TOWSON, Md. – The #20/RV Towson University women's lacrosse team held a one-goal lead with less than six minutes to play but dropped a 10-9 decision to Hofstra on Sunday afternoon at Tiger Field.
 
The Tigers led most of the way, building three-goal leads twice during the opening half and had a two-goal cushion early in the second half. Towson was up 9-8 after back-to-back goals from Blair Pearre (3g 1a) and Kerri Thornton (1g 3a). Hofstra tied the game for the fifth time of the afternoon on Alexa Mattera's fifth goal with 5:35 remaining. All-American Alyssa Parrella, who was held scoreless by Olivia Malamphy for nearly 57 minutes, used a screen to get free and score the game winner with 3:19 remaining.
 
"It was a hard-fought battle," Towson head coach Sonia LaMonica said. "Down the stretch we failed on some opportunities, got into a little foul trouble. It is not one single thing, just a number of those factors that we ended coming up short."
 
Towson's All-American defender Sami Chenoweth caused a season-high four turnovers, increasing her school and CAA record to 180. With two groundballs, the Manchester Valley product moved into 6th place on Towson's all-time list.
 
Lindsey Marshall (2g) and Kaitlin Thornton (1g 1a) also had multiple point games. Marshall added a game-high seven draw controls.
 
It is the fourth straight loss for Towson (8-6). Hofstra improves to 5-5. The two teams will meet again on Long Island on Saturday afternoon in a pivotal Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) North Division matchup.  
 
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. Drexel (12-1, 4-0 CAA North) has clinched the regular season title.
 
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.
 
Sunday marked Senior Day for eight Tigers. The Towson women's lacrosse program recognized graduate students Chenoweth, Shelby Stack, Abbe Mona. Natalie Miller and Nikki Sliwak along with seniors Gabby Biondi, Hannah Hobbes and Madison Hobbes before the game. 
 
Records: 

• Towson – 8-6 (0-3 CAA North)
• Hofstra  – 5-5 (1-2 CAA North)

 
How it Happened: 

• Towson took a 1-0 lead a little more than one minute into the game when Kerri Thornton found a wide-open Marshall on a free-position.
• After Hofstra tied the score at 1-all, Towson went on a 3-0 run over a seven-minute period. On the possession following Hofstra's goal, Kerri Thornton fed Nikki Sliwak on the doorstep.
• Five minutes later, Kaitlin Thornton zipped a pass to Marshall, who found herself open inside the Hofstra zone, to make it 3-1 with 22:07 to play.
• Towson controlled the next draw and went back to work. Pearre got inside the zone and when double-teamed slipped the ball to Kaitlin Thornton, who found the back of the net to make the score 4-1.
• It was 4-2 when Kerri Thornton had her third assist of the half, finding Kerri Liucci. It was 5-2 with 18:20 remaining.
• Hofstra ended the half on a 3-0 run. The score was tied at 5 after 30 minutes.
• The Pride had a chance to take the lead for the first time, but Carly Merlo (nine saves) made two point-blank saves in the first two minutes of the second half.
• Pearre then gave Towson a two-goal advantage with a pair of goals. The first was her 23^rd free-position goal of the season. Five minutes later, Molly Lynch found a cutting Pearre in front of the cage. It was 7-5 with 21:34 remaining.
• Hofstra went on a 3-0 run to take its first lead of the game on a Mattera tally at the 17:54 mark.
• Towson quickly countered as Pearre tied the game at 8-all with her second free-position goal of the game.
• Kerri Thornton put Towson back on top, 9-8 with 12:21 to play. Looking to find a cutting Marshall in front of the goal, the ball trickled by Hofstra keeper Jess Smith.
• Towson looked to extend the lead after Chenoweth stripped Grace Langella, but the Tigers failed to capitalize after a long possession. Hofstra then went down to tie the score.
• Marshall won the ensuing draw. Towson had a good opportunity to regain the lead but Smith denied Sliwak.
• Hofstra cleared the ball then isolated Parrella behind the cage. The CAA's all-time leading scorer came off a screen and found just enough space to score the game-winner.

Key Stats:

• Towson is 0-5 this season when scoring nine goals or less.

Inside the Numbers: 

• Pearre produced her 8^th hat trick of the season. The sophomore has scored at least two goals in 17 of 20 games at the collegiate level, including 12 games in 2021. She did have five groundballs and won five draw controls. The former Under Armour All-American leads Towson in goals (43), points (47) and groundballs (32) and ranks second in draw controls (56). She leads the CAA with 24 free-position goals and ranks second nationally, averaging 1.71 free-position goals per game.
• Sliwak has scored a point in all 14 games this season. She is tied for second in scoring with 40 points (25g, 15a).
• Marshall, who is tied with Sliwak in scoring (27g, 13a), now has multiple points in 12 of 14 games and has controlled at least five draws 10 different times.
• Kaitlin Thornton has multiple points in six games this season. The senior, who has 124 career points (90g, 34a), has produced multiple points in 37 of 57 games in a Towson uniform.
• Kerri Thornton's three assists tied a career-high. The junior also had three helpers against Ohio State last season.
• Chenoweth has now scooped up 157 groundballs. Today, she moved ahead of both Alexa Demski (155) and Caitlin Marshall (156) in the record books. She is seven away from tying Julie Ondrako for fifth place.

Next Game: 
Towson and Hofstra meet again on Saturday afternoon, May 1 (1 p.m.) at James M. Shuart Stadium in Hempstead, N.Y.