Opening Face-Off
The Tigers dropped their first CAA game of the season on Saturday in a 9-2 defeat against visiting Hofstra. The Tigers will look to improve on their 6-1 road record at Drexel in the regular season finale. Despite the loss, Towson remains ranked in both national polls, #16 in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and #17 in the USILA Coaches' Poll. Towson is gunning for a 4-1 conference record and the right to host the CAA Tournament on April 30 and May 2.
In The National Rankings
Towson slipped in both national polls where it was ranked #12 last week. This week, the Tigres check in at #17 in the USILA Coaches' Poll, garnering 80 points. Towson is now #16 on the Inside Lacrosse Cascade/Maverik Media Poll, picking up 118 points. Towson, the only CAA team ranked in either poll, has been in the rankings in all 10 polls this season, the Tigers' longest run since earning a spot in all 12 polls for the 2007 season.
Updating the Tigers
Despite having his 14-game scoring streak snapped, sophomore Joe Seider (26-5-31) leads Towson's scoring efforts. Spencer Parks (15-13-28) and Ryan Drenner (15-11-26) are neck-and-neck for second and third, respectively. Max Siskind (11-0-11) and Justin Mabus (7-4-11) round out the Tigers' active double-digit point scorers. Towson's defense continues to be one of the best in the country, ranking third in goals allowed per game (7.08). Backing the Tigers, redshirt junior Tyler White is second in the country in goals against average (6.81) and third in save percentage (.596). Towson is ranked 19th nationally in clearing percentage (.873), second best in the CAA behind Drexel.
Scouting The Dragons
Drexel (6-7, 2-2 CAA) is coming off of a 12-9 loss at UMass on Saturday. Ryan Belka (29-18-47) is the Dragons' leading point getter, while Cole Shafer (23-9-32) is second. Four other Drexel players have double-digit points, with Jules Raucci (10-7-17) and Robert Frazee (12-4-16) nearing the 20-point mark. Two Dragon keepers have seen significant time. Jimmy Joe Granito got the start against UMass and has played 541 minutes this season, making 84 saves and has a goals against average of 7.87. Will Gabrielson has logged four starts with 210 minutes in the books. Gabrielson has made 31 saves at a .392 percentage.
Towson-Drexel History
The Tigers and Dragons will tussle for the 48th time on Saturday. The Tigers are 38-9 all-time against their I-95 rivals, the second-most wins for Towson over a single opponent (39 vs. Delaware). Towson will look to halt a two-game Dragon winning streak, both losses coming last season including an 11-10 overtime defeat in the CAA Semifinals to the 16th-ranked Dragons. Overall, Drexel has won five of the last six meetings. However, Towson holds the longest winning streak in the series at 23 from 1965-1997.
Towson-Drexel By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson Leads, 38-9
at Towson Towson Leads, 16-3
at Drexel Towson Leads, 11-4
at Neutral Sites Towson Leads, 1-0
at Unknown Sites Towson Leads, 10-2
First Meeting 1962 - Drexel 14, Towson 7
Last Meeting 5/1/2014 - DU 10, TU 11 (OT)
Streak Towson -2
Last Time Out vs. Drexel
It was heartbreak for the Tigers in their final game of the 2014 season as No. 16 Drexel scored 27 seconds into overtime en route to the CAA title. It was a close game throughout with neither team gaining more than a two-goal advantage. The Tigers got a hat trick from current senior Greg Cuccinello as Ben McCarty, currently a junior, deposited two goals. Five Tigers finished with one goal each while Joe Seider, then a freshman, finished with three points, including two assists. Redshirt junior Tyler White stopped 14 Dragon shots, with seven combined in the middle frames of regulation. The Tigers struggled in faceoffs, winning just three of the game's 22 draws.
Careers Against Drexel
Seniors Greg Cuccinello and Justin Mabus and redshirt senior Andrew Hodgson are the active career leaders against Drexel, all scoring eight points. Cuccinello and Mabus had four goals each in last year's pair of games. Tyler White has 124 minutes in goal against Drexel, making 22 saves in two games last season. JoJo Ostrander, a senior defenseman, will be looking to make his sixth start against Drexel on Saturday, beginning every contest of his career against the Dragons.
Towson's CAA Tournament Hosting Scenarios
Despite Saturday's loss, Towson has the chance to host the 2015 CAA Tournament on April 30 (semifinals) and championship game on May 2. It's simple for the Tigers: Beat Drexel and host.
Two Isn't SO Bad
Towson was held to just two goals on Saturday against Hofstra, the second-fewest in the Shawn Nadelen Era (2012). But it's not all bad. The last time Towson scored two goals (Feb. 26, 2011), the Tigers rebounded with an 11-3 win on the road at Mount St. Mary's.
Point Picking
Junior Spencer Parks is on a hot streak of points lately, scoring at least one point in the Tigers' last 12 games, failing to get a point in the season-opening win over Johns Hopkins, but had a seven-point (3g, 4a) outburst in the next game against Loyola. Since moving to midfield full time, Parks has 10 of his 28 points on three goals and seven assists. The Fallston, Md. native has at least one assist in Towson's last five games, with two multiple-assist games in that span (UMass, Fairfield).
Snapping a Dry Spell
Last weekend, sophomore Ryan Drenner scored two goals against Hofstra. It was his first multiple goal game since a three-goal burst at Binghamton (March 21). Drenner has at least one goal in 10 of Towson's 13 games this season, including four multiple marker contests.
It's Been Awhile
The Tiger defense this season has been tremendous, allowing just one double-digit game to opponents, a 15-11 loss to then-No. 8 Loyola in February. Since then, Towson has run off 11 straight contests holding foes to single digits. The last time Towson allowed just one double-digit goal in the first 13 games was 1968, a year the Division II Tigers did not allow double-digits in their 14 games. (h/t Spiro Morekas).
Land of Pleasant Defending
The State of Maryland is one of the top defensive states in the country for Division I men's lacrosse, with four programs ranked in the top 20 of the NCAA's scoring defense. The Tigers moved up to second in country, allowing just 7.08 goals per game, trailing only Maryland (5.77). Navy ranks 15th (8.42) while Mount St. Mary's is currently 18th (8.42).
Red Hot Starts
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 40-19 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.
On This Date in the Nadelen Era
Saturday's game will be the first for Towson under head coach Shawn Nadelen, who took over as head coach in 2012. The Tigers will play their first April 25 game since a 1999 meeting with No. 20 UMBC, the first season under then-head coach Tony Seaman. In the Division I Era (1980), Towson is 4-2 on April 25, sitting at 2-2 on the road. Towson and Drexel have met once on this date since 1980, a 21-10 win for No. 11 Towson on the road in 1984.
Defensive Minded Conference
Paced by Towson's third-ranked scoring defense, allowing just 7.08 goals per game, the CAA as a whole has allowed the second-fewest goals among the nation's 11 conferences, surrendering just 709 combined goals this year. Only the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has given up fewer combined goals (629). Conversely, the Patriot League has combined to give up 1,166 goals
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.
Hat Trick of Hat Tricks
In the 12-7 win at Delaware on April 4, 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.
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 kicked off last 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.
#BallSecurity
The Tigers understand how important ball security is. Through games played on April 15, Towson is ranked first among the 69 Division I programs in turnovers per game, committing just 10.54 per game. The Tigers rank first in the CAA in turnovers per game.
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 2-1 against New York this season, including a 9-6 win over Hobart on March 14. In the Shawn Nadelen era, the Tigers are 6-3 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.
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.
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.
