PHILADELPHIA — The Towson University field hockey team will open Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play this weekend with Drexel and Delaware. The team will travel to Philadelphia to take on the Dragons Friday, Oct. 1 at 4 p.m. before going to the home of the Blue Hens on Sunday, Oct. 3 for a noon start.
RECORDS
Towson (2-7)
Drexel (3-7)
Delaware (3-6)
Last Time Out
Towson split its last two games, falling to Wagner 3-1 on Friday before defeating LIU, 1-0 on Sunday.
Against the Seahawks, Elizabeth Harper got the team started with an early goal in the sixth minute. The team held onto that lead for the entire first quarter before Wagner came back to secure one score per period to take home the 3-1 victory. Despite the decision, Towson took a season-high 13 shots. Hannah McKeon led the team with four shots and put two on net. Kasey Bubel collected three defensive saves to earn a new season-high and tie her career-best. Goalkeeper Lena Vandam earned nine stops in net.
The Tigers came out ready to battle against the Sharks, scoring early yet again, but this time off the stick of Georgia Beachley. She scored in the 10th minute of the first quarter with help from Bubel and Hannah King. Towson attempted a season-high six penalty corners and out-shot LIU 9-6 and put six shots on goal. The team kept the pressure on and played solid defense to secure their second win of the season.
Trending Up
Sunday's contest against LIU marked the first time this season that Towson has led the opposition in shots (9), shots on goal (6) and penalty corners (6).
After the two first-quarter goals this past weekend, Towson has now scored five of its seven goals this season in the first period.
For Beachley, her goal against the Sharks was her second goal of the season, after scoring against Rider earlier in the fall. She is now the first Tiger to record multiple goals this fall.
In The Rankings
With eight defensive saves, Bubel leads both the conference and the NCAA in the stat. Paige Reese also currently sits at third in the league and is tied for fourth in the nation with three stops.
Vandam's high level of play in net tops the rankings in quite a few categories, also. She leads the CAA with 91 total saves, almost 30 more than her closest opposition. The goalkeeper's .827 save percentage leads the conference and ranks fourth in the nation. Over nine games so far, the graduate student is averaging 10.11 saves per game to pace the league and rank second in the NCAA. With two shutouts, Vandam is third in the category in the CAA.
Where are you from?
The Tigers' roster boasts representation from six different states and two countries. While 15 student-athletes call Maryland home, Pennsylvania (5), Virginia (5), New Jersey (3), Delaware (1) and New York (1) are also represented. Vandam (Belgium) and freshman Cate Cook (South Africa) bring some international flair to the team.
Scouting The Dragons
Drexel is coming off a split weekend, securing a 5-1 win over Fairfield before dropping a 3-4 contest to Yale. The Dragons have gone on two separate three-game losing streaks this season, highlighted by losses to Saint Joseph's (2-7) and No. 4 UNC (1-7).
Eline Di Leva and Avery Poell lead their team, both generating four games and four assists for 12 points each. They have both started all of the team's 10 games so far this fall. Megan Hadfield has played the majority of Drexel's minutes in net, collecting 63 saves on 172 shoots faced. The junior has allowed 34 goals by her for 3.50 per contest.
Exploring The Blue Hens
Delaware is coming off a split weekend performance as well, after falling to No. 10 Rutgers, 0-2, but then rebounding with a 3-1 win over Temple. Including the Scarlet Knights, the Blue Hens scheduled seven ranked programs this fall and have lost to all of them except No. 18 Old Dominion (4-0) in their season opener. The team will face No. 9 Saint Joseph's the Friday before hosting the Tigers on Sunday.
Julia Duffhuis currently leads Delaware with five goals and a loan assist to total 11 points. Another key to the Delaware offense, Femke Strien, leads her team with 26 total shots and 13 on goal. The graduate student has one goal and two assists on the fall. In net, Lizzie Gaebel has compiled 27 saves on 99 shots faced. She has allowed 17 scores this season, only 1.89 per game.
