BUIES CREEK, N.C. - The Towson University women's lacrosse team is on the road this week as they open Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play against Campbell University on Saturday, March 14 at 12:00 p.m. Towson leads 2-0 in the series in the team's third consecutive meeting with Campbell. Towson is coming off a 14-13 win against Jacksonville last week. The Tigers will be coming into Kristen Carr's third season as the head coach for the Black & Gold.

Preseason Accolades
The Tigers were voted to finish in third place in the CAA Preseason Coaches' Poll, earning 33 points. The Black & Gold were picked behind CAA defending champion Stony Brook and Drexel. Senior midfielder Valerie Thompson and junior Katie Roszko were named to the All-CAA team, while senior Ocea Leavy and sophomore Jenna Cardeno earned honorable mention recognition. 

Welcome (Back) 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. Alongside Rebecca Lane, Lyndsey Muñoz and Kristin O'Neill, Carr will be welcoming back Milana Zizakovic as the team's Director of Player Development.

Fresh Faces
Kristen Carr welcomes a class of eleven newcomers this season with seven freshmen and four transfers. Carr brought in senior attack Acacia Connor (Syracuse), sophomore midfielder Jacinda Connor (USF), graduate attack Elise Smigiel (Penn State) and graduate goalie Sienna Parekh (University of Nottingham). Carr's freshmen class consists of Courtney Xippolitos (defender), Tabi Reardon (midfielder), Karsen Hippert (mid/def), Annie Minoglio (attack), Emma Dulin (goalie), Lisa Magill (midfielder) and Kylie Trainor (midfielder).

Back at Unitas
The Tigers return to Johnny Unitas® Stadium this season on Saturday, March 28 to host CAA foe Hofstra.

Staying Home
The 2026 squad has 14 student-athletes that call Maryland home. Savannah Safchuck (Towson), Casey Meredith (Hampstead), Valerie Thompson (Sykesville), Annie Minoglio (Bel Air), Acacia Connor (Towson), Katie Roszko (Bel Air), Elise Smith (Ellicott City), Kylie Ritter (Ellicott City), Sydney Casserly (Baltimore), Bella Wojcik (Perry Hall), Harli Hamlett (Sykesville), Emma Dulin (Centreville), Cameron Levine (Baltimore) and Jacinda Connor (Towson) will all represent their home state.

Scouting Campbell
The Camels enter Saturday's matchup with an 8-1 record after picking up wins against High Point, Winthrop, Longwood, Charlotte, Furman, Wofford and East Carolina while the team's lone loss comes from Jacksonville.

Earlier this week, sophomore attacker Emma Penkunas was tabbed the CAA Offensive Player of the Week, and freshman goalkeeper Adria Welsh earned her second CAA Rookie of the Week honor as announced by the league on Monday. Penkunas tallied 10 points altogether in the Camels' last three games. The sophomore recorded her first career hat trick in Campbell's win over Furman, doing so on four shots. Against Wofford, Penkunas recorded a goal and an assist. Welsh tallied 20 saves across three games last week, bolstering a .408 save percentage.

Defender Hailey Kohlmann and attacker Chloe Annibell have also received nods from the CAA this season. Against Winthrop, Kohlmann set a program record after tallying six caused turnovers. The fifth-year also recorded six ground balls and had her third career multi-goal game. Against Longwood, Kohlmann added five caused turnovers, three ground balls and an assist. The Crofton, Maryland native ranked second in the NCAA in caused turnovers per game (4.20) that week. She currently ranks sixth (3.44). Annibell recorded two hat tricks, the firsts of her career, in back-to-back games against Winthrop and Longwood. The sophomore found the back of the net against Winthrop with 1:20 left in the game to put the Camels ahead by one and secure a victory for Campbell.

Kohlmann additionally was selected as an honorable mention on the All-CAA Preseason Team in January. In the Preseason Coaches Poll, Campbell was selected to finish seventh. 

Up Next
The Tigers are set to face off against No. 17/16 Loyola on Wednesday, March 18. The game is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. at Ridley Athletic Complex in Baltimore, Md. and will be streamed on ESPN+.