TOWSON, Md. -- The second half of the Towson University women's soccer season is set to begin as the Tigers enter Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) action this week with a pair of league games.

The Tigers dive right in as they open the conference schedule with defending CAA Champion Hofstra Thursday night in Hempstead, New York. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Hofstra Soccer Complex.

On Sunday, Towson plays its first CAA game at home with a 1 p.m. showdown against William & Mary at the Tiger Soccer Complex.

Both matches will have live audio and video, free of charge, as well as live stats. Links for all the action can be found on women's soccer schedule page of TowsonTigers.com.

Last Time Out
The Tigers wrapped up a three-game week on Sunday with a nonconference finale against the University of Pennsylvania. It was an even match throughout, but the Quakers scored early in the second half to produce the game's lone goal. Both sides took 14 shots, while Towson keeper Megan Collins made four saves.

The Series: Hofstra (Hofstra Leads 20-3-1)
Long-time league adversaries, the Tigers and Pride will be meeting for the 25th time in a series that dates back to 1995. Hofstra has won the last seven matches, including a 3-0 decision at the Tiger Soccer Complex last season. Towson is hunting its first win over the Pride since a 3-2 victory at home on Oct. 7, 2011. The Tigers are looking for their first win on Long Island over the Pride since 3-0 win on Nov. 2, 1996.

The Series: William & Mary (William & Mary Leads 12-2-2)
League foes since Towson joined the CAA in 2002, the Tigers and Tribe will meet for the 16th time. William & Mary leads the series 12-2-2 after a 3-1 decision in Williamsburg last season. Despite the overall record, the teams have split their last four meetings, including a 2-1 Tiger win at Daly Field in 2016, the program's first victory over the Tribe in Williamsburg.

Scouting the Tigers (3-6-1)
The Tigers stumbled on Sunday against Penn, falling 1-0, but have played strong soccer in the back half on non-league action. Towson has won three of its last four matches, scoring multiple goals in those victories. Junior Justine Stoner leads Towson's offense with 11 points (5g, 1a) while Nikki Logan (1g, 2a) and Evelyn Neidert (2g) are tied for second with four points apiece. Towson's offense is nothing if not versatile as 11 different Tigers have contributed at least one point this season. Eight of those players have multiple points. The Tigers have been more aggressive on offense this season, nearly totaling last season's offensive production (14 goals) through the first 11 games. Megan Collins has logged all 945 minutes to date in 2018. She has stopped 43 opponent shots and lowered her goals against average to 1.71.

Scouting the Pride (6-3-0)
Hofstra enters Thursday's match with a 6-3-0 overall record in nonconference action. The Pride are coming off a pair of shutout wins over New York foes Columbia (2-0) and Stony Brook (1-0). Hofstra's offense is led by Jenn Buoncore (2g, 4a) with eight points. She is the team's assist leader while sitting in a four-way tie for first in goals scored. Jordan Littleboy, the CAA Rookie of the Week, is second in points with five on one goal and three assists. In net, Hofstra has split time between Ashley Wilson (577 minutes) and Jenna Borresen (270 minutes). The latter picked up the two clean sheet wins last week. To date, she has made six saves and enters with a goals against average of 0.33.

Scouting the Tribe (3-5-0)
William & Mary enters the week with a 3-5-0 overall record and will play a pair of road matches to begin CAA action. The Tribe head to the College of Charleston Thursday night for a 7 p.m. match with the Cougars. WIlliam & Mary has dropped its last two contests, falling on the road 2-0 at Texas A&M on Sept. 9 before dropping a 1-0 decision at in-state foe VCU on Sunday. Sarah Segan (2g, 1a) leads the Tribe's offense with five points, just ahead of Alex Kuhnle (2g) and her four points. Like Hofstra, the Tribe has split time in goal between Katelyn Briguglio (546 minutes) and Sara Vigen (180 minutes). Briguglio made the start against VCU and has made 32 saves to date at a .762 clip.

NewDay USA Female Student-Athlete of the Week
After a five-point, two goal, one assist week, junior midfielder Justine Stoner was selected as the NewDay USA Female Student-Athlete of the Week on TowsonTigers.com. Stoner led Towson last week, providing two game-tying goals and a game-winning assist en route to a 2-1-0 week.

Something New
In the Tigers 17 year relationship with the CAA, Towson has never played Hofstra and William & Mary in consecutive matches. On several occasions, the Tigers have played the two teams with another opponent in between, but never in consecutive contests.

It's Been Nice to Be Home
Thursday's match will be the first time in September 2018 the Tigers will leave the Greater Baltimore area for a contest. The Tigers' farthest road game this month was a quick trip around I-695 to UMBC for a 2-1 win in Catonsville. Towson's last trip out of the 410 area code was at Bucknell on Aug. 31. The first month of the season was the opposite of this month as Towson played four of its first five games away from home.

CAA Openers
Towson begins its 17th season as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) on Thursday with a showdown on The Island. All-time in CAA openers, the Tigers are 3-12-1. The Tigers will be looking for their first CAA opening victory since beating VCU 1-0 to open 2009 league action. The Tigers meet the Pride for their first conference game of the season since the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

You CAN Go Home Again
Four Tigers call the state of New York home when they're not in Tigertown: Emma Burnett (Pearl River), Jen Balzan (Stony Brook), Alexis Toles (Garden City) and Jenna Blank (Holbrook). All four Tigers' hometowns are within 60 miles of Hempstead, New York. Burnett resides the farthest away at 46 miles, Balzan is 38 miles away while Blank is 35 miles from Hofstra. Expect plenty of #26 jerseys in the stands Thursday night as Toles' hometown of Garden City is a quick two-mile jog from Hempstead.

Challenge Yourself
It's no secret that in any sport, the CAA is a challenging and grinding conference. What better way to prepare for the league than with a challenging nonconference schedule? The NCAA Released the first Rankings Percentage Index (RPI) of the season this week. Through its first 11 games, Towson played three opponents with an RPI in the top third of all Division I. Two of those foes, USF (23) and Penn (85) are among the top 100 programs in the nation, according to the release. The Tigers fell to both top 100 teams by one goal in each game, including an overtime match at USF to open the season. USF was ranked 18th in the most recent United Soccer Coaches top 25

Greater Baltimore's College Team
Over the last decade, the Tigers have controlled women's soccer in the Greater Baltimore Area. In the last 10 years, Towson has racked up an 8-3-2 overall record against Baltimore foes Loyola and UMBC. Towson has played at least one of the other schools every year dating back to the 2009 campaign.

Tigers in the Community
On Saturday, members of the Towson University women's soccer team visited the Aigburth Manor Block Party to play soccer with neighborhood children and meet members of the area. The Tigers were joined by members of the University's Civic Engagement & Social Responsibility organization as well.