When	Friday, Aug. 28, 2017 at UMBC Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017 vs. Loyola
Where	Retriever Soccer Park (Baltimore, Md.) Tiger Soccer Complex (Towson, Md.)
Time	7 p.m. 1 p.m.
Team Records	Towson (0-0-0) UMBC (0-0-0) Loyola (0-0-0)
Live Video	UMBCRetrievers.com Towson Sports Network
	TSN Play by Play: Ian Jett
Tickets	Friday: UMBCRetrievers.com Sunday: Free Admission
Series	Towson vs. UMBC: 8-7-0 Towson vs. Loyola: 2-12-2
Last Meeting: UMBC	Sept. 14, 2014 (Towson, Md.) Towson 2, UMBC 0
Last Meeting: Loyola	Sept. 13, 2015 (Emmittsburg, Md. - Mount St. Mary's) Towson 1, Loyola 0

TOWSON, Md. – Two local rivals mark the beginning of the 2017 season for the Towson University women's soccer team. The Tigers head around the I-695 Loop to UMBC for a match Friday night. Towson opens its home schedule Sunday afternoon against Loyola Maryland.
 
Friday's tilt is slated for a 7 p.m. start at the Retriever Soccer Park, while Sunday's match will begin at 1 p.m. at the Tiger Soccer Complex.
 
The Coverage
Both matches this week will feature live streaming video and live stats, in addition to updates on the team's official Twitter account, @Towson_WSoc. Links to follow the action can be found on TowsonTigers.com.
 
The Series: UMBC (6-10-1, 2-5-1 America East)
With roughly 20 miles between home venues, the Tigers and Retrievers will meet for the 16^th time in series history. Towson leads in the all-time matchups with an 8-7-0 record. It was a rough start to the series for the Tigers, who dropped the first six matches to the Retrievers between 1992 and 1995. But Towson has won six-straight matches and eight of the last nine meetings. UMBC has scored just three combined goals in the series since 2002. Towson won the last clash 2-0 at home on Sept. 14, 2014. The Tigers' last win at UMBC came on Sept. 9, 2011 with a 3-1 victory.
 
The Series: Loyola (7-5-4, 3-3-3 Patriot League)
If UMBC is close, Loyola is even closer. Less than six miles separate the home fields for the Tigers and Greyhounds. Loyola leads the all-time series 12-2-2 since the teams first met in 1992. The Tigers are looking to pick up back-to-back wins over the Greyhounds for the first time in series history after besting Loyola 1-0 at Mount St. Mary's during the second leg of the 2015 Battle of Baltimore. The series is even through the last five meetings at 2-2-1. The last three games have been decided by one goal. Towson is seeking its first win at home against Loyola since Aug. 20, 2011.
 
With a Win Friday…

• Towson would get its first season-opening win since knocking off Loyola 2-0 on Aug. 20, 2011.
• The Tigers would open the season with a road win for the first time since besting UMBC 5-1 on Aug. 31, 2007.
• Towson would pick up its seventh-straight win over UMBC, the longest winning streak in series history.
• The Tigers would get their fourth-straight win in the Battle of Baltimore after sweeping Mount St. Mary's and Loyola in 2015 and beating UMBC in the second leg during the 2014 season. 

With a Win Sunday…

• The Tigers would get a home-opening win for the first time since Sept. 28, 2012 as the Tigers knocked off former conference foe Old Dominion 3-1.
• Towson would upend Loyola at home for the first time since Aug. 20, 2011, a 2-0 victory.
• The Tigers would get wins over the Greyhounds for the first time in back-to-back meetings for the first time in series history.

The TSN Crew
All season long, home games for the Towson women's soccer program will be carried on the Towson Sports Network. This Sunday, Towson alumnus Ian Jett will have the call on the live and free video stream of the 1 p.m. matchup against Loyola.

Road Warriors
Towson will play nine games at the Tiger Soccer Complex this season, with another 10 games away from home. But the Tigers will navigate a challenging road stretch to start the season; four of the Tigers first five games are on the road, including trips south to Longwood (Farmville, Virginia) and East Carolina (Greenville, North Carolina). After Sunday's home opener against Loyola, the Tigers hit the road for three straight games at Longwood, East Carolina and Lehigh (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania).
 
New Faces
Twenty-eight names adorn the 2017 Towson women's soccer roster, but only five of them will be new to the program this fall: transfers Lexi Littlefield (Flordia Gulf Coast), Lexy Andrews (Loyola), Jen Balzan (UConn) and rookies Afton Kalkoske and Hannah Warner.
 
Opposite Sides of the Country
Two freshmen will join the Tigers in 2017 with Afton Kalkoske and Hannah Warner matriculating to Towson this fall. Despite sharing a class, the pair have an entire country between their hometowns. Warner hails from nearby Bel Air, Maryland, roughly 20 miles from campus. Kalkoske arrived in the Greater Baltimore area from La Quinta, California, some 2,600 miles from Towson University.
 
Fresh Start
The 2016 season came to a frustrating end for the Tigers; Towson dropped one-goal decisions three of its final five games, just missing the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament. With 23 of the 28 student-athletes on the roster coming back from last season, Towson will look to capitalize on the depth of experience for a playoff push in 2017.
 
Fifth Time's a Charm
Redshirt senior Taylor Sebolao is back for her fifth season at Towson. After backing up venerable veteran Erin Quinn for two seasons, Sebolao has been the Tigers' starter since the 2015 campaign. Since then, she has racked up over 3,300 minutes, 215 saves and 11 shutouts. She is currently seventh in career minutes (3,324), eighth in saves and third in shutouts.
 
The 26^th Season
Friday's game marks the opening for the 26^th season in Towson women's soccer history. The team opened varsity competition on Sept. 9, 1992 against Loyola. The Tigers' first ever home game was on Sept. 13, 1992 against UMBC. Since then, the Tigers have competed in three different conferences, the Big South, the America East and now in the CAA.
 
Free Clinic: Monday, Oct. 9
Looking for something to do with the kids on Monday, Oct. 9 while schools are out? Fear not! Towson women's soccer has the solution.
 
On Columbus Day, the Tigers will host a free youth clinic for kids from kindergarten to eighth grade. The clinic will be held at the Tiger Soccer Complex from 9 a.m. until noon.
 
How much is the youth clinic? It's FREE to those who attend a home game between Sunday, Aug. 20 and Oct. 5. That's eight chances to register with Towson's fan development at all the Tigers' home games.
 
Can't make it to a game but still want to attend? The Tigers are asking a $10 donation to the program in lieu of attendance at any game this season.

- TowsonTigers.com –