PHILADELPHIA — The top-seeded Towson University women's lacrosse team will face No. 4 seed Delaware in the Semifinals of the 2022 women's lacrosse Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament on Friday, May 6 at 4 p.m.
Although the Blue Hens own the 31-23 all-time edge, the Tigers have won the last five meetings between the two programs, including last week's 17-10 decision. Head coach Sonia LaMonica has only fallen to UD once, in a close 6-5 decision on March 18, 2015.
Records
- Towson — 8-7 (5-1 CAA)
- Delaware — 5-11 (2-4 CAA)
Last Time Out
Towson ended its regular season with a seven-goal win over Delaware, 17-10, on April 30. With the victory, the team secured the No. 1 seed in the 2022 Women's Lacrosse CAA Tournament.
Towson stayed in control for the entire 60-minute contest, never surrendering the lead.
Kerri Thornton led the way for the Tigers with a career best six goals on just seven shots. Blair Pearre added four scores while Gabby Garrett and Lindsay Clarke tallied two apiece.
Pearre had a very well-rounded performance in addition to her four scores, pacing the team with three ground balls, two caused turnovers and six draw controls.
2021 CAA Tournament Recap
After defeating Elon in the opening round, 16-6, Towson dropped a heartbreaker to Drexel in overtime of the semifinals, 16-15.
A 4-0 run gave Towson a 14-11 lead on Blair Pearre's fifth goal of the game with exactly 11 minutes remaining. Drexel battled back to tie it and force overtime. Two of the three goals were scored with Towson serving a penalty.
To begin the overtime period, the Tigers were charged with delay of game and the Dragons were given possession. After a yellow card gave Drexel a two-man advantage, the opposition scored the golden goal on a free-position goal to send the Dragons to the championship game.
Tigers in the CAA Tournament
Towson has won seven CAA tournament titles since its first in 2005, including four under head coach Sonia LaMonica.
The Tigers advanced to five straight championship games under LaMonica from 2011-2015. The team won three consecutive titles in the run in 2012, 2013 and 2014. The team was most recently crowded CAA Champions in 2016, defeating James Madison 14-6.
Moving Up
Junior midfielder Blair Pearre continues to make her mark on the program.
Pearre recently became the 15th player in program history to reach 100 goals with seven scores against Elon (April 2). With four scores against Delaware, she now ranks 12th with 112 career goals, just 10 scores behind Andi Raymond (122).
The former Under Armour All-American, now has 23 career hat tricks and has scored at least two goals in 32 of 38 games at the collegiate level.
With six draw controls on Saturday, Pearre now has 160 career draw controls to remain fifth in program history, just eight behind Becky Trumbo (168).
Reaching Triple Digits
Kaitlin Thornton made history against Drexel, becoming the 16th Tiger in program history to score 100 career goals.
She currently ranks 15th place on the top 20 scoring list with 102 career goals.
Clearing Success
Towson has been efficient on clearing attempts this season. The Black & Gold have now stayed flawless in five outings through 13 contests:
- Mount St. Mary's (17-for-17)
- Loyola (16-for-16)
- Vanderbilt (17-for-17)
- Johns Hopkins (17-for-17)
- Drexel (19-for-19)
The team is 246-of-277 on clear attempts through 15 games for an 88.8 percent success rate to rank 28th in the country.
Schedule Strength
The Tigers have played nine teams currently ranked or receiving votes in the ILWomen/IWLCA poll this season. Towson has fallen to then-No. 9 Loyola (Feb. 23), then-No. 10 Michigan (Feb. 27), (RV) Penn State (March 15), (RV) Vanderbilt (March 21), No. 12 James Madison (March 30), No. 22 Johns Hopkins (April 6) and (RV)Drexel (April 9). The Tigers defeated Georgetown (March 26) and Saint Joseph's (March 5), who both received votes in the weeks after meeting head-to-head.
Zizakovic Runs it Back as CAA Rookie of the Week
Milana Zizakovic was earned her second CAA Rookie of the Week award on May 2 following a pair of seven-goal wins over William & Mary (12-5) and Delaware (17-10).
Zizakovic tallied a goal and an assist in each of the contests to end the week with four total points. Against the Blue Hens, she contributed two ground balls, one caused turnover and four draw controls while also adding two draws against the Tribe.
The Alberta, Canada product is the only freshman to start every game of the regular season. She ranks top-5 in three categories through 15 games: goals (18 – 5th), assists (7 – tied for 2nd) and draw controls (47 – 2nd). Zizakovic has found the back of the net in the last six outings and has earned two or more points in the last four.
First Year Phenoms
Freshmen Halley Koras, Milana Zizakovic and Shannon Sullivan made immediate impacts in their first years in the Black & Gold. The three freshmen have earned a collective five CAA Rooke of the Week awards, more than any other team in the league.
Koras is currently third on the team with 25 goals and fourth with 28 points. She had eight multi-goal games in the regular season including four hat tricks.
Zizakovic is fifth on the team in goals (18) and tied for second in assists (7). She ranks second on the team with 47 draw controls, securing a career high of seven draws against Georgetown.
On defense, Sullivan ranks top-6 in three categories: ground balls (26-3rd), draw controls (22-4th), and caused turnovers (8-6th).
Preseason Praise
Rayna Deltuva and Blair Pearre both received Preseason All-CAA honors while Olivia Malamphy earned honorable mention recognition.
The Tigers were voted to end the season in third place with 26 points. James Madison was picked to finish first in the league with five first place votes and 35 total points. Drexel was slotted to end in second, with two first place votes and 32 points. Rounding out the poll was Hofstra (21), Elon (15), Delaware (10) and William & Mary (8).
The All-CAA teams and order of finish was voted on by the conference's head coaches.
135 & Counting
After picking up her 125th win against George Mason last season, head coach Sonia LaMonica recently earned her 135th win against Delaware (April 30). She currently stands with a 127-83 record at Towson.
In the previous 11 seasons with Sonia LaMonica at the helm, the Tigers have earned spots in the NCAA Tournament seven times, most recently last season. Towson has won seven CAA tournament titles since 2005, including four under LaMonica.
Oh Captain, My Captain!
Rayna Deltuva and Kaitlin Thornton were chosen by the coaching staff to lead the Tigers for this season. The two lone graduate students on the roster also served as captains during the 2021 season as well.
Staying Local
Of the 32-woman roster, a whopping 18 student-athletes call Maryland home. Rayna Deltuva (Manchester), Molly Lynch (Forest Hill), Sara Tyssowski (Finksburg), Paiton and Paige Abbott (Mount Airy), Mia Rehkemper (Catonsville), Jenna DiPeso (Forest Hill), Lindsay Clarke (Parkton), Blair Pearre (Pikesville), Blair Goodrich (Chester), Carly Merlo (Reisterstown), Emily King (Monrovia), Lindsay Posner (Monkton), Lindsey Marshall (Columbia), Halley Koras (Lutherville), Sarah Rhoads (Westminster), Olivia Malamphy (Crofton) and Erin Williams (Parkton) all represent their home state.
Oh, Canada
Two Tigers join the team from our neighbors to the north, Canada as well, in senior Julia Porter and freshman Milana Zizakovic who both hail from the province of Alberta.
Sister Sister
The 2022 squad features three sets of sisters, including two sets of twins. Seniors Kerri and Nicole Liucci as well as sophomores Paiton and Paige Abbott are twins while sisters Kaitlin and Kerri Thornton round out the group.
The Thorntons have combined for 180 goals and 68 assists for 248 points. The Liucci sisters have compiled 54 goals and 16 assists for 70 points.
Tewaaraton Award Watch List
Blair Pearre was named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List for the second consecutive season.
Since 2001, the Tewaaraton Award has been awarded to the most outstanding American college lacrosse men's and women's players across all three divisions of NCAA lacrosse. Five men's and five women's finalists will be announced in early May and the Tewaaraton Award recipients will be chosen after the conclusion of the collegiate lacrosse season.
Scouting The Blue Hens
Delaware ended the season with a pair of losses, falling to then-No. 11 James Madison, 14-11, before dropping a 17-10 decision to Towson.
The Blue Hens have seen production from many different players as Riley Gillian (39 points), Danika Swech (29 goals) and Delaney McDaniel (27 assists) all top the roster in different statistical categories. Madison Hranicka also plays an important role as she leads the team with 29 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers.
Looking Ahead
The winner of the semifinal game will go onto play the winner of the No. 2 Drexel vs. No. 3 Hofstra game in the Championship on Sunday, May 8 at 12 p.m.
