Kicking Off

After a bye day on Thursday, the Tigers officially open CAA play for the 16th time since joining the league in 2002. Towson will begin conference action with a familiar foe in Delaware, a team the Tigers have played more often than any other.

Scouting the Tigers
After a scoreless week last week against Temple and No. 18 Georgetown, Towson continues to be led by junior forward McKenzie McCaull (2g, 3a) in the points column. Senior midfielder Maddie Bové (2g, 2a) ranks second with six points and the team lead in shots (19). Junior midfielder/forward Sarah Quick is third with four points on two goals. Towson's defense has been strong this season, forcing opponents into sub-par shots. Towson's foes have taken a combined 160 shots, but only 68 have been on goal. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Taylor Sebolao has stopped 56 of those 68 shots as Towson leads the CAA in saves per game (5.18). 

The Series: Delaware (3-5-2, 0-1-0 CAA)
Roughly 90 miles of Interstate 95 separate the Towson Tigers and longtime rival Delaware. The two programs first clashed in the Tigers' inaugural season, 1992, and have met at least once a year since the 1995 season. Delaware leads the all-time series 13-9-2, but Towson is unbeaten in the last three meetings (2-0-1). The Tigers won last season's meeting 1-0 at the Tiger Soccer Complex. Sunday's game marks the first time since 1998 and 1999 the Tigers will host the Blue Hens in back-to-back meetings. The Sunday afternoon tilt will be the first-ever meeting between Towson's head coach Greg Paynter and Delaware's Mike Barroqueiro, the program's second-ever head coach.

Towson-Delaware By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson 9-13-2
at Towson 5-5-1
at Delaware 3-8-1
at Neutral Sites 1-0-0
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting Oct. 3, 1992
Delaware 1, Towson 0
Last Meeting Sept. 30, 2016
Towson 1, Delaware 0
Streak Towson +2-0-1

Last Time Out vs. Delaware
In true Towson style, the Tigers knocked off Delaware 1-0 to stay unbeaten in their last three meetings with the Blue Hens. Graduates Natalia Pinkney and Emily Marshall connected with a 12th minute goal and assist, respectively, to lift Towson to victory. Current redshirt senior Taylor Sebolao made five saves en route to the shutout. Her defense limited Delaware to 11 shots, less than half of which fell on goal.

With a Win Sunday
- Towson would halt a five-game winless streak, dating back to a 1-0 win on the road at Lehigh.
- Towson would snap a four-game dry spell at home, with the Tigers' lone home victory coming on Aug. 20 against Loyola.
- The Tigers would extend their unbeaten streak over the Blue Hens to four games.
- Towson would win back-to-back home games against Delaware for the first time since the 2007 and 2009 meetings.
- The Tigers would win back-to-back meetings against Delaware at home for the first time in series history.

Piling Up the Minutes
Through the NCAA's Stats updates on Sept. 20, the Towson Tigers have racked up the 10th-most amount of minutes this season with 962:15. Of the nine teams ahead of Towson in total team minutes, six have played one more game, accounting for at least 90 extra minutes. Towson has played more minutes than any other team in the CAA.

Conference History
Nonconference season is good for a team to learn a lot about its makeup and composure. But now those games are past and it's all CAA action from now until early November. The Tigers begin their 16th season in the CAA after spending seven seasons in the America East (1995-2001) and the Big South Conference (1993-94). Sunday's foe, Delaware, has been right along side the Tigers since the America East days, along with Hofstra.

A Familiar Foe at an Unfamiliar Time
Towson has squared off with no other program more frequently than Delaware. Sunday's match is the 25th meeting since 1992. Despite that, the Tigers have only opened conference play against the Blue Hens three times and haven't done so since the 2013 campaign. The Tigers are hunting their first conference opening victory over the Blue Hens in series history.

In addition to getting the Hens early in league play, September 24 is the earliest in the calendar the Tigers have played Delaware since Sept. 21, 2012. Towson is 2-4-0 against Delaware in the month of September, but won last season's clash 1-0 on the final day of the month.

Conference Time Means New Slate
Sunday opens CAA play for the Tigers for a 16th time. Since joining the league in 2002, the Tigers are 3-11-1 in the first CAA game of the season. However, Towson is 3-4-0 when the first CAA game of the year takes place at home. Towson is hunting its first CAA opening win since the 2009 campaign when it topped for conference foe VCU 1-0 at home.

Long Way From Home
On Aug. 24 at Longwood, junior midfielder/forward Sarah Quick scored the first goal of her Tiger career, depositing what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 66th minute. Quick's hometown of Sarasota, Florida is 1,014 miles from campus, marking the second-longest distance a Tiger has traveled from her hometown to score a goal. Gabby Scricia, who listed her hometown as Jupiter, Florida, scored twice in 2014. Jupiter is just 20 miles further away from Towson University's campus than Sarasota.

However, Quick now has the distinction of being the Tiger from farthest away to score a game-winning goal, edging out fellow Floridian Evelyn Neidert (Lake Mary), whose hometown is 893 miles from campus. The latter had her first career game-winner on Aug. 20 in the 1-0 home-opening win against Loyola.

Movin' On Up
Redshirt senior goalie Taylor Sebolao has turned aside 56 shots in 2017. Throughout her career, Sebolao has made 274 saves, which currently ranks her sixth all-time in program history. She trails Jocelyn Papciak's 308 for fourth all-time. Last week, Sebolao made 14 saves in two games to surpass Michelle Robinon's mark of 257.

We Have That in Common(wealth)
The Aug. 31 game in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania marked the second game the Tigers played in one of the country's four Commonwealths after playing in Farmville, Virginia the previous weekend at Longwood. The final Commonwealth will be an Oct. 19 game at Northeastern in Boston, Massachusetts. The only Commonwealth the Tigers will not play in this season is Kentucky.

Opposite Sides of the Country
Two freshmen joined 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.

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.