TOWSON, Md. – Allowing just two goals for the firs time since 2011, No. 16 Towson utilized solid defense and goalkeeping, paired nicely with seven different goal scorers en route to an 11-2 season-opening win over visiting Mercer.
Towson (1-0) allowed just two goals for the first time since a 15-2 win over then Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) foe Saint Joseph's University, also at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium.
The game was played Friday night under the lights after the contest was moved up from Saturday afternoon due to extreme cold forecasted for the Greater Baltimore area on Saturday.
How it Happened- The Tiger defense went to work right away, holding the Bears (0-1) without a shot over the first 17 minutes of the game.
- Towson's offense was efficient to begin the night, scoring on its first possession as Joe Seider notched the firs Tiger goal of the season.
- Towson scored twice in just over a minute as Ben McCarty and Spencer Parks hit their first shots as well. Parks was assisted by Brian Bolewicki, who scored his first point since March 11, 2014 against Navy after returning from a lower body injury in 2015.
- Seider scored his second of the first quarter with just 25 seconds left to give Towson a 4-0 lead. Mike Lynch was credited with the assist.
- On the night, Towson's man-up unit went two-for-three, including tallies from Ian Kirby to start the second period and Parks late in the third.
- Two Tigers, Seider and Parks, finished with hat tricks. It was the first time Towson had two hat tricks since the final game of the 2015 regular season against Drexel.
- Seider finished with four points with three strikes and one assists. Ryan Drenner finished with two points on one goal and one assist while Jon Mazza and Tyler Young each had one assist. Freshman do-it-all middie Zach Goodrich scored in transition after getting a caused turnover forced by longstick midfielder Tyler Mayes.
By the Numbers- Towson out-shot the Bears 38-17, holding Mercer to just seven shots in the second quarter and a combined 10 in the second half.
- The Tigers picked up 25 groundballs to Mercer's 18, thanks to a nine-of-16 night at the faceoff X. Junior Alec Burckley won seven of his 11 draws.
- Towson improved to 4-1 in season openers under fifth-year head coach Shawn Nadelen, including the last three seasons. It marks the first time since 2005-07 Towson has won three straight season openers.
- Towson improved to 3-0 all-time against Mercer, thanks to its third-straight game in double digits, dating back to the NCAA Tournament in 2015.
Up Next for the Tigers- Towson returns to Johnny Unitas ® Stadium next Saturday as the Tigers host in-state foe Mount St. Mary's as part of a three-game home stand to open 2016.
- Opening faceoff in the 12th meeting between the Tigers and Mountaineers is set for 2 p.m., following a Towson men's basketball game at SECU Arena.
- TowsonTigers.com -
