HARRISONBURG, Va. – The #15/#16 Towson University women's lacrosse team outscored James Madison by a 9-3 margin in the second half, but it was not enough to overcome an eight-goal halftime deficit. The Tigers drop a 14-12 decision to the Dukes at Sentara Park on Sunday afternoon.
 
It was the second straight loss for the Tigers, who were defeated by #14/#12 Drexel earlier in the week. Towson trailed 10-2 at halftime on Tuesday night.
 
"It felt like déjà vu. Unfortunately, it was a similar tale, we are struggling in the first half," said Towson head coach Sonia LaMonica. "We are lacking intensity and fire when we are stepping out on the field. It is very evident. We have to come out hungrier. I have to challenge this squad to step up and play a full 60 minutes."
 
Trailing 12-3 less than four minutes into the second half, Towson scored nine of the final 11 goals of the game, including four from Blair Pearre. The sophomore added five groundballs and a team-best five draw controls.
 
Kaitlin Thornton had a second half hat trick and finished with a season-high four goals. Lindsey Marshall (2g, 2a) and Nikki Sliwak (3a) also had multiple point games.
 
Kacey Knobloch scored four goals to lead James Madison.
 
The defense held JMU to two goals over the final 26:34 of the game. All-American defender Sami Chenoweth scooped up a career-best seven groundballs and caused three turnovers.
 
"We switched to a zone defense in the second half and our defense really did a great job," added LaMonica. "That is very promising because it is a set we can now use moving forward."
 
Due to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) splitting the league teams into divisions this year, this was not a conference game. Towson is playing in the North Division while James Madison is in the South Division.
 
Records: 

• Towson – 8-4 (0-1 CAA North)
• James Madison  – 7-4 (1-1 CAA South) 

How it Happened: 

• JMU jumped out to a 5-0 lead less than eight minutes into the contest.
• Towson got on the scoreboard at the 20:46 mark when Sliwak threaded the needle and found Kerri Liucci in front of the cage.
• After Knobloch notched her third goal, Sliwak fed Kaitlin Thornton, who scored to make it 6-2. It was 85^th career goal for the senior.
• Following another Dukes tally, Marshall scored a free-position goal to reduce the lead to 7-3 with 12:46 remaining.
• Madison scored the last four goals of the half to lead 11-3 and added another on a free-position three and a half minutes into the second stanza.
• The Tigers scored three goals in a 5:37 span to cut the lead to 12-6. Kaitlin Thornton started the run with a nifty reverse goal at 25:40. Marshall found a cutting Pearre in front of the cage at 24:51. Marshall then scored on a free-position goal at 20:03.
• The Tigers had three chances to narrow the gap but JMU goalie Molly Dougherty denied Sliwak, Kerri Thornton and Julia Porter during a five-minute possession.
• Madison made it 13-6 but Pearre scored the first of three free-position goals in the second half to make it 13-7 with 13:21 to play.
• The Thornton sisters got the Tigers to within four goals. Kerri Thornton took a feed from Sliwak and finished at the 7:02 mark. A little more than a minute later, Molly Lynch backed up a missed shot and found Kaitlin Thornton on the doorstep. It was 13-9 with 5:50 to play.
• Pearre controlled the ensuing draw and was fouled. She buried the free-position shot to make the score 13-10 with 5:27 on the clock.
• Freshman Hannah Delahaye, who provided a spark on the circle in the second half, won the ensuing draw. Towson had two good looks but were stopped by Dougherty. Knobloch scored on the next possession to make it 14-10 with 3:37 remaining.
• Marshall picked up a loose ball after a JMU turnover and fed Kaitlin Thornton out front to make it a three-goal game again with 1:14 remaining.
• Pearre added her fourth of the afternoon with two seconds on the clock.

 
Key Stats:

• James Madison won 18-of-28 draws, including 11 of the first 14. Marshall, who came into the game with a CAA leading 64 draw controls, did not control any this afternoon. 
• Towson converted 21-of-22 clear attempts. For the season, the Tigers have had successful clears in 230-of-247 attempts (93.1%). 

Inside the Numbers: 

• Pearre has scored at least two goals in 16 of 18 games at the collegiate level, including 11 games this season. The former Under Armour All-American leads Towson in goals (40), points (43) and groundballs (25) and ranks second in draw controls (49). She leads the CAA with 22 free-position goals.
• Chenoweth has caused 24 turnovers this season, increasing her school and CAA record to 175. Her seven-groundball game moved her into second place on the team with 23. Her previous career-high in groundballs was five against Oregon in 2018.
• Marshall, who is tied for second on the team in scoring with 35 points (24g, 12a), now has multiple points in 10 of 12 games.
• While Sliwak did not have a goal for the first game this season, she is still the only player with a point in all 12 games. She has 35 points (22g, 14a) in 12 games.
• Kaitlin Thornton has multiple points in six games this season. The senior, who has 121 career points (88g, 33a), has produced multiple points in 36 of 55 games in a Towson uniform. 

Next Game: 
Towson will play a pair of CAA North Division games next week- Friday afternoon at Drexel and Sunday afternoon against Hofstra at Tiger Field.