Women's Lacrosse vs Drexel - Jess Dunn - Christopher Curry/ The Towerlight

After the Hofstra Pride took a 5-0 lead at the outset of Sunday’s matchup, Towson (6-6, 2-1) went on an 18-4 run to close the game and tally an 18-9 win.

The Tigers evened their record and posted their highest goal total of the season behind the four-goal effort of senior Jess Dunn, and the first hat trick of freshman Rhiannon Coogle’s career.

The Tigers outscored Hofstra 9-0 in the second half.

The Tigers have now won five of their last seven games after starting the season 1-4.

“We managed to find our game after their opening run,” head coach Sonia LaMonica said. “We started competing hard and I felt we were able to maintain that over the rest of the game. Everything started on the draw [for us].”

The Tigers controlled 17 of the 28 draws, creating better opportunities to attack the Hofstra goal. Towson landed 32 shots on net.

Along with Dunn and Coogle, Sarah Appelt also registered a hat trick.

As a team, Towson had nine different goal scorers, including four freshmen.

Coogle, Kelly Murkey, Emma Ehler and Katie Leech all found the back of the net to lead a freshman contingent that’s been a large part of Towson’s success this season.

“We have needed everyone to step up for us this year, including freshmen. And today was a great example of that,” LaMonica said. “They’re getting involved and stepping up when we need them most.

We talk about everybody needing to step up and play their role, and today was a nice glimpse into the future of our program.”

Mary Teeters made eight saves to pick up her sixth win of the season. A trio of defenders, Alexa Demski, Megan Fitzgerald and Therese D’Ambrosio collected three ground balls each to aid the defensive effort that helped lock down the Hofstra attack after the initial wave of goals.

A lot of the team stats were very similar, as both squads collected 24 ground balls on the afternoon. But the Tigers committed fewer turnovers, cleared the ball more effectively, and controlled six more draws than Hofstra.

“Being able to come up with possession after scoring goal after goal is huge,” LaMonica said. “Hofstra was pretty aggressive with their defense and that managed to open up some opportunities for us on the offensive end. We got some good looks at the net, and as long as we remained composed, we were able to find the open player and put the ball in the back of the net.”

The remainder of its three-game road trip will take Towson to James Madison and George Mason. The game against the Dukes will be a big test to see where the Tigers are with just four games left in the regular season.

“We just need to focus on ourselves and continue to do the little things well,” LaMonica said. “Things like catching and throwing, finishing our shots, gaining possession on the draw, and playing a solid team defense. If we’re able to do those things and play our game well, I’m confident we’ll be able to compete throughout the rest of the season.”