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What began as a back-and-forth battle turned into a commanding win for the Troy Lady Trojans, who pulled away in the second half to defeat the Towanda Lady Black Knights 6–2 on Tuesday night.

Towanda struck first less than two minutes into the match when Elli Cook delivered a perfectly placed free kick from 25 yards out, chipping the keeper to give the Lady Black Knights an early 1–0 lead.

Troy responded immediately. On the ensuing kickoff, Saydi Renzo sent a long ball forward to Alexis McRoberts, who beat both the defender and the keeper to even the score, 1–1.

The Lady Trojans pulled ahead midway through the first half when Kyah Renzo delivered a ball upfield to Saydi Renzo, who buried a powerful left-footed shot into the corner of the net, putting Troy up 2–1.

Towanda answered again with just over 17 minutes left before halftime. After Cook’s initial shot was blocked, Clara Glantz was there for the rebound and the finish, tying the match at 2–2 heading into the break.

In the second half, Troy seized control. A foul in the box set up McRoberts for a penalty kick, and she capitalized, putting Troy ahead 3–2 after the ball deflected off the keeper into the net.

From there, the Lady Trojans’ offense caught fire, scoring three times in the final four minutes to seal the win. With 3:50 left, Mallory Chamberlain connected with Giana Renzi for a far-post strike to make it 4–2. Seconds later, Stella Rockwell provided a sharp assist to McRoberts for her second goal of the night. Finally, with just 1:30 remaining, Rockwell slipped a pass through a defender’s legs to Renzi, who netted her second goal and capped the 6–2 victory.

Troy (1–0) will return home Thursday, August 28, to host the Williamson Lady Warriors, while Towanda (0–1) will look to bounce back on the road against the Athens Lady Wildcats.