TOWSON, Md. – The 2019 field hockey season opens Friday afternoon for the Towson University squad with a 3 p.m. game against Appalachian State. The Tigers hosts the Mountaineers at the TU Field Hockey Complex, located behind the Towson Softball Field to kick off the first full season on the new field.
The game will be streamed by the Towson Sports Network with Rashad Christian on the call and former Tiger
Katie McNeel on color commentary. Streaming and live stats links can be found on the field hockey schedule page.
New Year, New Field
Last October, Towson University and the athletic department celebrated the opening of the TU Field Hockey Complex, part of the fields project initiated by TU President Kim Schatzel and Director of Athletics
Tim Leonard. This season will be the first full season to be played on the new water-based turf field and the Tigers will host 11 home games in 2019.
2019 Tigers
In her third year at the helm, head coach
E.A. Jackson has a squad full of returners and new talent. With 13 freshmen, including a rookie goalkeeper, 13 returning players and two transfers, the roster has new faces along with several returning starters.
Abby Webster,
Beira Ho,
Kendra Sykes,
Kasey Bubel,
Nathalie Tortolero,
Jenna Florenzo and
Gretchen Alderfer all scored for Towson last season and will play in Black and Gold this year.
Scouting App State
The Mountaineers were voted to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) after a 7-14 year in 2018. App State is returning 12 upperclassmen, including the two leading scorers; Veerle Van Heertum who led the team in scoring with 11 goals and five assists, and Fredi Stegen who finished second on the team in goals with seven, and led the team in assists with nine. There are seven freshmen on the roster.
Series History
This is the second consecutive year that Towson and Appalachian State face off for the season opener. The Tigers hold the series lead 5-2 but have lost the last two meetings. Last August the Mountaineers took a 2-0 win and a 2-1 victory in 2014
Tigers in the Community
The Towson University athletics department deems community service as one of its highest priorities to give back to the Greater Baltimore area. For the seventh consecutive year, the department exceeded 10,000 hours of community service to the Greater Baltimore region, finishing with 11,162 hours of community service in the 2018-19 academic season. Towson ranked No. 1 nationally for community service and won the 2018 National Championship for Community Service through the Helper Helper NCAA Team Works Competition. Towson had a 97% participation rate, attended 118 community service opportunities and volunteered with 19 organizations. Towson won the 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award from Susan G. Komen of Maryland.
Looking Ahead
Following Friday's game, the Tigers travel for two straight. Next Friday, Sept. 6 Towson faces Lehigh at 5 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 8 holds a 1 p.m. game at Colgate.
