TOWSON, Md. – A couple of goals in the opening 14:30 of play led the Towson University women's soccer team to a 2-1 victory over George Mason, its first win over the Patriots since 2003.
 
Nia Christopher and Phoebe Canoles scored on Towson's (3-1-1) first two attempts on goal in the fifth and 15^th minutes to give the Tigers the early two-goal lead.  George Mason (1-2-2) scored in the 17^th minute, with Towson holding a one-goal lead the rest of the way.
 
Key Stats:

• Towson had a three-to-one advantage on shots in the game with 21 to George Mason's seven.  Towson put five shots on goal to its opponent's two.
• Nia Christopher's fifth minute goal was assisted by Phoebe Canoles, who scored the second goal, assisted by George Mason transfer Jasmine Hamid.  Hamid led all players in shots with eight, while Canoles had four.
• Riley Melendez picked up the victory in goal with a save and goal allowed.
• For George Mason, Kolburn Eyjolfsdottir scored on a header off a free kick from Milan Pierre-Jerome in the 17^th minute.  Selamawit Caldart got the loss, saving three shots after allowing two goals.

Postgame Quote:
Head Coach Katherine Vettori: "I'm very proud of the performance tonight, our first half goals were beautiful.  Overall, we were able to keep possession and create more chances, but also, we had good game management.  Awesome that we earned our first victory over George Mason in nearly 20 years."
 
How It Happened:

• Towson scored on its first shot in the fifth minute as Phoebe Canoles found Nia Christopher racing towards the right side of the box.  A hard kick from Christopher deflected off a George Mason defender for a goal, giving Towson a 1-0 lead.
• After some back-and-forth in the midfield, Jasmine Hamid had a perfect through ball to Canoles to the center of the box.  Canoles scored on a liner middle-right to push Towson up 2-0 in the 15^th minute.
• George Mason was quick to counter off a free kick into the box.  Milan Pierre-Jerome found Kolbrun Eyjolfsdottir on the one-touch header goal to pull the visitors within one at 2-1.
• Towson looked for long range shots to get back up two.  A wide shot by Hamid led to a Towson corner kick.  The corner was cleared away, and the second attempt by Hamid sailed high.
• Towards the end of the first half, a late Mason corner kick saw Zoe Vidaurre go for the right post, with Riley Melendez making the save.  Towson led 2-1 at the half.
• The second half pace picked up early as Towson got space and fired at the net three times in the opening 10 minutes of the period.  The second one by Canoles was saved in the middle of the box by Selamawit Caldart.
• Towson continued to get pressure while George Mason looked to counter attack.  Minute 64 saw Canoles again get off a long range shot outside the box and be saved by Caldart.  This was followed by a barrage of shots by Danielle Campbell, Canoles and Hamid in succession, all missing.
• Off a counter, Towson attacked after a blocked Mason shot led back to the midfield.  Chiara Menegatti received the ball up top the box and fired, just missing left of the post.
• Towson held off a final Mason corner in the 86^th minute to win 2-1.

Inside the Numbers

• Towson's last win against George Mason came on Oct. 26, 2003.  The victory snapped a 12-game losing streak to the Patriots.
• Nia Christopher notched her 16^th career goal, tying for ninth in Towson history.
• Jasmine Hamid has nine career assists for Towson, one away from tying for 10^th all-time in program history.

Next Game:
The homestand continues on Sunday, Sept. 4 at 6 p.m. vs. Saint Francis.
 
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