撸先生

(1) Melissa and Rebecca pose for a 撸先生 soccer photoshoot. (2) Melissa, left, and Rebecca.

Soccer

Sister Act

The 撸先生 women鈥檚 soccer team was locked in a scoreless draw just before halftime of its August game against rival UMBC when senior chipped a shot from 35 yards out that found the back of net. As her teammates celebrated, one was just a bit more elated than the others.  

Before the season started, Rebecca鈥檚 sister joined the program. The move reunited the sisters, who are more than siblings and teammates.

鈥淢elissa and I have been best friends and as close as can be for as long as I can remember,鈥� Rebecca says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been awesome having her here with me.鈥�

The women, who have two other sisters and a brother, grew up in New Jersey. They started playing soccer as kids and found that they had an aptitude for it, so they stuck with it. Rebecca, 22, originally played at Boston College before transferring to 撸先生, where she is majoring in mass communication. After a back injury derailed her career at Canisius, Melissa, 20, joined her.  

鈥淚 came to their game when they won the [CAA] championship last year, and I felt like if I could be a part of something that exciting, that would be a dream of mine,鈥� says Melissa, also a mass communication major. 鈥淲hen my sister and I were younger, we talked about how cool it would be if we could play college soccer together. That opportunity presented itself, and I was like, 鈥楾owson is where I want to be.鈥欌��

Rebecca has been a key contributor for the past three seasons. Last year she totaled a career-high four assists in helping the Tigers win the CAA and make it to the NCAA Tournament.  

鈥淲e came in early as a team in the summer to do extra workouts and really put in the work, so it was great to see the season unfold the way we wanted it to,鈥� she says.

While Melissa has played sparingly this season, the sisters are important components of the team, head coach Katherine Vettori says.

鈥淏oth are composed with the ball at their feet.鈥疶hey are technically clean and have high soccer IQs.鈥疶hey are excellent teammates to have with this group.鈥�

This season has been a storybook reunion for Rebecca and Melissa, even if they do butt heads occasionally.  

鈥淚f we鈥檙e spending too much time together, we [might argue] over where to get coffee: Dunkin or Starbucks,鈥� Melissa says, laughing. 鈥淏ut we get each other so well. Nobody can read me like my sister.鈥� 

Welcome Back

Volleyball assistant coach Terry 鈥淗utch鈥� Hutchinson is back on the bench after two years coaching at Georgia State. He spent five seasons (2017鈥�21) at Towson, years when the Tigers earned three straight Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) titles and berths into the NCAA Tournament. 撸先生 combined to go 61-9 those three seasons, including a 30-4 record in CAA play.

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