TOWSON, Md. – The #15/#16 Towson University women's lacrosse team will open Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) North Division play against #14/#12 Drexel on Tuesday evening at Tiger Field. First draw is 6 p.m. The game will be streamed on Towson Sports Network with Ben Rosenbaum on the call.
 
This is the third game that Towson has faced a ranked opponent this season. The Tigers defeated then #8/#10 Loyola 13-7 on February 24 and dropped a hard-fought 10-8 decision to then #5/#8 Stony Brook on March 7.
 
Towson (8-2) has been ranked in the IWLCA Division I Coaches and Women's Division I Inside Lacrosse Media Top 20 polls since knocking off Loyola.
 
Drexel (9-1) brings a high-powered offense to Baltimore, with three players averaging more than a hat trick. The Dragons are tied for fifth in the nation, scoring 16.9 goals per game.
 
The Tigers are seventh in the country in scoring defense, holding opponents to 8.6 goals per game. Towson has held five opponents to less than 10 goals this season. Twice this season, the Tigers have held opponents scoreless for more than 35 minutes in a game- Loyola (February 24) and George Mason (April 4).
 
Towson is getting balance on offense with 16 players scoring at least one goal. Blair Pearre (36g, 3a), Nikki Sliwak (21g, 10a) and Lindsey Marshall (21g, 8a) are leading the way. Marshall and Pearre have also combined to control 97 draws.
 
Towson leads the all-time series between the two teams, 36-3, including 7-2 under Sonia LaMonica. However, five of the nine games have been decided by one or two goals, including the last meeting in 2019.
 
DAZZLING D
Starting defenders Sami Chenoweth, Rayna Deltuva, Erin Williams and Natalie Miller as well as defensive midfielder Olivia Malamphy and top reserve Gabby Biondi have scooped up 72 groundballs and caused 61 turnovers. In the win over Loyola, Chenoweth held All-American attacker Livy Rosenzweig to two assists. Against Stony Brook, Williams held All-American attacker Tayrn Ohlmiller to one assist.
 
CLEARING WITH CONFIDENCE
Towson has converted 193-of-208 clears (92.8%) this season, fourth best among all D1 teams.
 
TEWAARATON WATCH LIST
Towson has two players named to the Tewaaraton Watch List. Since 2001, the Tewaaraton Award has been awarded to the most outstanding American college lacrosse men's and women's players. On March 11, midfielder Blair Pearre was one of 57 players named. On April 2, All-American defender Sami Chenoweth was one of nine players added. The field will be narrowed to 25 nominees on April 23.
 
THE RECORD HOLDER
Sami Chenoweth has caused 21 turnovers this season, increasing her school and CAA record to 172. With 16 groundballs, the Manchester Valley product has moved into 8th place on the all-time list. She recorded her first two points of her career with assists versus Loyola and George Mason.
 
SCORING IN BUNCHES
Blair Pearre scored a career-best seven goals, on just seven shots, in a win over William & Mary. The sophomore has scored at least two goals in 15 of 16 games at the collegiate level, including all 10 games this season. The former Under Armour All-American leads Towson in goals (36), points (39) and groundballs (19) and ranks second in draw controls (40).
 
FRESHMAN SENSATION
Lindsey Marshall has been impressive with 29 points (21g, 8a) and 57 draw controls this season. The Catonsville graduate has four hat tricks, including a career-high five goals versus Georgetown. The midfielder won a season-best 10 draw controls against William & Mary and has won at least five draws on seven occasions.
 
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Talented transfers Natalie Miller (Maryland), Nikki Sliwak (Maryland) and Olivia Malamphy (Boston College) have made an immediate impact this season. Sliwak ranks second in scoring with 31 points (21g, 10a). The attacker scored a career-high five goals against William & Mary and handed out a career-best four assists in the first George Mason game. She has scored a goal in all 10 games. Miller, a starting defender, ranks second on the team with 10 caused turnovers, has picked up 11 groundballs and added an assist. Malamphy, Towson's defensive midfielder, is third on the team in both groundballs (145 and caused turnovers (10) and ranks fourth in draw controls.
 
ROCK SOLID IN THE CAGE
Carly Merlo ranks ninth nationally in goals-against average (8.98) and is 11^th in save percentage (.500). The sophomore allowed just 19 goals and made 28 saves in wins over The Mount (10-7), UMBC (12-5) and Loyola (13-7). Freshman Lindsay Posner has a 6.68 GAA and .476 save percentage in five appearances.
 
MISS CONSISTENCY
Kaitlin Thornton has multiple points in five games this season. The senior, who has 116 career points (83g, 33a), has produced multiple points in 35 of 53 games in a Towson uniform.
 
STACKING GOALS
Shelby Stack scored her 50th career goal one minute into the season at Mount St. Mary's. She added tallies in six other games and has scored at least one goal in 27 of the last 32 games, dating back to 2019.
 
125 & COUNTING
Sonia LaMonica picked up her 125th victory as a head coach when Towson beat George Mason on April 4. The 8-2 start has improved her record at Towson to 118-69 (.631). In her 10 previous seasons, the Tigers have won four Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) tournament titles and earned spots in the NCAA Tournament six times.
 
SPEED DEMONS
So far this season, 15 players have been clocked at speeds of at least 17 miles per hour during a game. Olivia Malamphy, Nicole Liucci, Blair Pearre, Rayna Deltuva, Kaitlin Thornton, Lindsey Marshall, Erin Williams, Natalie Miller, Kerri Liucci, Julia Porter, Molly Lynch, Shelby Stack, Nikki Sliwak, Sami Chenoweth and Kerri Thornton have reached the number. Malamphy has been the fastest player three times with speeds of 17.80 (The Mount), 17.46 (UMBC) and 18.35 (Loyola). Nicole Liucci had the best time in the first George Mason game (17.68). Deltuva was the fastest versus Stony Brook (17.92). Porter had the top time against Temple (17.82). Pearre led the team versus Georgetown (18.04). Miller had the top time against St. Joe's (17.96). Chenoweth had the best time in the second George Mason game (17.84). Kaitlin Thornton was the fastest against William & Mary (17.68).
 
AWARD WINNERS
Towson has received four Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Player of the Week honors in the first eight weeks of the season. Sophomore Olivia Malamphy was named Defender of the Week on February 16. Freshman midfielder Lindsey Marshall has earned CAA Rookie of the Week honors on March 2 and March 23. Junior Erin Williams was named Defender of the Week on March 16. 
 
PRESEASON PICKS
All-American defender Sami Chenoweth and midfielders Blair Pearre and Shelby Stack were selected Preseason All-CAA by the league coaches. Chenoweth was named Third Team preseason All-American by Inside Lacrosse.
 
CAA CHANGES 
Due to April 1 announcement that the Delaware women's lacrosse program has suspended its season because of COVID-19 violations, the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) has adjusted the 2021 conference schedule. Towson, which was scheduled to play Delaware on March 27 and May 1, will now face Drexel at home on Tuesday, April 13 at 6 p.m. and head to Long Island to take on Hofstra. The date of that game will be determined later.
 
The CAA is using a divisional format this season to reduce travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Towson is in the North Division with Hofstra, Drexel and Delaware. The Tigers were picked to finish second in the division, behind Hofstra.  Five teams – the top two in each division plus one at-large selection – will advance to the league tournament hosted by James Madison on May 7 and 9.
 
SISTER, SISTER, SISTER, SISTER   
Towson's roster includes four sets of sisters: Kaitlin and Kerri Thornton and three sets of twins – seniors Hannah and Madison Hobbes, juniors Kerri and Nicole Liucci and freshman Paige and Paiton Abbott. 
 
WARD MELVILLE SOUTH 
The Thornton, Hobbes and Liucci sisters all played at Ward Melville High School on Long Island during a five-year stretch between 2014-2018. The six have combined for 36 goals and seven assists so far this season.
 
ROSTER MAKEUP
Eighteen student-athletes on the 2021 roster are from the Baltimore metropolitan area. Seven played in the powerful IAAM A Conference, five are from Carroll County schools, four played for Baltimore County programs with Howard County and Kent County being represented by one player each. Twelve of the other 17 are from New York, including eight from Long Island.
 
FAMILIAR FACES
Several members of the Towson lacrosse program have connections with the Drexel team. Dragons assistant coach Kelsea Donnelly was a three-year starter at goalie for Sonia LaMonica (2013-15) at Towson and ranks 10th on the all-time saves list. She was a two-time All-CAA selection and spent the 2016 season as an assistant. Towson's Kamryn McNeal and Drexel's Rachel Warden were teammates at Garnet Valley.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
The brothers of Olivia Malamphy and Lindsay Posner are teammates at Salisbury, the No. 2 ranked team in Division III. Brett Malamphy is an All-American faceoff specialist, while Logan Posner runs first midfield for the Sea Gulls.
 
NEW HOME VENUE
The Towson University women's lacrosse team is playing in the newly-renovated Tiger Field. A new grandstand and press box were completed last summer. The facility also has all-new lighting, allowing for night games. The lights include the MUSCO Show-Light package for programmed light shows and effects. Tiger Field is part of the Lower Fields Complex, which also includes two practice facilities.
 
FINAL FOUR
The Tigers' former home, Johnny Unitas® Stadium, will be the home for the NCAA Division I 2021 Final Four. The semi-finals are scheduled to be played May 28 with the national championship two days later. Unitas Stadium previously hosted the Final Four in 208, 2009, 2010 and 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. Towson was on track to have its 8th consecutive year of over 10,000 hours of community service in 2019-20 before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all activity.  Towson finished with 7,527 hours last year, good for third in the NCAA Teamworks HelperHelper competition. Towson ranked #1 nationally for community service and won the 2018 National Championship for Community Service through the HelperHelper NCAA Team Works Competition.  Towson also won the 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award from Susan G. Komen of Maryland.