HEMPSTEAD N.Y. — The Towson University field hockey team will travel to face Hofstra on Friday, October 15 at 3 p.m. for its final road Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) contest of the season. The Tigers will go in search of their fourth overall win of the fall and second in conference this weekend.
RECORDS
Towson (3-10, 1-3)
Hofstra (5-9, 0-4)
Last Time Out
Towson split last weekend's competition after falling to James Madison, 4-1, on Friday and defeated William & Mary in overtime, 2-1, on Sunday.
An early goal from the Dukes' was answered by Kathryn Parkinson in the first quarter to keep Friday's contest tied going into halftime. JMU then scored three second half goals to solidify the victory. Goalkeeper Lena Vandam made 14 saves in the contest, her second highest single-game total this fall.
After a quiet first half on Sunday, Sarah Hatfield broke through against William & Mary in the 44th minute to get Towson on the board. However, less than five minutes into the fourth quarter, the Tribe tied the contest at 1-1 as they converted on their third penalty corner of the period. W&M kept the ball in Towson's defensive end for the majority of the 10:00 overtime period until Hannah McKeon stole the ball away in the Tigers' defensive circle with just over 2:00 to play. She took the ball all the way up the field, getting the William & Mary goalkeeper to come off her line and follow her on along the edge of the circle. As the keeper left the goal unattended, McKeon passed the ball to Parkinson at the top of the circle, who hit it in for the game winning goal in the 66th minute with just over a 1:38 left in bonus play.
BIG win
The victory marks the first for Towson over William & Mary since 2011, when they secured the 3-1 edge at Johnny Unitas Stadium. The victory also marks the first time the Tigers have defeated the Tribe on a water-based surface since 2010, when the black & gold came home with a 3-2 win from Williamsburg, Virginia.
After producing a 3-1 win over Northeastern in the spring of 2021 and Sunday's victory, Towson has now beaten a CAA foe in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2010-2011 slates.
The win also represents the first overtime victory for the team since 2019 when the Tigers beat Georgetown, 3-2 in double overtime.
In The Rankings
With 10 defensive saves through 13 games, Bubel paces both the conference and the NCAA in the stat. Paige Reese also currently sits at third in the league and is tied for 12th in the nation with three stops.
Vandam continues to remain a steady force in the net, leading the CAA with 129 total saves. She is the only keeper in the league to crack triple digits and leads her closest opposition by 55 stops. The graduate student's .796 save percentage bests the conference and ranks ninth in the nation. Vandam is averaging 9.92 saves per game to lead the league and rank second in the NCAA. With two shutouts, she is fourth in the category in the CAA.
Scouting The Pride
Hofstra has dropped its past five contests including losses to league opponents William & Mary, James Madison, Delaware and Drexel in addition to nonconference foe, Rider. Four of those five games have been decided by one goal.
Eline Oldeman and Mercedes Currie both lead their team with six goals. Oldeman also has two assists and 23 shots on goal. In net, Merlijin van der Vegt has played every second of the season in net for the Pride, making 69 saves on 176 shots faced. She has allowed 28 goals through 14 contests.
Towson is 10-28-1 all-time against Hofstra. The Tigers last beat the Pride in the 2011 regular season with a 3-0 win.
