Cougars Look for Third Road Win In a Row at Towson

Sunday, October 7

Towson, MD - Tiger Soccer Complex

1:00 PM

College of Charleston

Towson

10/6/2018 7:26:00 PM | Women's Soccer

COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON (8-5-0; 3-1-0 CAA) at TOWSON (3-11-1, 0-5-0 CAA)
Game #14 • Sun. Oct. 7, 2018 • 1:00 p.m. ET
Towson, Md. • Tiger Soccer Complex
Series: Charleston lead 2-1-2 overall
Last: Oct. 8, 2017; Charleston won 2-1 in overtime

Watch: Towson Stream
Stats: CofCStats.com

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The College of Charleston women's soccer team puts its two-game win streak on the line with a road game at Towson on Sunday afternoon. The College, sitting in a tie for second in the Colonial Athletic Association standings, have won their last two matches 1-0, both on the road, and will face the Tigers in Towson at 1 p.m.

Scouting Towson
The Tigers are 3-11-1 on the season, 0-5-0 in CAA play after dropping every matchup so far against Hofstra William & Mary, Northeastern, Elon and most recently James Madison. The Tigers have conceded 14 goals in conference play, scoring none, with their three wins on the season coming against Loyola (Md.) in overtime, UMBC and Lehigh in overtime. The Tigers did push South Florida all the way to open the season, eventually losing the game 2-1 in overtime to the now receiving national votes Bulls.

Series History
This will be the sixth meeting in history between the programs with Charleston leading the overall series 2-1-2 having won the last two matches. In the Cougars inaugural season in the CAA, the Tigers picked up a 2-1 win at Patriots Point with the teams then drawing the next two matches in 2014 and 2015. Charleston then picked up 2-1 victories in 2016 and 2017, the last win coming in overtime.

Last Meeting with the Tigers
Alyssa Beck scored five minutes into overtime to lift CofC to a 2-1 CAA victory over the Tigers at Patriots Point on Oct. 8, 2017. Laura Ortega opened the scoring for Charleston in the 20^th minute, heading in a Leah Deutsch cross before Towson equalized in the 40^th minute with a 20-yard effort. Mary Kate Bowers then crossed for Beck in overtime, who finished from close range for the win.

Quotable – Head Coach Christian Michner
"This has been a good week for us to refresh, recharge and be ready for the final stretch of CAA games. Not having a midweek game allowed us to change our training rhythm a bit to make sure we arrive at Towson ready to be at our best. The girls have really done and amazing job of showing up to training day in and day out all season ready to compete. It's made a difference in our mentality and been a key factor in us getting good results in these tight CAA games. Towson will be a very tough match and the girls understand that going in. We have to be prepared both physically and mentally up there to do whatever it takes to be in a position to win the game. I'm excited to see my team play again!"

Notables
• Charleston are on a two-game win streak against Towson
• The Cougars last six matches have been decided by a single goal with CofC holding a 4-2 record over those past six games
• Laura Ortega scored her third goal in three games, helping CofC to wins over William & Mary and Elon
• Ortega was named CAA Player of the Week on Sept. 24 and is now the sole all-time career points leader at the College of Charleston
• Ortega is also three assists from tying the program record of 22, four from taking the record outright
• Alyssa Beck got her second assist of the season against Elon
• Meredith Tunney continues to be the only Charleston student-athlete to play every minute of every game this season (1,201)
• Tunney was named CAA Defender of the Week on Sept. 10
• Charleston picked up their first win over William & Mary in program history on Sept. 20
• On her debut for CofC, freshman Hannah Farmer got her first career assist in Charleston's 2-0 win over North Florida
• Kacey Smekrud scored her first collegiate goal on the road at Wake Forest
• Maddy Brill-Edwards got her first assist of the season against Coastal Carolina before getting her second against Florida International; she scored her first goal of the season against Charleston Southern
• Senior forward Laura Ortega was named CAA Preseason Co-Player of the Year
• Ortega and senior defender Maddy Brill-Edwards were named Preseason All-CAA selections

Last Time Out
Alyssa Beck scored the game-winner midway through the first half to move the College of Charleston into a tie for second in the CAA standings. Beck's header came from a Raymara Barreto free-kick in the right channel, the header from 12-yards flying into the bottom right corner. Kacey Smekrud almost doubled Charleston's lead midway through the second half, but her 30-yard effort flew narrowly wide. Laura Ortega also went close in the final minutes with a 20-yard effort that narrowly missed the top right corner with Charleston seeing the game out to take the three points and move to 3-1 in conference play.

Record Breaker
CAA Preseason Co-Player of the Year Laura Ortega took control of the all-time points record by scoring two goals in two games last week. Ortega, 63 career points, tied the record with a last-minute game-winning free-kick against William & Mary. She then took control of the record book with a 35-yard free-kick against Drexel on Sept. 23., before adding to her own record against Elon. Ortega is two goals from tying the career record of 24 set by Kristin Rhyne (2003-05) and is third all-time in assists with 19 (three from tying the career record).

Cougars Summary
The College was picked to finish sixth in the Colonial Athletic Association by the league's coaches. Charleston returns 24 letterwinners, including nine starters, while adding 11 newcomers to the roster. The 2018 squad will be led by 2017 All-CAA selection Laura Ortega who led the offense last season with eight goals and five assists; good for 21 points. Senior defender Maddy Brill-Edwards is a Preseason All-CAA selection alongside Ortega who is also the Preseason Co-Player of the Year.