When: Saturday, April 6, 2024
Where: Martin Family Stadium | Williamsburg, Va.
Time: Saturday- 1 p.m.
Team Records: Towson (5-7, 2-2 CAA) at William & Mary (4-6, 2-2 CAA)
Stream: FloSports
Series: Towson Leads William & Mary 20-8
TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University women's lacrosse team returns to conference play with a Saturday game against William & Mary. The Tigers wrapped up non-conference play against Saint Joseph's on Wednesday. Towson fell to the Hawks 14-12 at Tiger Field. Milana Zizakovic led the Tigers with five goals while Lindsey Marshall and Katie Roszko each added a hat trick.
           
The Black & Gold are coming off an 11-7 season, finishing in second place in the CAA with a 5-2 record. Towson defeated Drexel in the CAA semifinals and reached the CAA Championship where the Tigers fell to Stony Brook.
 
The Tigers return All-CAA First Team midfielder Milana Zizakovic. Towson brings back last season's goal and draw control leader in Lindsey Marshall. The Tigers also bring back senior defender Blair Goodrich, who led the team in caused turnovers with 31 last season. Senior goalkeeper Jo Torres returns for second season in the crease for the Black & Gold after earning All-CAA Second Team honors.
 
Oh Captain! My Captain!
Shannon Sullivan, Milana Zizakovic, Lindsey Marshall and Blair Goodrich were selected as team captains for the 2024 season.
 
Climbing the Ranks    
Senior midfielder Lindsey Marshall is climbing up the record book in draw controls. The Catonsville, Maryland currently ranks fourth all-time in draw controls with 187. Marshall sits behind former teammate Blair Pearre for third place, trailing by 29. The midfielder led the Tigers in draw controls last season with 72 and finished 102 draw controls in her freshman season, the second highest total in a season by a Tiger. The midfielder became the 17th Tiger all-time to join the 100 Goal Club after scoring her third goal against Delaware. Marshall sits 13th all-time in program history with 114 goals, trailing Andi Raymond by eight.
 
Instant Impact 
Senior goalkeeper Jo Torres made an instant impact last season after joining the Tigers. Torres was named to All-CAA Second Team after ranking second in the CAA in total saves with 151. She finished four games with double-digit saves, including a season-high 13 saves against Johns Hopkins and Delaware. The senior goalkeeper ranked second in the conference in save percentage (43.2%) and third in goals against average (11.19). In her Towson debut, Torres made 12 save and totaled a 75% save percentage against the Mountaineers, which earned her CAA Defensive Player of the Week honors. Four goals are the fewest amount of goals allowed by Towson in a season opener since 2016. This season, Torres has finished with double-digit saves in seven of the eight games this season.
 
Welcome to Towson!
Kristen Carr was named the Women's Lacrosse Head Coach in July 2023. The two-time gold medalist has made assistant coaching stops at North Carolina, Delaware, Stanford, Ohio State and Johns Hopkins. Carr was an IWLCA All-American defensive midfielder at North Carolina, where she made four NCAA Tournament appearances She added Kelyn Freedman, Rebecca Lane and Shelby Harrison to her coaching staff.
 
O Canada
Milana Zizakovic returns for her junior season after being named to the All-CAA First Team last season. The Calgary, Alberta native led the Black & Gold in points with a career-high 56. Zizakovic finished third on the team in goals and assists with 41 goals and 15 assists. The midfielder ranked second on the Tigers last season in draw controls with a career-best 57 draw controls. Zizakovic registered a point in 17 of the 18 games last season while adding 22 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers. So far this season, she leads the Tiger in points and goals with 41 points and 32 goals.
 
Preseason Accolades
The Tigers were voted to finish in third place in the Coaches poll, earning 51 points, including one first-place vote. The Black & Gold were picked behind defending champion Stony Brook and Drexel. Senior attacker Lindsey Marshall, senior defender Blair Goodrich and junior midfielder Milana Zizakovic all claimed preseason honors.
 
Fresh Faces   
Kristen Carr welcomes a class of nine freshmen to Towson for the upcoming 2024 season. She brought in Casey Meredith (midfield), Hailey Waldron (midfield), Katie Roszko (midfield), Kylie Ritter (defense), Sydney Casserly (attack), Bella Wojcik (midfield), Alexis Aaron (defense), Louise Aloi (attack) and Alyssa Edwards (goalkeeper). 
 
Back at Unitas
The Tigers return to Johnny Unitas® Stadium for the first time since 2020. Unitas plays host to two games this year for the Black & Gold with the first game being the season opener against the Mount, which the Tigers won 14-10. Towson took on Hofstra in the second game in Unitas and fell 15-8.
 
International Duty
Sophomore midfielder Ocea Leavy was called up to the U20 Australian team for the 2024 World Lacrosse U20 Women's World Cup. Leavy is the only returning member of the 2019 Australian U19 team which claimed bronze at the 2019 World Lacrosse U20 World Championship held in Peterborough, Canada. She earned CAA All-Rookie honors last season after scoring six goals, 11 ground balls, and two caused turnovers.
 
Midfielder Milana Zizakovic was selected to the final roster for the Canadian Women's National Box Lacrosse Team last week. Zizakovic was selected along with 47 athletes that range from national team players to current college players.
 
Staying Home
The 2024 squad has 20 student-athletes that call Maryland home. Savannah Safchuck (Towson), Casey Meredith (Hampstead), Valerie Thompson (Sykesville), Paiton and Paige Abbott (Mount Airy), Mia Rehkemper (Catonsville), Katie Roszko (Bel Air), Lindsay Clarke (Parkton), Blair Goodrich (Chester), Kylie Ritter (Ellicott City), Sydney Casserly (Baltimore), Lindsay Posner (Monkton), Hannah Glawe (Frederick), Meghan Hoskins (Towson), Bella Wojcik (Perry Hall), Lindsey Marshall (Columbia), Halley Koras (Lutherville), Louise Aloi (Towson), Jo Torres (Prince Frederick) and Alyssa Edwards (Perry Hall) all represent their home state.
 
Scouting William & Mary
The Tribe has a 4-8 overall record with a 0-3 record in CAA play. Paige Gilbert leads William & Mary in goals and points with 25 goals and 27 points. The Tribe converts free position attempts 53.7% of the time, which leads the conference. William & Mary opened the season with an overtime loss to George Mason, then bounced back with a 12-8 win over Old Dominion. The Tribe fell to Richmond, but defeated George Washington in overtime. William & Mary dropped its next game to VCU, then picked up a 19-12 win against east Carolina. The Tribe lost their next two games against Maryland and Penn, before defeating Longwood 13-12. William & Mary opened CAA play with a 13-6 loss to Hofstra, then fell to Monmouth 13-12. The Tribe dropped their most recent contest against Delaware 19-9.
 
Looking Ahead 
The Tigers return to Tiger Field to face off against Drexel on Friday, April 12th at 4 p.m. The game will be streamed on FloSports.