TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University field hockey team is set to host the Northeastern Huskies at the TU Field Hockey Complex in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play Friday, Sept. 29 at 1:00 p.m. On Sunday, Oct. 1, the Tigers make the trip to Farmville, Va. to face the Longwood Lancers at noon.
 
Friday's game will be streamed on FloLive. Sunday's game will be streamed on ESPN+. Live stats for both games will be available on TowsonTigers.com.
 
First-year head coach Katie Gerzabek Salem returns 18 players from the 2022 roster, including leading scorer and preseason All-CAA selection Hannah McKeon and program standout Georgia Beachley, who stands ninth all-time in team history in goals scored.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Northeastern enters Friday's matchup at 4-5 overall and 0-1 in CAA play. The Huskies have a 3-1 win over common opponent of the Tigers in Bellarmine. Northeastern has also faced William & Mary, falling 2-1 on the road. Graduate student Lauren Rowe leads the Huskies with seven goals through nine games, standing fourth among conference leaders.
 
Longwood stands at 2-8 as of Thursday with a Friday afternoon matchup against the Ohio Bobcats. The Lancers have faced one common opponent of the Tigers in Bellarmine, taking a 3-2 double-OT loss at home. Longwood's two wins of the season have come over Richmond and Queens University of Charlotte.
 
JOIN THE PARTY
Third-year Tiger Sarah Hatfield has earned a spot in the program record book with 13 points through nine games this season. She currently stands tied for fifth among goal leaders in the CAA. Totaling 26 points with twelve goals and two assists, she ranks 34^th all-time at TU in 33 starts. Gianna Antone has joined Hatfield and three others among all-time points leaders with 11 points on five goals and one assist this season. With five scores, she ranks seventh in the conference among goal leaders. Her 24 total points over 41 starts rank 39^th all-time in program history.
 
Hatfield and Antone join three other active Tigers ranked among top point producers in team history. Totaling 53 points with 19 goals and 15 assists, Beachley stands seventh all-time among points leaders in team history. Samantha Aljets ranks 16^th all-time with 38 points, logging 12 goals and 14 assists. The Tigers' top goal scorer in 2022, McKeon is 28^th all-time in program history, totaling 29 points with ten goals and nine assists.
 
DO THE ROAR
First-year head coach Katie Gerzabek Salem and assistant coach Noelle Frost each had illustrious playing careers for the University of Maryland. Gerzabek Salem won a national championship with the Terrapins as a freshman in 2011 and collected numerous individual awards over her collegiate playing career. Frost was a three-year starting goalkeeper for the Terrapins, with appearances in the national championship in 2017 and 2018.
 
FIFTH TIME'S THE CHARM
Four seniors from last year's rotation have returned for a fifth year to help establish a strong veteran presence within the program. The four have combined to start 223 games for the Black & Gold dating back to 2019.
 
Midfielders Beachley and McKeon have started 68 games apiece, including all 18 last season. Forward Samantha Aljets has made 46 starts, missing action in 2021 due to injury. Forward Gianna Antone has gotten 41 starting nods for the Tigers after a medical redshirt season in 2019.
 
YO HOME TO BEL AIR!
Of Towson's 27 rostered players, four played for C. Milton Wright High School in Bel Air, Maryland before joining the Tigers. Beachley, fifth year forward Samantha Aljets, senior Annie Keele and freshman Riley Cushman all played for the Mustangs. In 2017 and 2018, C.M. Wright went 38-3 capturing the 2018 Maryland 3A State Championship and were runners-up in 2017. In 2019, Keele's senior and Cushman's freshman seasons, the Mustangs won the regional championship.
 
Beachley, the team's leading scorer two seasons ago, and Aljets, the top point producer on the 2019 and spring 2021 teams, have been teammates since elementary school and have played together for more than a decade, including eight years with the H2O club program.