Opening Face-Off
After two games last week, Towson enters Saturday's contest with a 6-3 overall record. Towson plays one game a week for the remained of the regular season, playing home twice and on the road three times in CAA play.
In The National Rankings
The Tigers held firm in the national polls, ranking 18th in both the USILA Coaches' Poll and the Inside Lacrosse Cascade/Maverik Media Poll, garnering 71 and 58 points, respectively. The Tigers have been ranked in all six polls this season, the longest run for Towson in the USILA Coaches' Poll since being named in all 12 rankings for the 2007 season. The Tigers are the only CAA team ranked this week with UMass and Fairfield receiving votes as the latter picked up points in both polls.
Updating the Tigers
Three Tigers have hit the 20-point mark this season, with Joe Seider (20-4-24) setting the pace. Ryan Drenner (12-9-21) checks in at second while Spencer Parks (13-7-20) rounds out the trio. Max Siskind tallied a career-high four goals at Binghamton on Saturday while Seider was credited with the game-winning goal. The Sparks, Md. product leads Towson with 68 shots, putting 35 of those chances on goal while scoring 20+ goals for a second straight season. The Tiger defense continues to be stingy, ranking fourth in the country in scoring defense (7.33). Tyler White is a big reason for that, making 83 saves in his 524 minutes of action and carrying a goals against average of 7.20.
Scouting The Minutemen
UMass enters Saturday's game atop the CAA standings with a 1-0 record after besting Hofstra 9-7 on Saturday. UMass is 3-5 overall. Two Minutemen have eclipsed 20 points, paced by Nick Mariano (17-12-29) and Peter Lindley (14-7-21). Gianni Bianchin (8-8-16) is nearing the benchmark. UMass is led in goal by Zach Oliveri, who has played 422 minutes this season. The redshirt junior has stopped 82 of the 251 total shots he has seen, carrying a save percentage of 50.9 against 79 goals allowed. Oliveri's goals against average is 11.23.
Towson-UMass History
Towson and UMass first met in 1963, but did not compete again until the 2010 season when the Minutemen joined the CAA. The all-time series between the programs is split at 4-4, with the Tigers winning the last two contests, holding UMass to five goals in each of those games. UMass holds the longest winning streak in the series, snagging three in a from 2011 to 2012, including an overtime victory. Towson is 2-2 against the Minutemen, both at home and on the road.
Towson-UMass By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Series Tied, 4-4
at Towson Series Tied, 2-2
at UMass Series Tied, 2-2
at Neutral Sites n/a
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting 3/28/1963 - UMass 7, Towson 3
Last Meeting 4/5/2014 - Towson 6, UMass 5
Streak Towson +2
Last Time Out vs. UMass
April 5, 2014 (Towson 6, UMass 5)
Tyler White made 16 saves for Towson, including one with 10 seconds left to preserve a 6-5 Tiger victory over 11th-ranked UMass at Garber Field. Greg Cuccinello and Joe Seider scored two goals each for the Tigers, while Ben McCarty and Thomas DeNapoli deposited one each. Justin Mabus had the only assist for Towson. Nick Mariano was the lone two-goal scorer for UMass, which got 13 saves from Zach Oliveri.
Careers Against UMass
Greg Cuccinello has four career goals against the Minutemen, potting two in each of the last two seasons. Andrew Hodgson, who missed Towson's last game with an injury, leads with six points on three goals and three assists. Justin Mabus has three helpers, including the only Tiger assist in last season's 6-5 win. Sophomore Joe Seider has two goals from his rookie campaign while Ben McCarty has tallied one goal in each of the last two years. Tyler White has started once in goal against UMass, making 16 saves last season and allowing just five goals.
Cream of the CAA Crop
The Tigers begin their 14th campaign in the CAA, which began sponsoring men's lacrosse for the 2002 season. All-time, Towson is 48-25 in the league, ranking second in CAA wins, edged by Hofstra's 49-25 record. Drexel ranks third among active CAA teams with 41 while Delaware rounds out the long-standing programs with a 28-45 mark. UMass joined the league in 2010 and is 16-13 all-time in CAA games after besting Hofstra last weekend. Fairfield plays its first CAA game Saturday at Drexel. In that time, Towson has won four conference titles, including three in a row from 2003-06, a mark untouched by the rest of the league. Delaware is second with three titles.
CAA Openers
The Tigers begin their 14th season in the CAA with relative newcomer UMass. All-time in CAA openers, the Tigers are 10-3 and have won three league openers in a row. In Towson's first home CAA game of the season, the Tigers are a remarkable 12-1 all-time, with the lone loss coming in 2011 against 10th-ranked Hofstra, 12-5. Towson has won its last three CAA home openers.
Pink Game With Pink Paws/Take a Kid to the Game Day
Saturday's game will be a Pink Game in conjunction with Towson Pink Paws. Fans will have the chance to stop by the Pink Paws table at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium and make a donation to breast cancer awareness. Saturday's game will also feature Take a Kid to the Game Day, with free admission for kids with a parent/guardian who purchases a regularly-priced admission ticket.
Working for the Weekend
Everyone loves the weekend, especially the 2015 Tigers. Towson boasts a 4-0 record in weekend games this season, topping Georgetown (9-6), UMBC (11-7), Hobart (9-6) and Binghamton (9-8).
New York State of Mind
The Tigers played their only game of the 2015 regular season in New York last weekend, taking a 9-8 victory at Binghamton. CAA foe Hofstra visits Towson on April 18 for the Tigers' only other game against a New York school for the remainder of the season. The Tigers are now 2-0 against New York this season, including a 9-6 win over Hobart on March 14. In the Shawn Nadelen era, the Tigers are 6-2 all-time against New York schools.
Final Non-Conference
Towson played its final non-conference game of the season last Saturday, topping host Binghamton 9-8. The Tigers won their sixth non-league win of the year and improved to 6-3 before beginning CAA play this weekend at home against UMass. Head coach Shawn Nadelen is 21-15 in regular season non-conference games.
Through the Gauntlet
Towson made it through the non-conference portion of the regular season with a 6-3 overall record, squaring off with five opponents at least receiving votes in the USILA Coaches' Poll. Through the first nine games, the teams Towson has played have a combined 35-31 record (.530), ranking Towson's past opposition in the toughest schedule 23rd. Saturday's opponent, UMass, ranks 10th with an opponents combined record of 35-23 (.603).
#BallSecurity
The Tigers understand how important ball security is. Through games played on March 18, Towson is ranked first among the 69 Division I programs in turnovers per game, committing just 11.00 per game. The Tigers rank first in the CAA in turnovers per game. Conversely, Towson forces 6.78 opponent turnovers an outing, ranking the Tigers third in the CAA and 24th nationally.
On This Date in the Nadelen Era
Saturday's game will be the first time since Shawn Nadelen took over in 2012 that the Tigers will play a game on March 28.
Brick in the Wall
Redshirt junior Tyler White and his defense have been venerable this season, holding opponents to single digit goals in eight of the nine games. The Tigers have the best goals against average in the CAA (7.18). Towson's defense is picky about which shots get through, with White seeing 269 total shots (29.9 per game), only 152 of which have been on cage.
Local Rivals
The March 7 win at UMBC improved Towson to a 2-1 mark against the Baltimore-area schools. It was the first time since 2006 the Tigers had a winning record against any combination of Johns Hopkins, Loyola and UMBC. Towson topped then-No. 5 Johns Hopkins 7-5 in the season opener, but fell to Loyola 15-11. The win at UMBC Stadium put Towson over .500 against the Baltimore schools for the first time since 2006 when the Tigers beat Loyola (11-10) and No. 13 UMBC (8-7), but fell 11-10 against No. 6 Johns Hopkins.
Helperlessness
On Feb. 27, the Tigers held host Mount St. Mary's without an assist on any of the Mountaineers' four goals. It was the first time in the Tigers' Colonial Athletic Association era (2002) that Towson held an opponent without an assist.
Parks Named CAA Player of the Week
Junior attacker Spencer Parks was named CAA Player of the Week on February 24. It marked the second straight week a Tiger earned the league honor as redshirt junior Tyler White took home the award the week before. Parks recorded nine points on five goals and four assists. He posted a career-high seven points (3g, 4a) in a loss to then-No. 8 Loyola and followed that up with a pair of goals in a Tiger win at Georgetown. Parks' seven points against the Greyhounds made him the first Towson player in two seasons to record such an effort.
Knocking off Johns Hopkins
Towson's win over JHU was its first over a Top 5 opponent since also knocking off then-No. 5 Johns Hopkins, 13-12, on the road on April 27, 1996. It was also the first win for the Tigers over the Blue Jays since that game and the first home win for Towson over its crosstown rivals since 1989.
White Named CAA Player of the Week
Redshirt junior Tyler White was named as the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Player of the Week on February 16. White held the high-powered Johns Hopkins offense, which put up 16 goals in its season opener, to just five goals as the Tigers stunned the then fifth-ranked Blue Jays, 7-5. White recorded 12 saves and scooped a groundball in the win.
Towson Vs. Ranked Opponents
When Towson defeated then-No. 5 Johns Hopkins on February 10, the Tigers recorded the 66th win over a nationally ranked opponent in program history. Overall, Towson is 66-159 against nationally ranked opponents. The Tigers have a 24-110 record against top 10 teams and an 8-70 mark against top 5 teams. Towson is 32-81 at home, 30-73 on the road and 4-5 on neutral fields against ranked teams. In 2013, the Tigers defeated three ranked foes.
Ostrander Selected Preseason All-CAA; TU Picked to Finish Fourth
Towson senior JoJo Ostrander earned preseason All-CAA honors for the second straight year while the Tigers were picked to finish fourth in the 2014 preseason poll. Hofstra was voted atop the poll with 29 points while Drexel, the defending CAA champions, received 25 points and was predicted to finish second. Fairfield, which begins its first season as a member of the CAA for men's lacrosse, earned 21 points to edge the Tigers by just one point for third. UMass (15) and Delaware (10) rounded out the predicted order of finish. Ostrander was one of six Tigers to earn All-CAA accolades last season and the only one on the league's first team. A four-year starter on close defense, Ostrander posted 22 ground balls and nine caused turnovers in 2014.
Fennessy Selected in MLL Supplemental Draft
Towson Lacrosse alumnus John Fennessy '14 was picked 33rd by the Charlotte Hounds in the 2015 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Supplemental Draft. The supplemental draft is designed to bolster teams' rosters from 23 to 35 players and preceded the MLL's collegiate draft, which occurred on Friday, Jan. 23. The defenseman joins former teammate Thomas DeNapoli '14 and Towson alumnus Casey Cittadino '06 on the Hounds' roster. Fennessy was a second team All-Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) honoree, CAA All-Tournament team selection, and a team captain in 2014. He led the Tigers with 15 caused turnovers and was third on the team in ground balls. The 2015 MLL season begins on Sunday, April 12 when the Hounds host the Rattlers at 1 p.m.
Ostrander, Tigers Recognized by Inside Lacrosse
The Towson men's lacrosse team ranked 19th in the 2015 Inside Lacrosse (IL) Preseason DI Top 20 poll, as released in IL's 2015 Face-Off Yearbook. Senior JoJo Ostrander received IL preseason honorable mention All-America honors.
Cuccinello, Mabus, McCarty Named Captains
Seniors Greg Cuccinello and Justin Mabus and junior Ben McCarty have been named Towson Lacrosse team captains for the 2015 season. Cuccinello will serve as a team captain for the second straight year in 2015. He has been a key contributor to Towson's success over the last two seasons, leading the Tigers to a CAA title win over No. 9 Penn State with a hat trick. Last season, he finished second on the team with 20 goals and nine assists and earned a spot on the CAA all-tournament team. The New Jersey native has been a 20-plus-goal scorer for Towson the last two seasons. Mabus has been a starter all four years for the Tigers. He earned All-CAA rookie honors as a freshman and was a second team pick last season. A mainstay in the midfield, the New York native tallied a career-best 10 goals in 2014 with 17 assists – another career best – for 27 points. McCarty bounced back after a preseason injury in 2014 to score nine goals with three assists for 12 points in the Tiger midfield. He scored the game winner against Delaware and had 14 ground balls. McCarty can be a two-way middie for Nadelen and can also serve as a wing on face-offs.
Backyard Lax
Twelve of Towson's 14 games are against opponents in the DelPaMarVa area. Towson won't leave that area until game nine when the Tigers travel to Binghamton. The only other instance where Towson will travel outside that area is when the Tigers visit Fairfield on April 11.
