TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University field hockey team finally returns home after two weeks away, hosting No. 18 Delaware Friday and Drexel Sunday.
 
Last Time Out
The Tigers are coming off a tough 2-1 loss to Georgetown on Sunday on the road. For the first time since Sept. 30 Towson had at least five shots, and Jenna Florenzo scored her first goal of the season, but the road team was unable to keep the Hoyas from sealing the win. Georgetown had 15 corners while the Tigers had just one, but the defense held out to keep several opportunities the home team had from turning into goals.
 
Scouting the Tigers
Towson enters the week with a 1-13 record but a 1-3 mark at home, after four consecutive road games. The Tigers have an opportunity to even out the record at Johnny Unitas Stadium before changing to a new field. Senior Katie McNeel continues to lead the offense with six goals, ranking ninth in the conference leaders in goals, while seven other players have one goal each. Beira Ho and Kerri Thornton both have two assists each and again several Towson players have one assist, as the team works on a collective effort offensively. Freshman goalkeeper Mackenzie Peacock has spent the most time in the net but fellow rookie Ashleigh Bathras also saw time guarding the goal last week at American. Out of 80 goalies ranked in NCAA statistics, Peacock is No. 19 in saves per game averaging 6.08.
 
The Series: Delaware Leads (27-5)
Friday's game is the first time Delaware and Towson have met since 2016. In 2017 the Tigers traveled to face the Blue Hens and had several players fall ill in the morning of the game, forcing the game to be cancelled. The 2016 game ended in a Delaware win, 7-0, with two players scoring two goals apiece and the home team taking 14 penalty corners to Towson's 0.
 
Scouting the Blue Hens
The Tigers' closest opponent comes to town ranked No. 18 in the NFHCA Coaches Poll with an 8-6 record and undefeated in the conference. The Blue Hens have taken down American and Richmond and No. 20 Virginia in shutout style. Leading the offense is Lotte de Koning with eight goals and three assists while Greta Nauck has six in each category. Delaware's defense is strong, allowing just 1.71 goals per game, with Sydney Rhodes in the net and a .683 save percentage.
 
The Series: Drexel Leads (24-8-4)
Sunday will be the 37th meeting between Towson and Drexel, the last of which ended in a Dragon win 3-1 in Philadelphia. Both teams entered halftime scoreless and with 11 total shots between the two squads, but the second period began with the home team taking a 3-0 lead in 17 minutes of time. Paige Zaleppa scored the lone goal for the road team in the 59th minute but the Tigers were unable to break the defense further.
 
Scouting the Dragons
Drexel is currently 7-7 with a 0-2 record in the CAA. The Dragons have lost to both Delaware and James Madison and before they come to town they will face William & Mary. Tess Bernheimer leads the offense with nine goals and has contributed two assists. There are 13 total Dragons with at least one goal this season and Megan Weist leads the assist category with four. Drexel has tried three different players between the posts, Erin Gilchrist, Kathryn Boyce and Alexis Sokach have amassed 995 minutes in the goal and a combined save percentage of .655.
 
Determining the CAA Tournament
This weekend will shake out the halves of the CAA heading into the last week of the regular season. The current conference standings are: William & Mary, Delaware, Northeastern, James Madison, Hofstra, Drexel and Towson. The results of all games this weekend will paint a more clear picture of what teams will be playing in the CAA Championship in two weeks.
 
Opening a New Home
The Towson field hockey complex is nearing completion as the turf was rolled out this week and more set up continues. Next Sunday is the Tigers' Senior Day and there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony as the team celebrates its new field being complete.
 
The Sports Bra Project
With three home games remaining, fans are reminded that Towson is participating in a collection of new sports bras all season to go to young women in the area who want to play in after school sport organizations and need proper equipment. There will be collection bins at the entrance of Johnny Unitas Stadium on Friday and Sunday for fans to contribute.