Towson Women’s Soccer Opens 2026 Season With Convincing 2-0 Win Over Mount St. Mary’s
Towson women’s soccer opened the 2026 season with an impressive all-around performance Monday night, defeating Mount St. Mary’s 2-0 at Waldron Family Stadium in Emmitsburg.
After weather delayed the start of the match, the Tigers came out aggressively and scored twice in the opening 18 minutes. Towson controlled the game from there, finishing with a dominant 22-2 advantage in shots while keeping the Mountaineers off the scoreboard.
The victory moved Towson to 1-0 on the season, while Mount St. Mary’s fell to 0-2.
Perry Gives Towson the Early Lead
Towson wasted little time putting pressure on the Mount St. Mary’s defense.
In the sixth minute, Riley Matthews attacked down the right side and sent a cross toward the top of the penalty area. Emma Levin reached the ball and was taken down from behind, resulting in a penalty kick.
Graduate forward Kale’a Perry stepped to the spot and converted, sending the goalkeeper the opposite direction to give Towson a 1-0 lead.
Perry entered the season as one of the leaders of the Tigers attack after earning First Team All-CAA honors last year.
Koro Scores First Collegiate Goal
Towson doubled its advantage just 12 minutes later.
Freshman midfielder Meron Koro received a pass from Jaelyn White roughly 30 yards from goal, beat her defender and created enough space to fire from distance.
Koro buried the shot into the lower corner for her first collegiate goal, giving Towson a 2-0 lead in the 18th minute.
The early goal was an encouraging sign for a Towson team that brought in several newcomers to complement an experienced group of returning players.
Tigers Control the Match
The 2-0 final score did not completely reflect how much Towson controlled the game.
The Tigers outshot Mount St. Mary’s 22-2 and allowed the Mountaineers just one shot in each half. Towson finished with seven shots on goal.
Perry, Koro and Sophie Thibeault combined for 13 of Towson’s 22 shots.
That offensive pressure was especially important for a Tigers team looking to turn strong possession and scoring opportunities into more victories this season.
Towson narrowly missed the CAA Tournament in each of the past two seasons after tiebreakers kept the Tigers out of the postseason. Finishing close games will be a major factor in whether Towson can return to the conference tournament in 2026.
Monday night was a strong first step.
Towson Defense Shuts Down Mount St. Mary’s
Towson was just as impressive defensively.
Sydney Lindeman, Brooke Birrell and Sofia Rosenblatt each played all 90 minutes, helping limit the Mountaineers to only two shots.
Goalkeeper Teagan Gardner needed to make just one save to record the clean sheet.
Mount St. Mary’s forward Cassidy Nichols had the Mountaineers’ only shot on goal, but Gardner made the save in the 58th minute to preserve Towson’s 2-0 advantage.
Gardner has now recorded consecutive shutouts dating back to last season and has gone more than 194 minutes without allowing a goal.
Towson entered the season with plenty of experience on the back end, and that continuity was evident from the opening whistle.
Rosenblatt Helps Control the Midfield
Rosenblatt also played an important role in Towson’s dominance.
The redshirt sophomore midfielder played the full 90 minutes and helped the Tigers control possession throughout the match.
Rosenblatt finished last season playing some of her best soccer, and Monday’s performance showed that momentum has carried into 2026.
Birrell and Feiler Reach Career Milestones
Two Towson veterans reached career milestones during the win.
Birrell surpassed 3,000 career minutes, while Sydney Feiler eclipsed the 1,000-minute mark.
That experience could prove crucial for a Towson roster attempting to take another step forward after narrowly missing postseason play the past two seasons.
Mount St. Mary’s Settles Down After Tough Start
Mount St. Mary’s deserves credit for stabilizing after allowing two goals in the opening 18 minutes.
The Mountaineers held Towson scoreless over the final 72 minutes despite facing constant pressure.
Goalkeeper Abby Makela made five saves and reached 100 career saves during the game.
Payton Meara played all 90 minutes defensively, while freshmen Merete Drees and Addy Gallagher made their first collegiate starts.
The biggest issue for Mount St. Mary’s came offensively.
The Mountaineers managed only two total shots and one shot on goal against Towson’s experienced defensive group.
Nichols recorded the lone shot on goal, while Fineen Cregan accounted for Mount St. Mary’s other attempt.
MSB Take
Towson could not have asked for a much better start to the season.
The Tigers scored early, controlled possession, created 22 shots and allowed only two. They also received contributions from both established veterans and younger players.
Koro scoring her first collegiate goal is particularly encouraging. Towson already returned much of its offensive production from last season, and adding another dangerous scoring option could make the Tigers much tougher to defend.
The biggest takeaway, however, may be the defensive performance.
Allowing just two shots over 90 minutes is a statement.
With Gardner in goal and an experienced defensive group in front of her, Towson appears capable of making opposing teams work for every scoring opportunity.
The Tigers have spent the past two seasons painfully close to postseason soccer. Monday’s opener looked like a team determined to make sure those close calls do not happen again.
What’s Next
Towson returns to action Thursday, Aug. 20, when the Tigers travel to New York to face St. John’s at 4 p.m.
The Tigers will then host George Washington on Sunday, Aug. 23, for their home opener at Tiger Field.
Mount St. Mary’s will also play Thursday, traveling to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, for a 4 p.m. matchup against Bucknell.
