By MAT SCHLISSEL
TowsonTigers.com

On Tuesday night, when Towson and Navy were struggling in the first quarter to muster up some offense, somebody needed to come through with a goal to get things started.

That somebody was Towson senior midfielder Carl Iacona, (below) who scored with 1:43 left in the first quarter. Although the Tigers fell at home to Navy, 10-6, Iacaona played his best game of the season, scoring twice on three shots to lead his team.

Iacona, who hails from Amityville, N.Y., has played several different roles in his two- plus seasons with the Tigers. The swift middie has played offense, defense and on the wings of the face-offs.

"I just try and play my role in this offense," said Iacona. "We all have roles in this offense. (Head Coach Shawn Nadelen) says go out there and dodge 100%. I try and give it my
all when I'm on the field."

In high school at Massapequa, he was named as a Nassau County All-American finalist as a senior after scoring 34 goals and dishing out 20 assists. He also played four years of football for the Chiefs.

Iacona played his freshman season at St. John's, where he scored 18 goals and dished out six assists.

When he first arrived at Towson as a sophomore, Iacona scored 11 goals with two assists. He was fourth on the team with 47 shots and contributed 21 ground balls.

In 2011, he started seven games and scored three goals with five assists.

Against Navy, the Tigers improved on some facets of the game, clearing the ball 16-of-16 times, after only clearing the ball 12-of-21 against Mount St. Mary's in their previous game.

Thanks to the extra possessions, the Tigers put up 30 shots, the most they've had all season (through five games). But Towson's offense struggled with quality shots, as they scored on just 6 of their 30 shots and 13 turnovers didn't help.

This is a young team that has struggled with injuries leading to depth issues and inconsistent play. They were coming off a 10-day break between the Mount St. Mary's and Navy game and at times, the players showed some rust.

"Coach did a good job of keeping us fresh and keeping us competitive," said Iacona about the long break. "I don't think that was an excuse at all. We just came out in the first half and played well and our defense had our back. When it was time to step up, we really didn't do it. It's a game of runs especially in Division I lacrosse. They got on a run
or two and we couldn't answer back."

Iacona had an assist last year when the Tigers beat #5 Stony Brook at home, 9-8.

They'll be going back to Iacona's home of Long Island when the Tigers face Stony Brook on Saturday at 1 pm.

The game will be broadcast back to Baltimore on WNST (1570-AM) with Spiro Morekas and Hunter Lochte calling the action.