. John's University. Friday's game will be the first meeting between the programs at the Tiger Soccer Complex. Last season, St. John's edged the Tigers 1-0 in Queens, New York. The first meeting between the squads was on August 29, 2008, a 1-0 Red Storm win in Newark, Delaware at the Delaware Invitational. St. John's leads the series 2-0-0.
 
The Series: George Mason
Sunday will see two former Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) foes step on the field for the first time since 2012 when the Patriots defected to the Atlantic 10 Conference for the 2013 campaign. Towson trails in the series 1-10-0 since the teams first met in 2002. Sunday's game will be the first nonconference meeting between the Tigers and Patriots. Towson is hunting its first win over George Mason since a 1-0 thriller at home on October 26, 2003. Towson has never topped George Mason on the road. Sunday's game will also be the earliest in the season the teams have ever met, besting a September 25, 2005 game in Fairfax, Virginia.
 
Live and Free on TSN
For the first time, Towson women's soccer games will be streamed live and free through TowsonSportsNetwork.tv. All of the remaining games at the Tiger Soccer Complex will be available live and free through TSN and archived shortly after the contest. Ian Jett will have the call for TSN.
 
With a Win Friday…

• Tigers would claim their 30^th win at the Tiger Soccer Complex since head coach Greg Paynter took over the program for the 2007 campaign.
• Towson would also halt a pair of two-game slides, one against St. John's and one overall.
• Win its first home game of the season.
• Improve to 4-4-2 at home over the last two seasons.
• Towson would get a win over a BIG EAST opponent for a third-straight season. The Tigers bested Villanova 1-0 at home last season while beating Xavier 2-0 at the JMU Invitational in 2014.

With a Win Sunday…

• The Tigers would pick up their first win over George Mason since October 26, 2003.
• Top an Atlantic 10 opponent for the first time since beating Duquense 2-1 on September 8 at the Navy invitational.
• Towson would get its first-ever win on the road against George Mason.

Not Bad, Rook
Last weekend, freshman Elizabeth Coletti buried the first goal of her college career, heading home a game-tying marker in the 65^th minute. Junior Maddie Bove contributed the assist for her first point of the year.
 
Coletti became the first Tiger to score in her Tiger Soccer Complex debut since Sofia Read did so five years to the day on August 21, 2011 against Loyola University (Md.).
 
The Sun-Soaked Lightening Delay
Last weekend, the Tigers looked to open the home portion of their 2016 season but Mother Nature had other plans. Shortly after the starting lineups were read, lightening struck in the area, forcing a delay in the start. That delay lasted over two hours, forcing a 4:07 p.m. official start between the Tigers and Pirates of East Carolina University.
 
Close to Home
As expected when playing at home, the Tigers have fared well. Towson's last nine games at the Tiger Soccer Complex have been decided by one goal or resulting in a tie, including last Sunday's game against East Carolina. In fact, 13 of the Tigers last 15 home games have been decided by one goal or a tie. The two outliers were both 2-0 wins over William & Mary and Elon in 2014.
 
Climbing the Books
Several Tigers appear on the program's top 10 charts.
 
Senior forward Natalia Pinkney is currently tied for seventh in program history with five game-winning goals. Another deciding marker will move Pinkney into a four-way tie for fourth with Karen Coster (1997-99), Jen Van Horn (2001-04) and Emily Banes (2011-13).
 
Classmate Taylor Sebolao is currently 10^th all-time at Towson with 128 career saves since 2013. She needs 14 saves to surpass Megan Lumsden (1996-97) ninth-place mark of 141. She is also eighth all-time in goalie minutes played at 1,878. Last weekend, she passed Lumsden's 1,816 minutes. Next on the list is Michelle Robinson (1992-93) at 2,550 minutes.
 
The Silver Anniversary
The 2016 campaigns 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.
 
Preseason Nods
Senior speedster Natalia Pinkney was named to the Preseason All-CAA Team, announced by the league office earlier this week.
 
After a breakout season Pinkney was named as the team's Offensive Most Valuable Player. She finished with a team-best 15 points on seven goals, three of which were game-winners. The forward added an assist to her stats as well. Pinkney's overtime game-winning goal against St. Francis University was shown on ESPN SportsCenter, garnering the No. 10 spot on the coveted list. Pinkney was named Third Team All-CAA at the end of the season.
 
Enjoy It While It Lasts
The Tigers will play just two games at home in the early goings of 2016. Last Sunday's game against East Carolina was the first, followed by this Friday's tilt against St. John's University at 4 p.m.
 
Towson will be on the road for its next six matches, including a pair of neutral site games at the Navy Invitational on September 9 (Bowling Green) and September 11 (Drake) in the state capital.
 
However, Towson plays five of its nine CAA games at the Tiger Soccer Complex. All five home league games will be played in consecutive fashion, kicking off on September 30 against nearby rival Delaware.
 
Consistency is Key
Towson will enjoy the same coaching staff in 2016 as it did in 2015. Head coach Greg Paynter begins his 10^th season at the helm, while assistant coaches Mike Eckberg and Autumn Hayes are in their third and second years, respectively. Volunteer assistant coach Matt Gibson, who works with the club's keepers, enters his fourth season.
 
- TowsonTigers.com –