TOWSON, Md. – This weekend the Towson University field hockey team is set to play in two contests, one home on Friday against La Salle and a Sunday road game at Long Island University.
 
Friday's game is set for a 2 p.m. start at the TU Field Hockey Complex. Admission is free and the Tigers will be celebrating staff appreciation. Towson's Women Faculty & Staff Association will be present with a tailgate and social networking event. The team will also host post-game knockerball for anyone who would like to participate. There will also be a sports bra collection at the gate in conjunction with The Sports Bra Project.
 
The game against La Salle will be broadcasted on the Towson Sports Network with Brandon Sacks on the call and Katie McNeel on color commentary. Live stats will also be available. Links for streaming both games this weekend can be found on the schedule page for field hockey at TowsonTigers.com.
 
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Towson (0-5) is coming off a 7-0 loss to American in College Park on Sunday. The Tigers are led by freshman Georgia Beachley with two goals and one assist. Fellow rookie Samantha Aljets leads the team in assists with two, while goalkeeper Tess Okkerse holds it down in the net with 38 saves this season. Sophomore Kasey Bubel has recorded two defensive saves in 2019 to lead the group including one against the Eagles on Sunday.
 
SCOUTING THE EXPLORERS
La Salle (3-2) is coming off a victory over LIU which ended in a shootout and final score of 3-2. The other wins this season came over Wagner and Sacred Heart. Leading the Explorers is Rialee Allen with four goals and one assist. Amanda Chapin and Regan Dougherty lead the roster in assists with two apiece. Sophomore goalie Cassie Kincaid has started all five games this season and grabbed 19 saves with a goals allowed average of 1.28 per game.
 
LA SALLE SERIES
Towson has won eight of the last eleven meetings with La Salle and holds a 19-9 series lead. In the last meeting in 2017 the Explorers hosted and took a 4-1 win. Kendra Sykes got a shot against La Salle while Katie McNeel scored the Tigers' goal. The last time Towson hosted the Explorers was in 2016 and the home team was victorious 2-1.

SCOUTING THE SHARKS
This is LIU's first season as a field hockey team after LIU Brooklyn and LIU Post combined into one college. The Sharks (0-4) have fallen to Longwood, VCU and William & Mary before losing to La Salle last weekend. Three players have scored one goal each this season, led by Sammy Bell with one goal and one assist for three points. Junior Rachel Vellis is the LIU goalkeeper, she has 27 saves on the season with 71 shots faced.
 
FAMILIAR BUT NEW OPPONENT
The last three seasons Towson has faced LIU Brooklyn and won all three games, but this will mark the first meeting between the Tigers and the Sharks.
 
TIGERS IN CONFERENCE STATS
Three weekends stand in the way of the first game of Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play. Sophomore Kasey Bubel is currently leading the conference in defensive saves with two. Freshman Sam Aljets is eighth in the league in assists with two. Tess Okkerse is seventh among goalies in saves total with 38 and she is second in the CAA in saves per game with 7.60 on average.
 
KICK OFF FAMILY WEEKEND
Friday's game at home is part of Family Weekend at Towson University. Admission is free for all fans and parking is open in Lot 20 beginning one hour before the game. Following this weekend the Tigers are home for both games next weekend starting Friday, Sept. 27 against Rider.

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.