TOWSON, Md. - Coach Missy Doherty of Penn State can be excused if she instinctively heads to the wrong bench on Saturday afternoon when the Nittany Lions visit Unitas Stadium for an NCAA Division I first round tournament game against the Tigers.

After all, Doherty spent seven seasons patrolling that sideline when she was the Tigers' head coach from 2004 to 2010. During those seven years, she compiled an impressive 79-46 record while leading Towson to three Colonial Athletic Association championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances.

To put her accomplishments in perspective, the Tiger women's lacrosse team had endured six consecutive losing seasons when the University of Maryland graduate left her post as an assistant coach at Princeton to become Towson's new coach. The turnaround was immediately evident.

In 2004, the Tigers showed remarkable improvement, doubling their victory total of the previous season. In her first season, Coach Doherty (right) led Towson to a 14-4 record, including a 6-1 mark in the CAA. However, the Tigers fell to William and Mary in the CAA tournament semi-finals, 14-12.

The following season, Doherty guided Towson to its first-ever CAA championship and its first NCAA Tournament appearance. The third-seeded Tigers edged George Mason in the CAA semi-finals and upset host Hofstra in the CAA Championship game, 18-15. The Tigers finished off a 13-6 season with a first round loss to Georgetown.

Prior to the 2008 season, Doherty had two openings on her coaching staff. She added Sonia LaMonica and Katie Doolittle to the program, both moves that paid immediate dividends.

In 2008, the Tigers entered the CAA Tournament as the number three seed after posting a 5-2 record in the CAA. Once again, the Tigers won the CAA title as a lower seed, edging George Mason and upsetting host William and Mary in the championship game. Towson lost at Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament.

One year later, Towson won its second straight CAA championship and the Tigers made CAA history by becoming the first number four-seed to win the title. In the semi-finals, Towson eliminated host William and Mary, 15-10. In the championship game, the Tigers nipped Delaware, 8-7. In the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers played at North Carolina and lost to the Tar Heels, completing a second straight 13-6 season.

After two years as Doherty's assistant coach, Sonia LaMonica resigned to become the new coach at Mount St. Mary's. While she was coaching in nearby Emmitsburg, the Tigers continued to win. In 2010, Towson posted a 13-3 record in the regular season and was nationally-ranked. Although the Tigers lost to Hofstra in the CAA semi-finals, their lacrosse reputation helped them earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

For the fourth time, the Tigers went on the road in the NCAA Tournament. Towson travelled to Virginia to face the sixth-seeded Cavaliers. Towson gave UVa all it could handle before losing, 14-12.

About a month after a season in which she led the Tigers to a 13-5 record and an NCAA Tournament berth, Doherty left Towson to become the new coach at Penn State.

Towson University wasted very little time reaching out to Sonia LaMonica about returning to Towson as head coach.

In her two seasons as the Tigers' head coach, LaMonica has built on Coach Doherty's success. Towson has won back-to-back CAA regular season titles and hosted the CAA Tournament the last two years. The Tigers have posted a 13-1 CAA record the last two seasons and won their fourth CAA championship last month.

Now, Towson gets to host an NCAA Tournament game for the first time against its former coach.

Junior Kelly Custer (right) says, "This is going to be different. We actually saw her (Doherty) when she came to our CAA championship game. That was really cool. Then I thought, 'Oh man. She was probably scouting us.' We had no idea when we saw her. It will be a fun experience to play against her. She was a great coach for us so I'm sure it will be a really great game."

"I am sure it will strange since most of our juniors and seniors played for Missy," says Coach LaMonica. "But, we're excited about it. We're excited to be playing at home and playing against Missy just adds to the fun."