Opening Face-Off
The Tigers play their second-straight CAA game on the road this Saturday afternoon at Fairfield, a team in its first year in the league. It will be a clash of top two teams in the conference standings, both holding a 2-0 record. Towson has won its last three games while the host Stags are on a five-game winning streak. It will be a defensive battle as Towson ranks third in scoring defense (6.91 goals per game) while Fairfield sits fifth (7.27).
In The National Rankings
The Tigers stayed status quo in the USILA Coaches' Poll, holding on at #16 while moving up one spot in the Inside Lacrosse Cascade/Maverik Media Poll to #15. Towson has been ranked in the both polls in each of the eight weeks, the longest run in the USILA Coaches' Poll since earning rankings in all 12 weeks of the 2007 season. Towson takes on a ranked foe for the fourth time this season, while seven or eight, depending on the poll, 2015 opponents received votes this week.
Updating the Tigers
Towson improved to 8-3 overall and 2-0 in the CAA with a 12-7 win at Delaware Saturday night, the Tigers' biggest offensive output of the season. Three Tigers put away hat tricks, including a five-point night on four goals and one assist from Joe Seider (25-5-30). Spencer Parks (15-10-25) ranks second in points and is tied with Ryan Drenner (12-10-22) for the assist lead. Max Siskind (9-0-9) is creeping towards double-digit goals and points, potting eight goals in the last three contests. Towson's defense continues to be a force, allowing just 6.91 goals per game, ranking the Tigers third in the country. The defensive efforts are backstopped by redshirt junior Tyler White, who has the second-best goals against average (6.72) in the country and is fifth in save percentage (.602).
Scouting The Stags
Fairfield comes streaking into Saturday's game, winning its last five contests and earning the #20 spot in both national polls. The Stags are 7-4 overall and like Towson, sit at 2-0 in the CAA. Fairfield averages 10.18 goals per game, bolstered by Tristan Sperry (16-19-35). TJ Neubauer (25-2-27) leads Fairfield's scoring efforts while Sperry and Charlie Schnider (16-13-29) are tied for second in goals. Colin McLinden (10-17-27) is second to Sperry in assists. Tyler Behring has started and won Fairfield's last four games. He has played in five games, logging 258 minutes for the fifth-ranked defense. Behring has stopped 50 opponent shots and has a goals against average of 4.88. Because he has not played in 60 percent of the Stags' minutes, he is not eligible for statistical rankings.
Towson-Fairfield History
Saturday's game will be the first-ever meeting between the Tigers and Fairfield, which begins its first season in the CAA.
Towson-Fairfield By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record First Meeting
at Towson First Meeting
at Fairfield First Meeting
at Neutral Sites First Meeting
at Unknown Sites First Meeting
First Meeting April 11, 2015
Last Meeting n/a
Streak First Meeting
Last Time Out vs. Fairfield
First meeting
Careers Against Fairfield
Saturday's game will be the first meeting with the Stags. Two transfer players, Spencer Parks (North Carolina) and Nick Gorman (Denver) have logged time against Fairfield at their previous institutions, but did not record stats.
Seider Named CAA Player of the Week (April 6)
Sophomore attackman Joe Seider paced Towson to a 1-0 week as the Tigers (8-3, 2-0 CAA) topped league rival Delaware 12-7 Saturday night. Seider tied a career-high in points, goals and assists with a four-goal, one-assist evening at Delaware Stadium. Seider was efficient, scoring on 40 percent of his shots while also collecting two groundballs. Seider was credited with the game-winning goals, his second of the season, while also increasing his scoring streak to 13 games.
2-0 Meets 2-0
The Tigers head to Connecticut with a 2-0 conference record, matching up with Fairfield's 2-0 record in conference play. Both teams are on hot streaks, with Towson winning five of its last six games while Stags have won five straight. The 2-0 Tigers meet a 2-0 league opponent for the first time in the Nadelen Era (2012) and for the first time since April 10, 2010, nipping #7 UMass 10-9 on the road.
Hat Trick of Hat Tricks
In last weekend's 12-7 win at Delaware, three Tigers posted hat tricks, led by four goals from Joe Seider, and three apiece from Max Siskind and Justin Mabus. They trio of hat trickers became the first Towson players to score hat tricks in the same game since March 21, 2012 in a 17-8 Tiger win over visiting Mercer. Towson got hat tricks from Matt Lamon (4), Sean Maguire (3) and Matt Hughes (3).
White Named USILA Division I Defensive Player of the Week (April 1)
Redshirt junior Tyler White was named the USILA Division I Defensive Player of the Week on Wednesday, following a 14-save effort against UMass in the Tigers' 6-3 win over the visiting Minutemen. White allowed just three goals, the fewest in a conference game for Towson in the Shawn Nadelen Era (2012). White is the first Tiger to win the award and first Towson lacrosse player to earn national weekly plaudits since Ben McCarty was tabbed Inside Lacrosse Cascade Rookie of the Week in 2013.
Ostrander Named Inside Lacrosse Mid-Season All-America Second Team
Senior close defenseman JoJo Ostrander was named to Inside Lacrosse's Midseason All-America Second Team, which released Thursday morning. Ostrander anchors a defense the is ranked third in country, allowing just 6.90 goals per game, including eight straight games allowing single-digit goals. Ostrander has started every game this season, recording 22 groundballs and forcing eight turnovers. He was one of two CAA players named to the Midseason All-American list.
Cream of the CAA Crop
The Tigers kicked off their 14th campaign in the CAA, which began sponsoring men's lacrosse for the 2002 season. All-time, Towson is 50-25 in the league, ranking second in CAA wins. Hofstra is tied with Towson with a 50-26 while Drexel ranks third among active CAA teams with 42 while Delaware rounds out the long-standing programs with a 28-46 mark. UMass joined the league in 2010 and is 16-15 all-time in CAA games. Fairfield, which is new to the league in 2015, is currently 2-0 as a CAA member. 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.
Versus Connecticut
Towson and Fairfield may be meeting for the first time, but the Tigers are not unfamiliar with Connecticut opponents. Towson has squared off with five other Connecticut institutions: Hartford (4-2), New Haven (1-0), Sacred Heart (8-0), Wesleyan (1-2) and Yale (1-1), holding a 15-5 mark against the Constitution State. Towson is 4-3 on the road against Connecticut schools. The locations for the Wesleyan series are unknown. The Tigers will be making their first appearance in The Nutmeg State since besting Sacred Heart 17-5 on April 9, 2008.
On This Date in the Nadelen Era
Saturday's game will be Towson's first on April 11 since head coach Shawn Nadelen took over the program for the 2012 season. The Tigers have not played on this date since hosting Hofstra in 2009.
In Like A Lion, Out Like a Tiger
After topping Massachusetts 6-3 on Saturday, Towson improved to 4-2 in the month of March this season. In the four years under head coach Shawn Nadelen, Towson is now 19-6 in that month, including five-win Marches in his first three seasons. Towson's two losses in March this year came by one goal, including a triple-overtime thriller at Navy.
CAA Openers
The Tigers began their 14th season in the CAA with relative newcomer UMass. All-time in CAA openers, the Tigers are 11-3 and have won four league openers in a row. In Towson's first home CAA game of the season, the Tigers are now a remarkable 13-1 all-time, with the lone loss coming in 2011 against 10th-ranked Hofstra, 12-5. Towson has won its last three CAA home openers.
Strong Scheduling
No one looking at the 2015 Towson men's lacrosse schedule would say its a walk in the park. Including the week seven national polls, six Tiger opponents appear on the lists, either as ranked teams or receiving votes. As of March 30, Towson's RPI ranks 17th in the country out of the 69 Division I programs. Towson's past opponents have accumulated a 44-39 record so far this season, ranking the Tigers' past opponents winning percentage (.530) 24th in the country. Those 44 combined wins for past opponents are tied for 19th-most in Division I.
Startin' Hot
The Tigers like to jump out early on opponents. So far this season, Towson has scored first in eight of the 11 games. Not only that, but the Tigers have out-scored opponents 36-14 in the first 15 minutes, including three first-quarter shutouts. Those quick starts have paid dividends for Towson this season; the Tigers are 7-1 when scoring the first goal of the game. The lone loss under that criteria was a 7-6 defeat against No. 17 Ohio State.
Four Former Tigers on MLL Rosters
Four Towson Tigers have been named to rosters for Major League Lacrosse, with two on the 25-man roster for the Charlotte Hounds while another pair have been tabbed on the practice roster for the New York Lizards. Casey Cittadino '06 and Thomas DeNapoli '14 were selected to the Hounds' 25-man roster while Will Harrington '10 and Andrew Wascavage '13 earned spots on the Lizards' practice roster. The 2015 MLL season kicks off the weekend. Charlotte hosts the Rochester Rattlers while the Lizards welcome the Ohio Machine. Weekly updates on the Tigers' professional players will be available throughout the season on TowsonTigers.com.
Dubs on Dubs
The Tigers hold a 39-17 all-time record against the Blue Hens, with the series dating back to the 1961 season, just the third season in Towson's history. The 39 wins over Delaware represent the most for the Tigers over a single institution. Towson will have a chance to tie that again in the regular season finale as Towson takes on Drexel, against which the Tigers are 38-9 all-time.
#BallSecurity
The Tigers understand how important ball security is. Through games played on April 5, Towson is ranked first among the 69 Division I programs in turnovers per game, committing just 11.18 per game. The Tigers rank first in the CAA in turnovers per game.
Brick in the Wall
Redshirt junior Tyler White and his defense have been venerable this season, holding opponents to single digit goals in 10 of the 11 games. The Tigers have the best goals against average in the CAA (6.79). Towson's defense is picky about which shots get through, with White seeing 335 total shots (30.5 per game), only 181 of which have been on cage.
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 on March 21, 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 at home against UMass. Head coach Shawn Nadelen is 21-15 in regular season non-conference games.
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.
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.
