(from TU Athletic Media Relations)
THE TIGERS THIS WEEK
(September 15-21, 2003)

FOOTBALL (2-1, 1-0)
Sat. Sept. 20 at Yale University (WTMD-FM), (Comcast-CN8) 1:00
VOLLEYBALL (5-4)
Tue. Sept. 16 at Morgan State 7:00
Fri. Sept. 19 TOWSON INVITATIONAL 4:30
Sat. Sept. 20 TOWSON INVITATIONAL 9:00 am
MEN’S SOCCER (0-3-1)
Tue. Sept. 16 at Georgetown University 3:00
Fri. Sept. 19 Pennsylvania (Princeton Classic) 5:00
Sun. Sept. 21 at Princeton (Princeton Classic) 2:30
WOMEN’S SOCCER (1-4-0)
Fri. Sept. 19 ST. JOSEPH’S 4:00
Sun. Sept. 21 at George Washington 1:00
FIELD HOCKEY (3-2)
Wed. Sept. 17 LaSALLE 4:00
Fri. Sept. 19 LONGWOOD 4:00
Sun. Sept. 21 MAINE 12 noon
MEN’S TENNIS (0-0)
Wed. Sept. 17 LAFAYETTE 3:00
Sat. Sept. 20 at Baltimore-Washington Challenge at George Mason
Sun. Sept. 21 at Baltimore-Washington Challenge at George Mason
WOMEN’S TENNIS (0-0)
Wed. Sept. 17 LAFAYETTE 3:00
Sat. Sept. 20 ST. JOSEPH’S 1:00
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY
Sat. Sept. 20 at Delaware Invitational 10:30 a.m.
GOLF (0-0)
Sat. Sept. 20 at U.S. Naval Academy Invitational TBA
Sun. Sept. 21 at U.S. Naval Academy Invitational TBA
* Colonial Athletic Assoc. games
# Patriot League games
For ticket information, call (410) 704-2244

FOOTBALL:
Tigers Visit Yale In First Meeting On Saturday
After opening their Patriot League schedule with a 19-13 victory over Lafayette, the Tigers travel to historic Yale Bowl on Saturday afternoon when they face Yale University at 1:00.

The game will be broadcast back to the Baltimore area on WTMD-Radio (89.7 FM). It will also be telecast on Comcast-8 cable.

The Tigers, now 2-1 on the season, will be facing the Bulldogs for the first time ever. The teams were scheduled to play at Towson on September 15, 2001. However, the game was cancelled after the terrorist attacks on September 11.

While the Tigers will be playing their fourth game of the season, Yale will be playing its season opener. Yale had a 6-4 record last season and is considered one of the favorites to win the 2003 Ivy League title. The Bulldogs have 22 starters returning.

When the Tigers play in the Yale Bowl, they will be playing in the largest and most historic facility they’ve ever played in. The Yale Bowl was opened in 1914 and has been the site of hundreds of college football games. The Yale Bowl has a seating capacity of 64,269.

Yale will be opening its 133rd football season on Saturday. The Bulldogs have an all-time record of 815-311-55.
In their win over Lafayette, the Tigers used an opportunistic defense and the running combination of tailbacks Mikal Lundy (Florence H.S./Willingboro, N.J.) and Matt Romeo (St. Joseph Regional H.S./New Milford, N.J.) to pull out the win.

Senior linebacker Steve Hessler (Cedar Cliff H.S./New Cumberland, Pa.) and senior defensive back Jairus Johnson (Parkville H.S./Baltimore, Md.) led the defense by making 11 tackles each. Towson’s defensive unit forced five turnovers.

Hessler, who made a key tackle midway through the fourth quarter on fourth down-and-inches at the Towson 29-yard line, also had two interceptions in the victory. His second interception came with 2:03 remaining and sealed the win. The Tigers intercepted Lafayette quarterback Marko Glavic four times. Hessler also broke up two passes and had one tackle for lost yardage.

For his performance against the Leopards, Hessler was named as the Patriot League “Defensive Player of the Week.”

“Our defense played very well,” said Coach Gordy Combs. “We put them in tough spots several times and they bailed us out. It was a tremendous effort.”

With rainy weather slowing the Tiger passing game, Lundy and Romeo carried the offensive load for Towson. Lundy had 24 carries for 77 yards and one touchdown while Romeo carried the ball 14 times for 76 yards and one TD.

On the season, Lundy has rushed for 291 yards in three games and ranks fourth in the Patriot League in rushing. He has also scored five touchdowns and is tied for the Patriot League lead.

After this week’s game at Yale, the Tigers travel to Colgate University on September 27 for a key Patriot League battle. Towson’s next home game is set for October 11 against Holy Cross.

FIELD HOCKEY:
Lambi Leads Tigers Into Three Home Games This Week
Junior forward Julie Lambi (Oley Valley H.S./Fleetwood, Pa.), who became the Tigers’ career scoring leader last week, will lead the Tigers into three non-conference home games this week.

The Tigers, now 3-2 on the season, host LaSalle University on Wednesday, September 17 at 4:00. On Friday afternoon, September 19, Towson hosts Longwood University. On Sunday, the Tigers host Maine, a former rival in America East.

Lambi scored three goals and had one assist as the Tigers split two games last week. In Towson’s 6-1 victory over Georgetown on Wednesday, she scored a goal and had one assist. Her first half goal enabled the Tigers to grab a 2-1 lead and it was the 27th goal of her career, breaking the school record held by Lisa McCullen, ‘97.

The win over Georgetown ended Towson’s five-game losing streak to the Hoyas. It was the Tigers’ first win over Georgetown since 1996.

On Sunday, the Tigers suffered a heart-breaking 3-2 overtime loss to Radford.
Lambi scored two goals to give Towson a 2-0 lead early in the second half. Those two goals enabled Lambi to become the Tigers’ career points-scoring leader with 62. She broke the record of 60 points also owned by McCullen.

Radford rallied from the 2-0 deficit to pull out a 3-2 overtime victory.
Lambi leads the Tigers with five goals and two assists while senior forward Andrea Schlezes (Mount Pleasant H.S./Wilmington, Del.) has scored three goals with two assists.

Junior Ashley Bacon (Elkton H.S./Elkton, Md.) is third on the team with two goals.
While scoring 16 goals in their first five games, the Tigers have shown tremendous balance. Nine different players have scored those goals and Towson has scored at least two goals in every game this year.

WOMEN’S SOCCER:
Tigers Return Home To Host St. Joseph’s
After earning their first win of the season, a 2-0 victory over Mount St. Mary’s, the Tigers return home on Friday afternoon to host St. Joseph’s University at 4:00.

Now 1-4-0 on the season, the Tigers will be facing the Hawks for the first time. On Sunday afternoon, the Tigers are back on the road as they travel to George Washington University for a 1:00 contest.

After scoring just one goal in their first three games, the Tigers tallied four goals in two games over the weekend.

Sophomore Emma Noonan (Red Hook Central H.S./Germantown, N.Y.) scored twice in the Tigers’ 3-2 loss at Maryland on Friday evening. Her two goals were the first goals ever scored by Towson against Maryland. The Terrapins had won all three previous meetings by shutout.

In their 2-0 win at Mount St. Mary’s, senior Natalie Klisas (River Hill H.S./Columbia, Md.) gave Towson a 1-0 lead with her first goal of the season. Freshman Tiffany Wilson (Eleanor Roosevelt H.S./Bowie, Md.) made it a 2-0 advantage when she scored her first career goal midway through the second half.

Noonan leads the Tigers in scoring with two goals and one assist.
In the win at Mount St. Mary’s, goalkeeper Yasmin Alter (Archbishop Spalding H.S. /Bowie, Md.) posted her first shutout of the season and the sixth shutout of her college career.

The Tigers return home on Friday, September 26 when they host Drexel University in their Colonial Athletic Association opener at 4:00.


MEN’S SOCCER:
Tigers Face Three Teams On The Road This Week
Still seeking their first win of the season, the Tigers face a stiff challenge this week when they play three games on the road .

Now 0-3-1, the Tigers visit Georgetown on Tuesday for a 3:00 game. Then, they travel to Princeton University to play in the Princeton Soccer Classic this weekend.

In the first round, Towson faces the University of Pennsylvania on Friday, September 19 at 5:00. Pennsylvania is the defending Ivy League champion and is ranked in the national top twenty-five. On Sunday, September 21, Towson plays host Princeton at 2:30.

With their 0-3-1 record, the Tigers are off to their worst start as an NCAA Division I program. Although the team has played well defensively, Towson has yet to score a goal. At 380 minutes, this is longest scoring drought in Towson’s men’s soccer recorded history.

After opening the season with a 0-0 double overtime tie at Lehigh, the Tigers dropped 1-0 decisions to UMBC and Navy in the Battle of Baltimore. On Saturday afternoon, St. Peter’s blanked the Tigers, 2-0.

Towson has faced a difficult early season schedule. To date, the Tigers’ four opponents have a combined record of 12-6-2.

Sophomore goalkeeper Zak Thompson (Springbrook H.S./Silver Spring, Md.) has played all 380 minutes of the season to date. He is allowing 0.95 goals per game.

Wednesday’s game at Georgetown marks the start of a six-game stretch where the Tigers play on the road. Towson’s next home game is Friday, October 10 against James Madison University at 3:00.

GOLF:
Tigers Impressive In Season-Opening Tournament
Coming off a solid second place finish in the 14-team Navy Fall Invitational, the Tigers will compete in the James Madison Invitational Tournament this weekend.

For the second year in a row, Coach Brian Yaniger and the Tigers were runners-up at the Navy Fall Invitational. Towson shot a two-round total of 579 to finish 11 strokes over par. Georgetown carded a blistering 565, a three-under par score, to win the tournament.

Towson finished ahead of George Washington (584), defending champion Winthrop (586) and Navy (587), among others.

Senior Josh Spreng (St. Maria Goretti H.S./Hagerstown, Md.) led the Tigers to their second place finish as he tied for seventh place. Spreng had a two-round total of 142 to finish in a three-way tie for seventh.

Junior Chris Baloga (Calvert Hall H.S./Baltimore, Md.) also played well for the Tigers. He had a two-round total of 144 to finish 12th in the tournament field. Playing in his first college tournament, freshman Alex Brueggemann (John Carroll H.S./Bel Air, Md.) carded a 145 to tie for 14th place.

Junior Billy Wingerd (Overlea H.S./Baltimore, Md.), the medalist at last year’s Navy Fall Classic, tied for 30th place with a two-round score of 149.


MEN’S AND WOMEN’S
CROSS COUNTRY:
Tigers Travel To Delaware Invitational
After hosting their own rainy Towson Invitational Meet on Saturday, the Tigers travel to the University of Delaware on Saturday to compete in the Delaware Invitational Meet.

The Tiger women’s team finished second at the Towson Invitational as Hofstra won the championship. Sophomores Erin Riddle (Lenape H.S./Mount Laurel, N.J.) and Megan Lerch (Kingsway Regional H.S./Mullica Hill, N.J.) were the top runners for the Tigers for the second week in a row. Last week’s Colonial Athletic Association “Runner of the Week,” Riddle finished eighth at the Towson Invitational with a time of 18:21. Lerch ran ninth with a time of 18:34.

The Tiger men’s team finished fifth in the seven-team field. Sophomore Kyle Reagan (Mount St. Joseph H.S./Baltimore, Md.) was the Tigers’ top runner as he finished 22nd with a time of 28:03. Senior Chad Zimmerman (Mount Hebron H.S./Ellicott City, Md.) took 28th place (28:42).



MEN’S AND WOMEN’S
TENNIS:
Tigers Open Season This Week
Coach Peter Walten will be starting his second season in the dual role of head men’s and women’s tennis coach when the Tigers open their season on Wednesday with home matches against Lafayette College at their Towson Center Courts at 3:00.

Last season, the Tiger men’s team had a final record of 5-14 while the women’s team was 7-12. Coach Walten is confident that both teams will be better this season.

Sophomore Ittai Dvir (Kiriat Bialik/Haifa, Israel) returns as the Tigers’ number one singles player. He is a powerful player who takes advantage of his 6-6 height.

Senior Chris Rowland (DeMatha Catholic H.S./Bowie, Md.) is also a top returnee who will be one of the Tigers’ top singles players. Walten also has high hopes for senior Dan Selzer (W.T. Clarke H.S./Westbury, N.Y.), junior Joel Young (Rancocas Valley H.S./Westhampton, N.J.) and sophomore Doug Ferguson (Liberty H.S./Eldersburg, Md.).

Walten says, “we have a very good group of returning players and they’ve all been working very hard. We should be much better than last season.”

While the men’s team has plenty of experience returning, Walten may use several freshmen in the women’s lineup.
Senior Sarah Dumansky (Nutley H.S./Nutley, N.J.) returns as the Tigers’ top player. She is a hard worker who has shown plenty of improvement during her college career. She will be the team captain.

Last season, Dumansky saw action at number two singles, number three singles and number four singles, posting an 11-9 record.

The Tigers will also be hoping for the return of senior Katie Long (Mount Hebron H.S./Ellicott City, Md.) for the spring season. Long is studying in Spain this semester.

VOLLEYBALL:
Tigers Host Towson Invitational This Week
Coming off a strong performance at the New England Challenge, the Tigers return home this weekend when they host the Towson Invitational Tournament on Friday, September 19 and Saturday, September 20.

Joining the Tigers in the four-team tournament field are St. John’s University, Virginia Commonwealth and Coppin State. The tournament gets underway on Friday evening at 4:30 and continues on Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m.

Now 5-4 on the season, the Tigers visit Morgan State on Tuesday night in a non-league game.
After dropping a four-game match to Maryland, the Tigers won two out of three games at the New England Challenge. Towson beat Harvard and Boston College in five games but dropped a four-game match to Northeastern.

Juniors Sarah Miller (Waubonsie Valley H.S./Aurora, Ill.) and Liz Goubeaux (Lockport H.S./Lockport, N.Y.) had big weekends at the New England Challenge. In three matches, Miller had 59 kills and 30 digs. She had 23 kills and 14 digs in the win over Harvard. Miller leads the Tigers with 4.05 kills per game and ranks fourth on the team with 2.64 digs per game.

Goubeaux had 44 kills and 22 blocks in the three matches in Boston. She now has a team high .349 hitting percentage while averaging 2.74 kills per game. Goubeaux also leads the team with 1.45 blocks per game.



TOP TIGERS

CHRIS BALOGA (Golf), Jr., Calvert Hall H.S., Baltimore, Md.: Tied for 12th place in the individual standings at the Navy Fall Tournament ... Chris had a two-round total of 144 to help the Tigers finish as tournament runners-up.

LIZ GOUBEAUX (Volleyball), Jr., Lockport H.S., Lockport, N.Y.: Led Tigers to two wins in three matches at the New England Challenge in Boston ... Liz had a total of 44 kills and 22 blocks in three matches ... She had 18 kills in the win over Harvard and had 16 kills against Northeastern ... On the season, Liz leads the Tigers with a .349 hitting percentage ... She is also averaging 2.74 kills and 1.45 blocks per game.

CHRISTINA GREMPLER (Volleyball), Fr., Severna Park H.S., Severna Park, Md.: Honored as the Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week ... In four matches, she recorded 28 kills with three service aces ... She also had eight blocks and had a .241 hitting percentage ... She hit .538 with nine kills in the Tigers’ win over Harvard.

STEVE HESSLER (Football), Sr., Cedar Cliff H.S., New Cumberland, Pa.: Honored as the Patriot League “Defensive Player of the Week” ... Led the Tigers to a 19-13 victory over Lafayette with a team high 11 tackles ... He also intercepted two passes, broke up two passes and had one tackle for lost yardage.

JAIRUS JOHNSON (Football), Sr., Parkville H.S., Baltimore, Md.: Tiger defensive back tied for the team high with 11 tackles in Towson’s 19-13 win over Lafayette ... Jairus also had one tackle for lost yardage and broke up two passes.

JULIE LAMBI (Field Hockey), Jr., Oley Valley H.S., Fleetwood, Pa.: Became the Tigers’ career leader in goals scored and points ... Scored three goals with one assist in two games last week ... Julie had a goal and an assist in a 6-1 win over Georgetown ... She had two goals in a 3-2 loss to Radford ... She has 29 career goals with four assists and 62 points.

EMMA NOONAN (Soccer), So., Red Hook Central H.S., Germantown, N.Y.: Scored two goals with one assist in the Tigers’ two games last week ... She scored both Tiger goals in their 3-2 loss at Maryland ... She also had one assist in Towson’s first win of the season, a 2-0 victory at Mount St. Mary’s.

SARAH MILLER (Volleyball), Jr., Waubonsie Valley H.S., Aurora, Ill.: Led Tigers to two wins in three matches at the New England Challenge ... In three matches, she had 59 kills and 30 digs, including a 23-kill, 14-dig performance at Harvard ... On the year, she leads the Tigers with 4.06 kills per game.

MATT ROMEO (Football), Sr., St. Joseph Regional H.S., New Milford, N.J.: Tiger tailback rushed for 74 yards on 14 carries in the Tigers’ 19-13 win over Lafayette ... His 52-yard run in the third quarter set up his own one-yard touchdown run that gave the Tigers a 16-6 lead.

JOSH SPRENG (Golf), Sr., St. Maria Goretti H.S., Hagerstown, Md.: Helped the Tigers to a second place finish at the Navy Fall Invitational Tournament in Annapolis ... Josh tied for seventh place with a two-round total of 142 ... He shot a 70 in the first round and carded a 72 in the second round.

STEPHAN TOTH (Football), Fr., The Bolles School, Jacksonville, Fla.: Honored as the Patriot League “Rookie of the Week” for the second week in a row after helping the Tigers to a 19-13 win over Lafayette ... Stephan was two-for-two on field goal attempts ... His 31-yard field goal in the first quarter gave Towson a 3-0 lead ... He also kicked a 20-yard field goal with 2:56 remaining for a 19-13 edge ... Stephan is a perfect five-for-five on field goal attempts this year.