TOWSON, Md. – A second half push led to goals from Jasmine Hamid and Nia Christopher to send the Towson University women's soccer team past Temple 2-0 on Thursday night.
 
Towson (2-1-2) outshot Temple (0-2-2) in the first half, but the sides went into the break at a stalemate.  Holding off early Temple pressure in the second half, Hamid's goal in the 63^rd minute put Towson ahead.  The Tigers held the rest of the way, capping with an 88^th minute goal from Christopher to seal the game.
 
Key Stats:

• Towson held the edge in shots 13-11, putting eight on goal to Temple's four.  Towson also had 12 corner kicks to its opponent's five.
• Jasmine Hamid earned her first-ever collegiate goal, assisted by Phoebe Canoles and Demi Pierre.  Nia Christopher scored her third goal of the season off a pass from Riley Rumbley.
• In goal, Riley Melendez (2-1-2) notched the shutout with four saves, all in the second half.
• For Temple, Hailey Gutkowski had a team-high three shots from off the bench.  Goalkeeper Kamryn Stablein (0-2-1) had the defeat with two goals allowed and six saves.

Postgame Quote:

• Towson head coach Katherine Vettori: "Great win tonight against a strong, physical Temple team that is excellent on set pieces.  Temple came at us hard in the second half, and we got organized and scored off a set piece.  Great passes from Phoebe (Canoles) and Demi (Pierre), and great finish from Jasmine (Hamid); Riley (Rumbley) and Nia (Christopher) with some great play to help seal the deal.  Real team effort tonight on the shutout."

How It Happened:

• Towson quickly got an opportunity in the sixth minute as Nia Christopher was tackled in the box to draw a penalty kick.  Phoebe Canoles's kick was saved, with a second attempt by Demi Pierre also saved by Kamryn Stablein.
• The Tigers drew a couple of corner kicks in the 13^th and 16^th minutes, with each going wide.
• Towson kept the pressure on in the following minutes trying to break through the Temple defense, with a shot from Christopher being saved in the 23^rd minute.
• After some back and forth play in the midfield, Temple got a late push in the final minutes of the period.  Each time, the Owls missed left of cage.  The two sides were tied at the half 0-0.
• Temple was the early attacking team in the second half as Hailey Gutkowski quickly got towards cage.  Twice her attempt from the top of the box was blocked, ending the threat.
• Off a breakaway, Temple had a one-on-one with the keeper.  Riley Melendez raced up top the box, slid and blocked the shot to protect the shutout.  Later in the 59^th minute, another attempt by Erin Theiller was saved by Melendez out of play.
• Off a free kick following a card, Canoles crossed the box to Pierre, who found Jasmine Hamid.  Hamid kicked right towards the left side of cage for the goal in the 63^rd minute, putting Towson up 1-0.
• Temple tried a counter in the next couple of minutes, leading to a corner kick.  Moa Andersson's attempt was blocked as Towson held the advantage.
• The Tigers were routinely getting corner kicks to try to add insurance.  The best chance came 78 minutes through as Riley Rumbley got a header off a corner, with a diving Stablein making the stop.
• Towson held on an 85^th minute corner kick from Temple and looked to clear out the clock.  A perfect through pass to Christopher put a one-on-one with the keeper.  Christopher dribbled around the keeper and scored on the open net in minute 88.  Towson took the victory 2-0.

Inside the Numbers:

• Jasmine Hamid and Emily Kirkpatrick made their first career start in a Towson uniform.
• Riley Melendez earned her second shutout of the season.  She has allowed one goal or fewer in all five games this season.
• Towson is now unbeaten against Temple in its last three contests and 4-1-1 in the all-time series.

Next Game:

• Towson completes the homestand on Thursday, Sept. 2 against Temple at 7 p.m.

- TowsonTigers.com –