Towson Field Hockey Falls 4-0 to Davidson to Close Opening Weekend

Towson University field hockey closed its opening weekend of the 2026 season with a 4-0 loss to Davidson on Sunday afternoon at Carol Grotnes Belk Turf Field in Davidson, North Carolina.

The Tigers fell to 0-2 after opening the season with a 1-0 overtime loss at Appalachian State on Friday. Davidson improved to 1-1 with the victory. Towson stayed within one goal through halftime, but the Wildcats scored twice in the third quarter to take control of the game.

Towson was more competitive statistically than the final score suggests. The Tigers were outshot only 12-10 and actually held a 7-4 advantage in penalty corners. Davidson, however, was much more efficient with its opportunities, placing seven shots on goal and converting four of them. Towson put four shots on target.

Towson Creates Early Opportunity

The Tigers generated the first scoring chance less than 90 seconds into the game.

Delfina Larripa put an attempt on goal, forcing Davidson goalkeeper Avery Foster to make an early save. That opportunity gave Towson a positive start, but the Wildcats eventually struck first.

Lourdes Wolf scored with 3:49 remaining in the first quarter off an assist from Ellie Johnson, giving Davidson a 1-0 lead. It was Wolf’s second goal of the young season.

Towson responded by applying pressure early in the second quarter.

The Tigers earned two penalty corners during the opening 30 seconds of the period but could not turn either opportunity into an equalizer. Davidson later created a dangerous chance while Towson was playing down a player late in the half, but goalkeeper Riley Redding made the save to keep the deficit at 1-0 entering halftime.

Davidson Breaks Game Open in Third Quarter

The decisive stretch came early in the second half.

Davidson earned a penalty stroke at 34:24, and Matilda Collins converted to double the Wildcats’ advantage to 2-0.

Just 4:11 later, Emily Najarian scored again for Davidson, stretching the lead to 3-0 with 6:25 remaining in the third quarter. The two goals in a little more than four minutes changed a competitive one-goal contest into a difficult comeback situation for Towson.

The Tigers did not stop attacking.

Towson earned four penalty corners and attempted six shots during the final five minutes of the third quarter, but Foster and the Davidson defense kept the Tigers off the scoreboard.

That stretch may have been Towson’s best sustained offensive pressure of the afternoon, but the Tigers could not find the finish they needed.

Wildcats Add Fourth Goal

Davidson put the game away early in the fourth quarter.

Ise Adams scored at 47:28 off an assist from Sophie Rousseau, giving the Wildcats a 4-0 advantage.

Neither side scored again.

Foster completed the shutout with four saves for Davidson, while Redding finished with three saves for Towson.

Towson Generates Chances but Cannot Convert

Towson finished with 10 shots, including four on goal.

Josefina Sayal Aguirre and Else Wismans led the Tigers with two shots apiece. Sayal Aguirre, Larripa, Ava McConnell and Lydia Bennett each registered a shot on goal.

The Tigers’ seven penalty corners were particularly notable because Davidson generated only four.

Through its first two games, Towson has now earned 13 penalty corners compared with only eight for its opponents. The Tigers also have 17 total shots and eight shots on goal through two games.

The issue has been finishing those opportunities.

Towson has yet to score this season despite putting eight shots on goal over the opening two games. Opposing goalkeepers have stopped all eight attempts.

Opening Weekend Ends at 0-2

The 0-2 record is disappointing, but the two games unfolded very differently.

Towson played Appalachian State to a scoreless tie through regulation Friday and actually held a 7-3 advantage in shots and a 6-2 edge in penalty corners entering overtime. App State then controlled overtime and eventually scored the game-winner.

Sunday’s game was more difficult.

Towson remained within 1-0 at halftime before Davidson’s two-goal third quarter created separation.

Still, the Tigers generated more shots against Davidson than they did against Appalachian State and again finished with more penalty corners than their opponent.

That gives Towson something tangible to build upon despite starting the season without a victory.

Young Roster Still Developing

Towson entered the season with significant roster turnover.

The Tigers brought in 14 newcomers while returning 11 players from last year’s team. Head coach Katie Gerzabek Salem is in her fourth season leading the program.

Towson is coming off a 6-12 campaign in 2025 in which the Tigers went 2-3 in CAA play and finished fifth in the conference. The returning group is led by two-time All-CAA First Team selection and 2026 preseason All-CAA selection Anouk Westerink, along with former CAA All-Rookie selections Olivia Miller and Bailey Masten.

With so many new players being integrated into the roster, early-season games are important opportunities to establish combinations and offensive chemistry before conference play begins.

What’s Next

Towson returns home for its next two games.

The Tigers will host Georgetown on Friday, Sept. 4 at 2 p.m. at the TU Field Hockey Complex before welcoming Rider on Sunday, Sept. 6 at noon.

Those games will give Towson its first opportunity to play at home and a chance to turn its offensive opportunities into its first goals and victories of the season.

MSB Take

The 4-0 score looks rough, but the numbers tell a slightly different story.

Towson was not overwhelmed territorially. The Tigers were only outshot 12-10 and actually won the penalty-corner battle 7-4. They also generated six shots and four corners during a late third-quarter push.

That means the chances are there.

The problem is finishing them.

Through two games, Towson has eight shots on goal and zero goals. When a team is consistently creating penalty corners and putting shots on target, eventually some of those opportunities have to become goals.

The other concern Sunday was how quickly the game changed. Towson entered halftime trailing only 1-0, then allowed two Davidson goals within 4:11 during the third quarter. Against good teams, a short lapse like that can turn a competitive game into a three-goal deficit almost immediately.

Still, this is a Towson roster with 14 newcomers. There are going to be growing pains.

The encouraging part is that Towson has already shown it can create opportunities. Now the Tigers need somebody to finish them.

Getting home games against Georgetown and Rider could be exactly what this group needs to settle down, find its first goal and begin building some confidence.