TOWSON, Md. – The #17/#18 Towson University women's lacrosse team will play host to William & Mary on Saturday evening at Tiger Field. First draw is 6 p.m. The game will be televised on the Lax Sports Network (LSN) with Tom Eschen and Kelly Berger on the call.
 
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 William & Mary is in the South Division.
 
Fans can watch via live player at https://www.ftfnext.com/lsn or to the DistroTV app. The game can also be seen in over 40 countries internationally on Rakuten. The Tigers will also appear on LSN at James Madison next week.
 
For the sixth consecutive week, Towson (7-2) is ranked in the IWLCA Division I Coaches and U.S. Lacrosse Women's Top 20 polls. The Tigers are No. 17 in both polls, which were announced April 5. Towson is No. 18 in the Women's Division I Inside Lacrosse Media Top 20.
 
The Tigers are 9th in the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to 8.44 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 with Blair Pearre (29g, 3a), Lindsey Marshall (21g, 7a) and Nikki Sliwak (16g, 9a) leading the way. Marshall and Pearre have also combined to control 81 draws.
 
William & Mary is 3-5 this season, but three of the Tribe's losses are to teams currently ranked in the Top 20 – Duke, Richmond and Elon. 
 
Towson leads the all-time series between the two teams, 17-8, including 9-0 under Sonia LaMonica. The Tigers have won 15 of the last 17 meetings and 17-of-21 since joining the CAA in 2002.  
 
During halftime, Towson will have a special presentation honoring the 2020 graduation class - Olivia Conti, Maddie Dickman, Coeli Love and Carly Tellekamp. In 2018, the four helped tie the school record for wins in a season with 16 and advance to the second round of the NCAA tournament. Shelby Stack, Abbe Mona and Sami Chenoweth were also in the class but opted to play this season after the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility because last season ended early due to COVID-19.
 
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 69 groundballs and caused 55 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 173-of-188 clears (92%) this season, fifth 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 20 turnovers this season, increasing her school and CAA record to 171. With a team-high 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 five goals in back-to-back victories over Georgetown and St. Joseph's. The sophomore has scored at least two goals in 14 of 15 games at the collegiate level, including all nine games this season. The former Under Armour All-American leads Towson in goals (29) and points (32) and is second in groundballs (14) and draw controls (34).
 
FRESHMAN SENSATION
Lindsey Marshall has been impressive with 28 points (21g, 7a) and 47 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 eight draw controls against Georgetown and St. Joseph's and has won at least five draws on six 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 third in scoring with 25 points (16g, 9a). The attacker scored a career-high four goals against Loyola then handed out a career-best four assists versus George Mason. She has scored a goal in all nine games. Miller, a starting defender, has caused nine turnovers, picked up 10 groundballs and added an assist. Malamphy, Towson's defensive midfielder, is tied for second in both groundballs (14) and caused turnovers (9) and ranks fourth in draw controls.
 
ROCK SOLID IN THE CAGE
Carly Merlo ranks in the Top 10 nationally in both goals-against average (8.84) and save percentage (.511). 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 .500 save percentage and 6.35 GAA in four appearances.
 
MISS CONSISTENCY
Kaitlin Thornton has multiple points in four games this season. The senior, who has 114 career points (10g, 33a), has produced multiple points in 34 of 52 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 five other games and has scored at least one goal in 26 of the last 31 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 7-2 start has improved her record at Towson to 117-69 (.629). 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, 14 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 and Sami Chenoweth 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).
 
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 last week's 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 University, 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 31 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 William & Mary team. Towson's Olivia LePage and William & Mary's Sarah Cipolla were teammates at Glenelg, while Tribe defender Courtney Vasquenza played at South Carroll with the Abbott twins, Paige and Paiton.
 
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.