STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Freshman Lindsey Marshall scored her seventh hat trick and became just the second player in program history to win more than 100 draw controls in a season but it was not enough as the Towson women's lacrosse dropped a 14-8 decision to eighth-seeded Stony Brook in the first round of the NCAA tournament at Kenneth P. LaValle Stadium Friday afternoon.

Towson played without leading scorer Blair Pearre, who was injured late in the second half during the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) semifinals last Friday. The sophomore scored at least two goals in 15 of 17 games this season, including 11 hat tricks, and entered the NCAA tournament tied for 11^th nationally in goals with 58. The CAA Rookie of the Year and All-CAA selection ranks second on the team in draw controls (68) and was first in groundballs (33). The 58-goal season ranks seventh best in the 45-year history of Towson women's lacrosse.

"We just didn't have enough today. Stony Brook played us tough," Towson head coach Sonia LaMonica said. "Not having Blair was tough, no question. She is a great finisher and is terrific on draws. We did our best to rise up and get it done without Blair. But we missed her."

The Tigers took a 1-0 lead less than two minutes into the game after freshmen Hannah Delahaye found classmate Marshall in front of the crease. After Stony Brook went on a 3-0 run, Nikki Sliwak (1g, 2a) found Kerri Thornton (2g) in the same spot inside the Seawolves zone to make it 3-2.

Stony Brook All-American midfielder Ally Kennedy answered with back-to-back goals for a 5-2 halftime advantage.

Stony Brook scored four goals in the first 5:34 of the second half to build a 9-2 lead and defeated Towson for the second time this season. On March 7 at Tiger Field, Stony Brook won 10-8. 
Kennedy and All-American attacker Taryn Ohlmiller combined for seven goals and five assists for the winners.

Carly Merlo had 12 saves and had the first assist for a Towson goalie since Mary Teeters did so on April 20, 2012.
 
Marshall controlled a game-high eight draws and had at least five draws in 14-of-18 games. Her 102 draw control wins is the second most in a single-season - trailing only Hillary Fratzke who won 107 in 2006. The Catonsville HS product finished third on the team in points (38g, 15a).
 
"Lindsey had a great game. She really stepped up and did everything she could," LaMonica said. "Once again, she was outstanding on draws and did a good job of finding opportunities on the offensive end. I am excited to see her development."
 
Towson was making its 11th appearance in the NCAA Division I playoffs and 10^th since the 2008 season. The Tigers have earned berths in seven of the 10 full seasons with LaMonica at the helm. The 2020 season was cut short due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. 
 
The season began with four consecutive victories, including wins over then #8/#10 Loyola and eventual Northeast Conference champion Mount St. Mary's. The Tigers were 8-2 after defeating William & Mary on April 10. Eleven of Towson's 18 games, including today, were against teams in the NCAA field.
 
"I am really proud of this season," LaMonica added. "We had some really great moments. This was a hard one to end on, but I am truly proud of this group and what we accomplished this year."

The Towson women's lacrosse program lose graduate students Sami Chenoweth, Shelby Stack, Abbe Mona, Natalie Miller and Nikki Sliwak along with seniors Gabby Biondi, Hannah Hobbes and Madison Hobbes to graduation. The Tigers will return five of its top six scorers. 
 
"We are going to miss them. They each mean a lot to the program," LaMonica said. "It is always tough to see your senior class bow out. They have had a tremendous ride and did us proud."
 
Records: 

• Towson – 9-9
• Stony Brook  – 15-2

How it Happened: 

• Marshall gave Towson the early lead when she took a feed from Delahaye in front of the crease and went off-stick. It was 1-0 Towson 110 seconds into the game.
• The score stayed 1-0 for more than five minutes. Merlo denied Bridget Considine and the Towson defense forced a turnover on Stony Brook's other possession.
• Stony Brook scored three goals in eight minutes to take a 3-1 lead with 14:32 to play in the half.
• Towson narrowed the gap when Sliwak found Thornton inside. The junior from nearby Ward Melville High School scored to make it 3-2 with 10:43 remaining.
• Kennedy scored twice in less than a minute to increase Stony Brook's lead to 5-2.
• Merlo kept the Tigers in the mix with three more saves, including stopping Ohlmiller on a fast break. The sophomore had seven first half stops.
• The Tigers had a chance to make it 5-3 just before half but Marshall's shot with three seconds remaining was just wide.
• Stony Brook scored four goals in the first 5:34 of the second half and led 9-2 with less than 25 minutes to play.
• The teams traded goals over the next seven minutes with Marshall and Thornton scoring for Towson. It was 11-4 with 17:14 remaining.
• Stony Brook then went up 13-4 with a pair of goals. Towson scored four of the final five goals of the game.
• Kaitlin Thornton scored her 94^th career goal of an assist from Shelby Stack (2a).
• Merlo made her 12^th save of the game and hit Kerri Liucci in stride with a long outlet pass. The Long Island native did the rest and went uncontested from midfield. Her score made it 13-6 with 6:57 on the clock.
• Following a Kennedy score, Sliwak scored unassisted for her 31^st of the season.
• Marshall scored the final goal of the game on a free-position with 1:24 to play.

Key Stats:

• Towson was 0-8 this season when trailing at halftime.
• The Tigers were 17-of-19 on clears and finished the season converting 335-of-371 clears (90.3%).

Inside the Numbers: 

• Sliwak was the only Tiger to have a point in all 18 games this season. The graduate student ranked second on the team with 55 points (31g, team-high 24a).
• Chenoweth caused one turnover, increasing her school and league record to 186.  She finished in 6th place on Towson's all-time list groundball list with 163.

Towson University's 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. Tickets went on sale on May 6 and are available through TicketMaster as well as NCAA.com: 
https://am.ticketmaster.com/towson/ism/TkNBQVdMMjE=#/