The GW men’s soccer team lost 4-0 to Towson Thursday, a disappointing end to the Colonials’ non-conference schedule. The Colonials matched the Tigers for most of the game but were buried by three second-half Towson goals.
The Colonials (4-4) had just regained their confidence after a convincing win over Radford last Sunday, but became the latest victim of Towson’s 11-game unbeaten home streak, dropping the team back to .500.
GW freshman goalkeeper Derek Biss allowed all four goals, almost half of his season total (9 in five games), while Towson goalie Andy Hicks recorded his third consecutive shutout. Biss also had eight saves.
“This was a pretty hard fought game, and the score didn’t reflect that,” senior midfielder Michael Goldman said. “We need to learn from this and prepare for every game, no matter who we’re playing.”
The game remained scoreless for most of the first half until Towson senior Danny Skelton broke the stalemate with 7:35 remaining. Skelton scored off an assist from classmate Machel Millwood, who either scored or assisted on every Towson goal. The Tigers (4-2-1) left the field with a 1-0 lead at halftime.
But the second half belonged to Towson, as GW was not able to convert any of its nine shots into goals. Millwood doubled the Tigers’ lead in the 57th minute, scoring on a fast break off an assist from senior Ade Elliot.
Towson went up 3-0 at the 79:35 mark when senior Randy Tolson scored off Millwood’s assist. Millwood notched his second goal of the match four minutes later to put the game away.
“We didn’t play to the fullest of our potential that day,” Goldman said. “We just got outplayed, and on that given day, they were the better team.”
Despite the disappointment, Goldman said the Colonials are using this as a wake-up call before conference play begins.
“Everyone is 100 percent focused now,” Goldman said. “We have 11 Atlantic 10 matches, and we have to win 11 of them. We have eight days to prepare for St. Bonaventure, so we have a good amount of time to recuperate physically and mentally.”
The Colonials will travel to St. Bonaventure, New York for their conference opener Friday, a 3 p.m. match against the Bonnies.
