TOWSON, Md. – Coming off a dominating 16-6 victory over Elon in the in first round of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) tournament on Wednesday afternoon at Sentara Park in Harrisonburg, Va., the Towson University women's lacrosse team now meets top-seeded Drexel in Friday's semifinals.  
 
The game will be televised on the Lax Sports Network (LSN) at 4 p.m. with Tom Eschen and Kelly Berger on the call.
 
Drexel (12-1) is ranked in the top 10 in both the IWLCA Division I Coaches and Women's Division I Inside Lacrosse Media polls. The Dragons had five players selected to the All-CAA First Team earlier this afternoon, including Player of the Year Karson Harris. Drexel has not played since beating Towson on Friday, April 23. It was the second meeting over an 11-day period.
 
"Drexel is very dynamic. They are senior-laden and playing with a lot of confidence," Towson head coach Sonia LaMonica said. "It is important that we bring our own confidence and be ready to step-up and do the little things well. When we do the little things well, good things happen."
 
On April 13 at Tiger Field, Towson cut the Drexel lead to 10-7 with 23 minutes to play, but the Dragons Drexel used a 6-0 second half run to win 20-8. Drexel jumped out to a 7-2 halftime lead in Philadelphia on April 23 in lead and won 17-7.
 
In both losses Blair Pearre, Towson's leading scorer, was held scoreless. She took three total shots. Those are the only two games all season that she has failed to score at least two goals.
 
The only other time Towson has faced a team three times in a season was versus Loyola in 1981.
 
The second semifinal game matches second-seeded James Madison against third-seeded Hofstra at 7 p.m. Friday night. The winners of the semifinal matchups will advance to the CAA Championship game Sunday, May 9 at 12 p.m.
 
TOWSON TRENDS
Towson is 8-0 this season when leading at halftime and are undefeated in six games when holding the opposition to under 10 goals. The Tigers have a 7-1 record when controlling more draws and have won six-of-seven games when winning the groundball battle.
 
AWARD WINNERS
Four members of the Towson women's lacrosse team received Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) honors for the 2021 regular season. Defender Sami Chenoweth, midfielder Blair Pearre and midfielder Lindsey Marshall were named to the All-CAA First Team. Pearre, Marshall and defensive midfielder Olivia Malamphy earned All-Rookie honors. Pearre was selected as the CAA Rookie of the Year.
 
SCORING IN BUNCHES
Blair Pearre has scored at least two goals in 14 of 16 games this season, including 10 hat tricks. She scored a career-best seven goals (on seven shots) in a win over William & Mary. The sophomore leads Towson in goals (53), points (60) and groundballs (33) and is second in draw controls (65). The former Under Armour HS All-American has 29 free-position goals and ranks second nationally, averaging 1.81 per game.
 
With the first of her four goals against Elon in the opening round of  the CAA championship, she became the ninth Towson player to score 50 goals in a season in a win over Elon. She joined Ruthie Gutridge (1984-1985-1986), Shannon Witzel (2005-06), Hillary Fratzke (2008 & 2010), Becky Trumbo (2005), Nikki Marcinik (2009), Andi Raymond (2014), Carly Tellekamp (2017) and Emily Gillingham (2018) in the 50-goal club.
 
THE RECORD HOLDER
Sami Chenoweth ranks fifth in the nation with 33 caused turnovers, increasing her school and league record to 184. With 27 groundballs, the Manchester Valley product has moved into 6th place on Towson's all-time list. She recorded the first two points of her career with assists versus Loyola and George Mason.
 
FRESHMAN SENSATION
Lindsey Marshall has been impressive with 47 points (32g, 15a) and a team leading 88 draw controls during her rookie campaign. The Catonsville graduate has five hat tricks, including a career-high five goals versus Georgetown. The midfielder won a season-best 10 draw controls against William & Mary and has won at least five draws on 12 occasions. The 88 draw controls ranks third in the Towson single-season record book. She is two away from tying Natalie Sulmonte (2017) for second place.
 
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Talented transfers Natalie Miller (Maryland), Nikki Sliwak (Maryland) and Olivia Malamphy (Boston College) have made an immediate impact this season. Sliwak is tied for second in scoring with 47 points (29g, 18a). The attacker scored a career-high five goals against William & Mary and handed out a career-best four assists in the first George Mason game. She is the only player to have a point in all 16 games. Miller, a starting defender, ranks second on the team with 14 caused turnovers, has picked up 17 groundballs and added an assist. Malamphy, Towson's defensive midfielder, ranks in the top five on the team in three categories: groundballs (18), caused turnovers (12) and draw controls (12).
 
GETTING DEFENSIVE
Towson has held six opponents to less than 10 goals this season and ranks in the Top 25 in scoring defense, allowing 10.5 goals per game. Twice, the Tigers have held opponents scoreless for more than 35 minutes in a game- Loyola (February 24) and George Mason (April 4). 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 107 groundballs and caused 88 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. Malamphy held Hofstra All-American Alyssa Parrella to one goal in the first meeting between the teams.
 
CLEARING WITH CONFIDENCE
Towson has converted 298-of-329 clears (90.6%) this season, 11^th best among all D1 teams.
 
MISS CONSISTENCY
Kaitlin Thornton has multiple points in eight games this season. The senior, who has 129 career points (93g, 36a), has produced multiple points in 38 of 59 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 10 other games and has scored at least one goal in 30 of the last 38 games, dating back to the second game of the 2019 season.
 
ROCK SOLID IN THE CAGE
Carly Merlo ranks in the Top 30 nationally in both goals-against average (10.54) and save percentage (.459). The sophomore allowed just 24 goals and made 36 saves in wins over Mount St. Mary's (10-7), UMBC (12-5), Loyola (13-7) and Elon (16-6). Freshman Lindsay Posner has a 10.23 GAA in eight appearances.
 
THE RANKINGS
Towson was ranked in the IWLCA Division I Coaches Top 25 poll for nine consecutive weeks (March 1-April 26). The Tigers were ranked as high as No. 11 in the Women's Division I Inside Lacrosse Media Top 20 poll (March 8) and spent seven straight weeks in the U.S. Lacrosse poll.
 
125 & COUNTING
Sonia LaMonica picked up her 125th victory as a head coach when Towson beat George Mason on April 4. She is now 119-74 (.617) at Towson and won eight games during one season at Mount St. Mary's. 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
Fifteen players were clocked at speeds of at least 17 miles per hour during a game during the regular season. 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, Sami Chenoweth and Kerri Thornton have reached the number. Malamphy has been the fastest player four times with top speeds against The Mount (17.80), UMBC (17.46), Loyola (18.35) and James Madison (18.35). Pearre has led the team three times: versus Georgetown (18.04), the first Drexel game (18.60) and the first Hofstra game (17.76). 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). Miller had the top time against St. Joe's (17.96). Chenoweth had the best time in the second George Mason game (17.84). Kaitlin Thornton was the fastest against William & Mary (17.68). Williams had the top time in the second Drexel game (18.43). Marshall was the fastest in the second Hofstra game (18.13).
 
TEWAARATON WATCH LIST
Blair Pearre and Sami Chenoweth were two of the 66 women's lacrosse 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. Neither player was on the list of 25 finalists.
 
AWARD WINNERS
Towson received six Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Player of the Week honors this 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. Blair Pearre earned Rookie of the Week honors on April 13 and May 3. For spring sports, the CAA ruled that true freshman who played a shortened season last year are eligible this season for Rookie of the Week since the league did not name an All-Rookie team in 2020.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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 57 goals and 18 assists so far this season.
 
DID YOU KNOW?
The brothers of Olivia Malamphy and Lindsay Posner are teammates at Salisbury, the No. 3 ranked team in Division III. Brett Malamphy is an All-American faceoff specialist, while Logan Posner runs second midfield for the Sea Gulls and is on the extra man unit.
 
FAMILIAR FACES
Several members of the Towson lacrosse program have connections with the Drexel team. Dragons assistant coach Kelsea Donnelly was a three-year starter at goalie for Sonia LaMonica (2013-15) at Towson and ranks 10th on the all-time saves list. She was a two-time All-CAA selection and spent the 2016 season as an assistant. Towson's Kamryn McNeal and Drexel's Rachel Warden were teammates at Garnet Valley HS.
 
NEW HOME VENUE
The Towson University women's lacrosse team played in the newly-renovated Tiger Field this season. 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.
 
Tickets went on sale on May 6 and are available through TicketMaster as well as NCAA.com: https://am.ticketmaster.com/towson/ism/TkNBQVdMMjE=#/
 
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.