TOWSON, Md. – The first portion of the Towson University men's lacrosse team's 2016-17 season came to close on Saturday as the Tigers hosted Penn State in a fall ball scrimmage, followed by the program's Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship Ring Ceremony.
Friday evening, the team hosted a well-attended alumni game at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium as over 20 alumni strapped up once again on their home field.
Towson was edged 16-12 by Penn State in the fall tune up game, hosted at the nearby Boys' Latin School. The Tigers split their offensive efforts as attackman
Ryan Drenner had four points on two goals and two assists, while midfielder
Tyler Konen notched two goals with one assist for a three-point day. Defensive midfielder
Zach Goodrich showed some moves in transition with two fast break goals. Sophomore
Jon Mazza had two points with one goal and one assist as
Brian Bolewicki, Jake McLean,
Tyler Young and
Adam Ceribelli all scored once. Defensive midfielder
Jimmie Wilkerson posted an assist as well.
The Tigers, coming off of a 16-3 season, split time nearly evenly between three goalies.
Matt Hoy played in the first 22 minutes, making a pair of stops, while
Josh Miller made six saves in his 19 minutes of work. Rookie Shane Brennan stopped three Nittany Lion shots in his 23 minutes of action.
Four Towson players trotted out to take faceoffs, with
Steven Stillwell going first on a three-for-eight afternoon. Incumbent specialist
Alec Burckley won five of his eight chances, while freshman Jake McNallan went 50 percent, winning four of his eight. Bellarmine transfer Connor Harryman won four of his seven faceoffs on the day.
On defense, Towson forced 10 of Penn State's 19 turnovers. Rookie Saunders Healey forced a pair, while another eight Tigers had one each.
Saturday night saw the team celebrate the 2016 CAA Championship as members of that team were given their championship rings, as well as Under Armour jackets with "2016 CAA Champions" stitched into the sleeve. The face of the ring featured a helmet with a Tiger head on the side, fashioned after the team's white helmets for 2016. The right side of the ring sports a Towson logo, an NCAA banner, the team's 16-3 record, a program highwater mark, and the CAA logo.
The opposite side of the ring has each players' last name and number, as well as the team's montra for 2016 "TSU", standing for Tenacity, Selflessness, Unity. The slogan was used all season and was homage to "Towson State University", a former moniker of the University.
Following the ring ceremony, there was a bull and oyster roast at the Hunt Valley Country Club. In addition to food and beverage, there was a silent auction, with proceeds to benefit the team's trip to Ireland during the summer of 2017.
Towson will release its 2017 spring schedule later this week.
- TowsonTigers.com –
