TOWSON, Md. – The nonconference season is in the books and the only thing standing in the way of the Towson University women's soccer team is the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) slate.
 
Towson (3-5-1) opens league play this weekend with a pair of road games. The Tigers crack open their 15^th season in the CAA with a Friday night tilt at Elon University (4-4-1), kicking off at 7 p.m. On Sunday, Towson heads to the coast for a 2 p.m. tussle with the Tribe of William & Mary (6-3-0). The Tribe are ranked 10^th in the NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Region of the Coaches' Poll.
 
The Coverage
Both games this weekend will feature live video and live stats. Friday's game will be carried on Phoenix All Access, free of charge, as will Sunday's game through TribeAthletics.com. Links to both games can be found on the women's soccer schedule page of TowsonTigers.com, in the quick links section of this weekend's advance and will be posted on social media prior to the games' start times.
 
The Series: Elon
The Tigers are 2-0-0 all-time against the Phoenix. Friday will be the third meeting between the programs. Elon joined the CAA for the 2014 season. The weekend lid-lifter will be the Tigers' first trip to Elon's Rudd Field. Towson has won both its games at the Tiger Soccer Complex by a combined 3-0, including a 1-0 victory last season on Senior Day.
 
The Series: William & Mary
Conversely, the series with the Tribe is a longer one, dating back to the 2002 season when the Tigers joined the CAA. The Tribe holds control of the series at 11-1-2. Towson won its first game against William & Mary during the 2014 campaign, a 2-0 victory at the Tiger Soccer Complex. Towson will look to pick up its first point at William & Mary's Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field since drawing 0-0 on Oct. 27, 2005.
 
With a Win Friday…

• The Tigers would run its winning streak over the Phoenix to three games.
• Towson would get its first CAA road win since besting Delaware 1-0 on Oct. 17, 2014. A win would halt a six-game winless streak in road conference games.
• The Tigers would collect their first win in North Carolina since Oct. 16, 2011 with a 1-0 overtime win at UNCW.

 
With a Win Sunday…

• Towson would snag a second win over the Tribe in the last three chances.
• The Tigers would get their first-ever win against William & Mary on the road.

 
One to the Good
Last weekend, the Tigers returned home after a six-game road swing. It was just the third game at the Tiger Soccer Complex for the Tigers this season. Towson took advantage of the friendly confines, beating regionally ranked George Washington 2-0 thanks to goals from Moriah Wigley and Evelyn Neidert, both career firsts. Towson ended its tough nonconference schedule with a 3-6-1 mark against regionally ranked opponents and one receiving votes.
 
Home is Good Too
The Tigers Soccer Complex has been good to Towson over the years. In home nonconference games since 2007, the Tigers hold a 15-9-4 record, a .600 in winning percentage, including last weekend's win over George Washington.
 
Home Nonconference Finales
Thanks to that 2-0 win over George Washington, the Tigers improved to 6-1-1 in home nonconference finales since head coach Greg Paynter took over the program in 2007. Towson has gone unbeaten in such games in the last five outings. Towson did not play a single nonconference home game during the 2010 and 2012 seasons.
 
CAA Openers
Friday will begin Towson's 15^th season in the CAA since transferring from the America East Conference following the 2001 campaign. Since that time, the Tigers are 3-10-1 in CAA openers. Towson will be looking for its first CAA opening win on the road since joining the league. Despite that overall conference opening record, the Tigers have played 10 one-goal games in their first league tilt of the year since 2002. Towson is 2-7-1 in one-goal CAA openers.
 
The Saveless Shutout
Senior keeper Taylor Sebolao picked up the 10^th complete game shutout of her career on Sunday against George Washington. While any clean sheet is impressive, what makes Sebolao's 10^th is the fact that she did not have to make a single save in the game. Towson's defensive unit smothered the Colonials, allowing just seven total shots and just four corners. Sebolao is the only keeper to log a shutout with zero saves in at least the last 10 years.
 
Career Firsts
Last weekend, freshman Moriah Wigley and sophomore Evelyn Neidert scored the first goals of the respective Black and Gold Careers. They join freshmen Elizabeth Coletti and Justine Stoner, as well as senior Izzy Latour in their career-first markers this season.
 
The 25^th Anniversary Team
In the coming weeks, the Towson women's soccer team will release five names for the program's 25^th Anniversary Team. On Wednesday, the second set of five names was released. Stay tuned to TowsonTigers.com each Wednesday for the next three groups, culminating on Oct. 5.
 
Towson University Women's Soccer 25^th Anniversary Team (to date) – Alphabetical
Brandi Daniels (2004-07)
Ashlee Douglas (1993-96)
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)
Melissa Mueller (1999-2002)
Holly Noga (2000-03)
Shelley Seivert (1995-98)
Kaitlyn Zamroz (2005-09)
Tracy Zettle (1992-95)
 
Climbing the Books
Several Tigers appear on the program's top 10 charts.
 
Senior forward Natalia Pinkney is currently tied for fourth in program history with six game-winning goals after her deciding strike at Temple. Another winning marker will move Pinkney into a three-way tie for second with Erica Marshall (2006-09) and Kaitlyn Zamroz (2005-09).
 
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 15 career markers. Pinkney is just one point away from jumping into the top 10 for that category as well. Tracy Zettle holds down 10^th place with 35 career points.
 
Classmate Taylor Sebolao is currently ninth all-time at Towson with 167 career saves since 2013. She surpassed Megan Lumsden (1996-97), who had 141 during her career. She is also seventh all-time in goalie minutes played at 2,708, surpassing Michelle Robinson (1992-93) at 2,550 minutes. Next on the list for Sebolao to catch is former teammate Erin Quinn (2011-14), 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 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 prior to the season opener.
 
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 Saint 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.
 
- TowsonTigers.com –