MOUNT ST. MARY'S (0-1-1) vs. TOWSON (2-0-0)
Thursday, August 24, 2023, 2 pm
Emmitsburg, Md. | Waldron Family Stadium
LIVE STATS | WATCH

MOUNT ST. MARY'S (0-1-1) at RADFORD (1-1-0)
Sunday, August 27, 2023, 2 pm
Cupp Stadium | Radford, Va.
LIVE STATS | WATCH

After starting the season with a pair of road contests, Mount St. Mary's women's soccer is set to host Towson on Thursday for the home opener.  The Mount will close the week with a road game at Radford on Sunday.

MOUNT UPDATE:  The Mountaineers are coming off a tough 1-0 loss at Lafayette on Sunday that saw the Leopards scored the game's lone goal with just over five minutes remaining. Goalkeeper Klil Keshwar made four saves in the game.  Keshwar has a 0.50 goals against average and a .909 save percentage over the first two games of the season.  Offensively, the Mountaineers have been held off the scoreboard so far over the first two contests.

ABOUT TOWSON:  Towson is 2-0 this season after a pair of one-goal victories.  The Tigers downed La Salle, 2-1, in the season opener before edging Howard, 1-0, at home on Sunday.  Nia Christopher, Phoebe Canoles and Jasmine Hamid have Towson's goals this year while Christopher and Rebecca Groseibl each have a pair of assists.  Riley Melendez has started both games in goal, tallying a 0.50 goals against average and a .857 save percentage.  Towson has outshot opponents, 33-to-18, this season.

THE ALL-TIME SERIES WITH TOWSON:  Towson holds a 19-3-0 lead in the all-time series that dates back to the Mount's first season in 1992.  The Tigers have won the past five matchups, including a 2-0 victory at the Mount's Waldron Family Stadium on August 28, 2022.  The Mount's last win over the Tigers was a 4-1 victory on August 24, 2012, at home.

ABOUT RADFORD:  Radford enters the weekend with a 1-1-0 record after a 4-0 victory over Emory & Henry in the season opener and a 5-0 loss to Virginia this past Sunday.  Lilly Short, Alexeis Kirnos, Helena Willson and Ashley Loundermon each scored in the win over Emory & Henry.  Jordan Phillips has a 2.20 goals against average and five saves in 163:49 of action.

THE ALL-TIME SERIES WITH RADFORD:  The Mount tied Radford, 2-2, at home last year, but the Highlanders hold a 6-0-1 lead in the all-time series.  The Mount is 0-2-0 all-time on the road against Radford.

HOME OPENERS:  The Mountaineers host Towson for the home opener on Thursday.  The Mount tied Western Carolina, 1-1, in last year's home opener, and have a 6-23-2 all-time record in home openers.  The Mount's last win in a home opener was a 2-1 victory over Howard on August 31, 2018.

STINGY DEFENSE:  The Mountaineers have limited the opposition to just one goal so far this season, tallying a 0.50 goals against average in the two games.  This is coming off a season where the Mountaineers allowed the fewest goals in a full season in program history.  The Mountaineers allowed just 20 goals last year, recording a 1.25 goals against average.  The 20 goals allowed are a school record for a full season, besting the mark of 21 goals allowed in 1995.  In the abbreviated COVID season in the Spring of 2021, the Mount allowed 13 goals in nine games.  Mount St. Mary's also recorded five shutouts last year, matching the program record for shutouts in a season set by the 1996 squad. 

MAAC PRESEASON POLL:  The Mountaineers were picked to finish in ninth place in the annual Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Preseason Coaches poll.  Defending champion Quinnipiac was selected as the preseason favorite, tallying 115 points with six first-place votes..  2022 Co-MAAC Regular Season Champions, Fairfield, finished as a close second in the poll, earning 112 points and four first-place votes, while 2022 Championship runner-up, Niagara was picked third, garnering 90 points and the final first-place vote. Canisius followed in fourth place, claiming 73 points and Rider closed out the league's top-five with 70 points.  Iona, Marist, Siena, Mount St. Mary's, Saint Peter's and Manhattan rounded out the poll.

HEAD COACH MELISSA SHERWOOD:  Head coach Melissa Sherwood is in her second season at the helm of the Mount's women's soccer program.  Last year, she guided the Mountaineers to a 3-6-7 record overall and a 2-5-3 mark in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.  She earned her first win as the Mount's head coach in a 3-0 victory over Hampton on September 10 last year.  Prior to coming to the Mount, she was the Associate Head Coach at Northwestern State, helping lead the Lady Demons to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2005.  Sherwood was the head coach at Saint Peter's for four years (2016-19).

UP NEXT:  Next week, the Mountaineers will host Hampton on Friday, September 1, at 2:00 p.m.  The Mountaineers will be celebrating Senior Day against the Pirates, with this year's seniors being honored in a pregame ceremony.