Opening Face-Off
The Tigers lost back-to-back games for the first time this season, dropping an 11-10 come-from-behind decision at Drexel on Saturday. The Tigers locked up the No. 3 seed in the 2015 CAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament, hosted by Fairfield University. The Tigers (9-5) will see a familiar foe on Thursday as they rematch with the Dragons. It is the third time in as many seasons Towson sees the Dragons in the CAA Semifinals. 

All-CAA Teams Announced
The 2015 CAA Men's Lacrosse all-conference teams will be announced Wednesday evening. Please check back on TowsonTigers.com later this evening for the announcement.

In The National Rankings
The Tigers received votes in both national polls this week, the first time Towson hasn't been ranked since also receiving votes in the USILA Coaches' and Inside Lacrosse Cascade/Maverik Media Polls in the preseason. Neither poll released points for the teams receiving votes, but the Tigers were the second team to receive votes in both polls. Thursday's foe, Drexel, also received votes in both ranking systems.

Updating the No. 3 Seed Tigers
Junior midfielder Ben McCarty (7-6-13) is a Dragon killer, tacking on four goals against Drexel, bringing his career total to 13. Joe Seider (27-5-32) leads the Tiger offense and has scored in 13 of Towson's 14 games this season. Spencer Parks (15-14-29) and Ryan Drenner (15-13-28) are a balanced duo while Max Siskind (14-0-14) continues his torrid pace through CAA play, scoring nine of his goals in five conference games, leading the team. Despite giving up double-digit goals for just the second time this season, Tyler White ranks second nationally in goals against average (7.12) and sixth in save percentage (.587). The Tiger defense sits tied for third in goals allower per game (7.36) with CAA foe Fairfield and Richmond.

Scouting The Dragons
As they were last week, the Dragons are led on offense by Ryan Belka (31-18-49), who is second in the CAA with a 2.21 goals per game average. Cole Shafer (25-9-34) is second for Drexel and is the only other player with more than 30 points. Robert Frazee (15-4-19) and Belka are tied with five extra-man goals apeice for the team lead. Jimmy Joe Granito has carried Drexel in goal, entering the CAA Tournament with a 7-3 record in his 10 starts. He has allowed 81 goals in 601 minutes of work, carrying a goals against average of 8.08 while making his 96 saves at a 54.2 percent clip. The Dragons are slow to go out of halftime as opponents out-score Drexel 42-28. However, Drexel is strongest just before the break, tallying 39 second quarter goals.

Towson-Drexel History
The pair of I-95 rivals will meet a little farther north on the Interstate for the 49th meeting all-time between Towson and Drexel. The Tigers lead the series 38-10, including 23 straight wins 1965-1997, but the Dragons have controlled the series lately, winning six of the last seven match ups. The two teams first clashed back in 1962 and have met at least once in each of the last 18 years.

Towson-Drexel By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record    Towson Leads, 38-10
    at Towson    Towson Leads, 16-3
    at Drexel    Towson Leads, 11-5
    at Neutral Sites    Towson Leads, 1-0
    at Unknown Sites    Towson Leads, 10-2
First Meeting    1962 - Drexel 14, Towson 7
Last Meeting     4/25/15 Drexel 11, Towson 10
Streak    Towson -3

Last Time Out vs. Drexel
Overcoming a 7-2 hafltime deficit and taking an 8-7 lead early in the fourth quarter, the Tigers could not hold off Drexel in their regular season finale. Junior co-captain Ben McCarty notched a four-goal game while redshirt senior Max Siskind put up another hat trick. McCarty was crucial to the comeback, scoring a natural hat trick (three straight) to tie the game. Getting vegence for Towson going three-for-22 against Drexel in the 2014 CAA Semifinals, sophomore Alec Burckley had strong outing, winning 14 of his 23 draws. Redshirt junior Tyler White stopped 11 shots in goal for Towson, his ninth double-digit save game of the season and fourth in five CAA games.

Careers Against Drexel
Heading into Thursday's game, Ben McCarty leads Towson's active players with 13 career goals against the Dragons. The Dragon Killer had four goals against Drexel, a season-high, last weekend while tagging the Dragons for a career-best six goals in 2013. Greg Cuccinello has eight eight points on six goals and two assists, while the injured Andrew Hodgson has four goals and four helpers. Justin Mabus brought his career goals against Drexel to six with one marker last weekend while scoring nine points with the addition of three assists. Joe Seider has four points with two goals and two assists. Max Siskind tallied a hat trick last weekend for his three career goals versus the Dragons. Redshirt junior Tyler White has made 33 saves at a 48.5 percent clip in three games against Drexel while logging 183 minutes.

All-time in the CAA Tournament
Towson makes its way into the CAA Tournament for the 11th time since the league began sponsoring the sport in 2002. The Tigers have won four CAA Titles, the most among active programs. All-time, the Tigers are 11-6 in the tournament. The Tigers have qualified for the CAA Tournament in each seson under head coach Shawn Nadelen (since 2012) and will meet Drexel in the semifinals for a third-straight season. For a list of Towson's All-time CAA Tournament games and more breakdowns, please see page 8.

A Game of Runs
Last weekend, the Tigers ripped off five unanswered goals, including a natural hat trick from Ben McCarty, during the third quarter and start of the fourth to erase a 7-2 deficit. It was the 12th game this season the Tigers put together scoring runs of at least three goals and tied for third-most. So far in 2015, Towson has 14 runs of three goals or more, including a six- and four-goal run at Delaware and a pair for four goalers at UMBC. The Tigers potted seven straight at Georgetown in the third game of the season.

Point Picking
Junior Spencer Parks is on a hot streak of points lately, scoring at least one point in the Tigers' last 13 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 11 of his 29 points on three goals and eight assists. The Fallston, Md. native has at least one assist in Towson's last six games, with two multiple-assist games in that span (UMass, Fairfield).

And so Dies a Good Note
The Towson defense has been outstanding this season, ranking third in the country in goals allowed per game (7.36) while leading the CAA. Of their 14 games, Towson has allowed double-digits just twice, both losses, against Loyola (Feb. 18) and Drexel (April 25). The Tigers, back stopped by one of the nation's top goalies in Tyler White, went 11 games without allowing double figures.

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 are tied for second in country, allowing just 7.36 goals per game, trailing Maryland (6.43). Navy ranks 15th (8.62) while Mount St. Mary's is currently 18th (8.79).

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 41-22 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
Towson will be playing its first-ever April 30 game under the direction of head coach Shawn Nadelen (since 2012). It will be the Tigers' first game on htis date since a 15-2 win against Saint Joseph's in the 2011 season finale. In the Division I era (1980), the Tigers are 4-3 on April 30, while holding a 2-0 mark against Thursday's foe, Drexel. Towson and Drexel have met on this date in the CAA Semifinals before as the 11th-ranked Tigers took a 17-2 win during the 2003 seson.

Defensive Minded Conference
Paced by Towson's second-ranked scoring defense, allowing just 7.36 goals per game, the CAA as a whole has allowed the second-fewest goals among the nation's 11 conferences, surrendering just 758 combined goals this year. Only the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has given up fewer combined goals (702). Conversely, the Patriot League has combined to give up 1,270 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.

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. 

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 (Feb. 16)
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.

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.