PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The #20 Towson University women's lacrosse dropped its third consecutive game of the season Friday afternoon at Vidas Field, losing to #12 Drexel for the second time in 11 days. The Dragons jumped out to a 7-2 halftime lead and won 17-7.
 
The victory clinched the Colonial Athletic Association North Division title for Drexel (12-1, 4-0 CAA North). Towson (8-5, 0-2 CAA North) and Hofstra (4-5, 0-2 CAA North) will battle for second place. The teams meet Sunday afternoon at Tiger Field and again May 1 on Long Island to finish the regular season.
 
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 Drexel, Hofstra and Delaware. The Blue Hens suspended its season on April 1 after COVID-19 violations. James Madison, Elon and William & Mary are in the South Division. Five teams – the top two in each division plus one at-large selection – will advance to the league tournament. A game featuring the fourth and fifth seeds will be played May 4 or 5 with the semifinals and championship games in Harrisonburg, Virginia on May 7 and 9.
 
Kaitlin Thornton gave Towson a 1-0 lead on a free-position goal at the 27:41 mark, but the Tigers did not score again for more than 18 minutes. Drexel used 4-0 and 3-0 runs to take a 7-2 advantage into halftime.
 
Nikki Sliwak (2g 1a) found Kerri Liucci on the first possession of the second half to narrow the gap to 7-3. However, Drexel scored four straight goals to stretch the lead to 11-3 with 21:27 to play. The Tigers scored four of the next six goals to make it 13-7 with 11:37 remaining, but did not score again.
 
Rayna Deltuva tied a career-high with three caused turnovers and matched a career-best with five groundballs.
 
In addition to Sliwak, Lindsey Marshall (1g, 1a) and Kerri Thornton (2a) also had multiple point games. Marshall added a game-high six draw controls.
 
Lucy Schneidereith scored six goals to lead Drexel, while Karson Harris added four. Drexel defeated Towson, 20-8, on Tuesday, April 13.
 
Records: 

• Towson – 8-5 (0-2 CAA North)
• Drexel  – 12-1 (4-0 CAA North)

 
How it Happened: 

• Towson took a 1-0 lead a little more than two minutes into the game when Kaitlin Thornton scored a free-position goal. It was goal number 89 in her career. It would be the Tigers only lead of the night.
• Drexel scored four straight goals before Marshall found herself inside the zone and finished. The Dragons added three goals in a 1:36 span to take a 7-2 halftime lead.
• Just over a minute into the second half, Sliwak found Kerri Liucci on the doorstep to make it 7-3.
• Lucy Schneidereith scored twice in 34 seconds and Drexel added two more tallies to go up 11-3.
• Towson clawed back with four of the next six goals. First, Kerri Thornton fed Abbe Mona. The graduate student made a nice spin move in traffic and found the back of the net. All four of her goals this season have been against Drexel.
• After a Drexel goal, Marshall pushed the ball into the offensive end of the field and assisted Shelby Stack in front of the cage. It was 12-5 with 18:41 remaining.
• With the score 13-5, Sliwak scored back-to-back goals. The first was a crease roll from behind the cage. Then Kerri Thornton found Sliwak inside the Drexel zone. The score was 13-7 with 11:37 left.
• Drexel regrouped and went on a 4-0 the rest of the way.

Key Stats:

• Towson committed a season-high 24 turnovers. In the previous nine games, the Tigers averaged just 12.5 per contest. Eight of the miscues happened while attempting to clear. Towson entered the game ranked third in the nation in clearing percentage (93.1%).
• Blair Pearre, Towson's leading scorer (40g 3a), was held scoreless for the second time this season. Both occurred against Drexel. The sophomore has scored at least two goals in 16 of 19 games at the collegiate level, including 11 games in 2021. She did have five groundballs and won five draw controls.

Inside the Numbers: 

• Sliwak has scored a point in all 13 games and ranks second on the scoring list with 39 points (24g, 15a).
• Marshall, who is third on the team in scoring with 38 points (25g, 13a), now has multiple points in 11 of 13 games and has controlled at least five draws nine different times.
• Stack has now scored at least one goal in 29 of the last 35 games, dating back to 2019.
• Deltuva also picked up five groundballs at Temple (March 10). This is the fourth time she has caused three turnovers.

Next Game: 
Towson will host Hofstra (4-5, 0-2 CAA North) on Sunday afternoon at Tiger Field for the first of two matchups in a seven-day period.  Before the game, the Tigers will honor the class of 2021 – Sami Chenoweth, Shelby Stack, Abbe Mona, Gabby Biondi, Hannah Hobbes, Madison Hobbes, Natalie Miller and Nikki Sliwak.