ELON, N.C. – The Towson University women's soccer team earned an important 1-0 road victory over Elon, the defending Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) champion, on Sunday afternoon.
Towson (7-4-2, 2-2 CAA) took the lead on a
Jasmine Hamid penalty kick conversion in the 54
th minute against Elon (6-5-1, 1-2-1 CAA). Towson held the rest of the way, including
Riley Melendez making three saves in the final 10 minutes, to earn the shutout win.
Key Stats:
- Towson outshot Elon in the game 12-9, including an 8-5 edge in the first half.
- Jasmine Hamid earned her third goal of the season and her first score on a penalty kick. Nia Christopher tied for the lead for all players with four shots.
- In goal, Riley Melendez (7-4-2) earned the shutout victory with three saves in net. Towson also had a team save from Sydney Cradle in the first half.
- For Elon, Makenzie DePriest-Kessler had four total shots, putting two on goal. McKenna Dalfonso (6-4-1) had the loss in goal with one save.
Postgame Quote:
- Towson head coach Katherine Vettori: "Thrilled with another shutout victory, great to get a win against the defending CAA champion. We kept things tight defensively, Riley Melendez played a great game. Nia Christopher had a great setup to draw the foul for the penalty kick, and Jasmine Hamid earned the finish."
How It Happened:
- Towson got the early push as the Tigers attacked with the front line. Nia Christopher got close with a couple of early shots, including one saved by a sliding keeper in the second minute. Minutes later, Elon got a corner kick chance, with the resulting shot by Kennedy Jones missing high above the crossbar.
- In the 19th minute as Towson looked to clear, Carson Jones got the ball in a 1-on-2 chance. Her shot got past the keeper, but Sydney Cradle backed up in the box to stop the shot, preventing the potential goal.
- Towson put in substitutes in the 29th minute and immediately put pressure on, forcing the ball in its offensive third twice. Jenna Blank sent a shot towards the net, missing wide in the 31st minute.
- A shot by Alexandra Rush was blocked by an Elon handball outside the ball for a yellow card in the 38th minute. Christopher went for the goal on the free kick, missing high. The two sides went into the break tied at zero.
- Towson got its best chance in the 54th minute after a foul on Elon resulted in a penalty kick for the Tigers. Jasmine Hamid buried the shot on the right side of the net to put Towson ahead 1-0.
- Play went back and forth in the midfield as the Tigers looked to hold their advantage. Into the 69th minute, Towson had a chance to get insurance on a couple of corner kicks, but the lone chance went wide right.
- Elon kept the ball near the box in the 80th minute as Makenzie DePriest-Kessler hit a ground ball shot from outside the box. Riley Melendez dove towards the left post and made the save. The resulting corner kick did not result in a shot as Towson held the lead.
- The home team kept the pressure going trying to equalize, with Melendez holding. A diving save on a long range shot by Kayla Hodges, then another high arc shot and save minutes later in the 86th minute, kept Towson in the lead. Towson held off the final attack and earned the 1-0 victory.
Inside the Numbers
- Towson has not allowed a goal in regulation time in its last three games, all in league play.
- Seven victories in 2021 matches the most amount in one season since the Tigers won eight games in 2013. Towson finished with seven victories during the 2015 campaign.
- Jasmine Hamid earned her first game-winning goal in conference play, having the game-winner vs. Temple on Sept. 2.
Next Game:
Towson returns home for its next two games, starting with a Thursday night contest vs. James Madison on Oct. 14 at 7 p.m.
- TowsonTigers.com –
