Towson Tigers Dominate Bucknell in Women's Soccer Match
TOWSON, Md. — Towson needed a spark. It found three of them before halftime.
The Tigers struck three times in a ruthless first-half spell and rode that cushion to a 3-1 win over Bucknell in a non-league women’s soccer clash on Sunday at Tiger Field. Louisa Thomsen pulled one back early in the second half, but the Bison’s late surge came too late as their skid stretched to four straight defeats, dropping them to 3-5 on the year. Towson moved to 2-2-2.
Tigers pounce early
The tone shifted quickly, just past the 14-minute mark. Towson’s Meron Koro reacted first when a rebound spilled loose after a Sarah McFarland save, and she calmly rolled the ball into an empty net for the opener.
Koro nearly doubled the lead moments later, narrowly missing a second, and Bucknell never really settled before the damage grew.
The breakthrough opened the floodgates. Towson substitute Jayla Caldwell came off the bench and changed the game in a blistering five-minute burst. Both of her goals came from corner kicks, and both punished Bucknell’s inability to clear their lines.
Her first was textbook: a clean, decisive header that flew past McFarland. The second was all about awareness. A Bison clearance dropped at her feet, and Caldwell lifted a lob over McFarland and into the far-side netting to make it 3-0 before the break.
Bucknell’s best look in the opening half fell to Gaby Parker around the 20-minute mark. She sliced between two defenders to carve out space in the box, but Towson goalkeeper Keagan Williams closed down the angle and smothered the chance.
Bucknell response comes too late
Down three at halftime, Bucknell finally found some rhythm after the restart. The Bison played on the front foot, outshooting Towson 10-9 in the second half and asking more questions of the home back line.
Pressure built. Bella Connell drove into the right side of the area on a promising run, only to run out of room as the Towson defense recovered. The next set piece changed that.
In the 58th minute, Thomsen rose to meet a delivery from Clare Nemsick and steered a header off the inside of the left post and just over the line. It was Thomsen’s first goal of the season and Nemsick’s second assist, a deserved reward for a much sharper second-half display.
Bucknell kept pushing but couldn’t find a second. Towson still carried threat on the break and finished with a 21-16 edge in shots and an 8-4 advantage in corner kicks, underlining the Tigers’ sustained attacking presence.
McFarland recorded four saves in the first half before giving way to Reese Dolan, who handled two shots in a scoreless second 45. At the other end, Williams finished with five saves for Towson, including that key first-half stop on Parker that helped preserve the early lead.
Bucknell now turns the page on non-conference play with a trip to Villanova on Thursday at 4 p.m., then returns home to open Patriot League action against Lehigh on Sept. 19 — two games that will quickly reveal whether this team can turn a rough stretch into a reset.
