Towson Tigers Dominate Bucknell in Women's Soccer

TOWSON, Md. – Towson needed a spark. It found three.

A ruthless first-half burst powered the Tigers to a 3-1 win over Bucknell in a non-league women's soccer clash on Sunday at Tiger Field, handing the Bison their fourth straight defeat and dropping them to 3-5 on the season.

Towson blitzes early

The tone changed quickly, just over 14 minutes in. Meron Koro reacted first when a rebound spilled loose after a Sarah McFarland save, pouncing to guide the ball into an empty net and put Towson (2-2-2) on the front foot.

Koro nearly doubled the lead moments later, a warning that Bucknell struggled to heed. The breakthrough for Towson’s dominance came off the bench.

Substitute Jayla Caldwell stepped on and took over the match.

She struck twice in the space of five minutes, both from corner kicks, to blow the game open before halftime. The first was textbook: a clean, decisive header that left no doubt. The second was all about composure. A Bucknell clearance dropped at her feet, and Caldwell calmly lifted a lob over McFarland and into the far-side netting for 3-0.

Bucknell did carve out one major opening before the break. At the 20-minute mark, Gaby Parker sliced between two defenders and broke into the box, only for Towson goalkeeper Keagan Williams to stand tall, cut down the angle, and smother the chance. It was the kind of moment that summed up the half: Bucknell needing perfection, Towson answering with control.

Bison response after the interval

Down three, Bucknell finally found some rhythm after the restart. The Bison pushed higher, asked more questions, and ended up outshooting Towson 10-9 in the second half.

Pressure started to build. Bella Connell drove into the right side of the area on a promising run, only to run out of real estate as the Towson back line held firm. The breakthrough, when it came, arrived from a dead ball.

In the 58th minute, Bucknell struck from a set piece. Louisa Thomsen met a delivery from Clare Nemsick with a firm header, bouncing it off the inside of the left post and just over the goal line. Thomsen had her first goal of the season; Nemsick her second assist. At 3-1, the Bison finally had a foothold.

They kept coming, but Towson never fully lost its grip. The Tigers continued to generate looks of their own and finished with a 21-16 edge in shots and an 8-4 advantage in corner kicks, underlining how dangerous they remained even as Bucknell improved.

In goal for the Bison, McFarland made four saves in the first half before giving way to Reese Dolan, who handled the final 45 minutes and recorded two saves in shutout relief. At the other end, Williams finished with five stops for Towson, including that pivotal first-half denial on Parker.

What’s next

For Bucknell, the non-conference slate now comes down to one more test: a trip to Villanova on Thursday at 4 p.m. After that, there’s no hiding. The Patriot League campaign opens at home against Lehigh on Sept. 19, with the Bison searching for answers and momentum before the games start to really count.