Opening Faceoff
The Tigers round out a their second three-game home stand of the season this Saturday as Towson takes on Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rival Drexel. It is the 50th meeting all-time between the Tigers and Dragons, as Towson opens conference play with Drexel for the first time in the program's Division I history (1980).

In The National Rankings
After a week ranked No. 11 in the Nike Lacrosse/USILA Coaches' Poll, the Tigers climbed back into the top 10 this week. Towson was ranked No. 10 in the USILA Coaches Poll, while moving up one spot to No. 8 in the Cascade/Maverik Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. Towson held firmly at No. 10 in this week's Nike Lacrosse/Lacrosse Magazine Top 20. The Tigers have been ranked in every poll, including the preseason, in 2016.

Updating the 2016 Tigers
The Tigers continue to pour on the offense at a high rate. Towson has logged 102 goals so far in 2016, the highest goal total through nine games in the Shawn Nadelen era (2012) and most since the 2004 season. Ryan Drenner (17g, 13a) sets the pace for Towson, with linemates Joe Seider (17g, 3a) and Spencer Parks (10g, 10a) eclipsing the 20-point total. Ben McCarty (13g, 5a) is poised for a career season, already tying his career-best in points set during the 2013 season. Four other Tigers have double digit points: Mike Lynch (7g, 5a), Tyler Young (6g, 6a), Ian Kirby (9g, 1a) and Brian Bolewicki (6g, 4a). Towson's defense locks it down and ranks fifth in the country in goals allowed per game (7.00), backed by Tewaaraton Watch Lister Tyler White, whose 6.34 goals against average is third-best in the nation. Alec Burckley is Towson's top faceoff man, winning 55.8 percent of his draws (77-158), snapping up 34 groundballs along the way. Towson's defense has been very disciplined this season, taking just 22 total penalties for only 20 total minutes.

Scouting The Dragons
Drexel is coming off of a 12-5 win at home against Mercer last weekend, improving to 4-5 on the season. Four of those five losses have come against ranked teams, while Drexel is 2-3 on the road this season. Cole Shafer (17g, 5a) leads Drexel's offense, followed by Matthew Varian (14g, 7a) and Robert Frazee (17g, 2a). The Dragons score an average of 10.44 goals per game in 2016, but allow 10.33 per outing. Drexel has 94 total goals for and 93 goals against. Jimmy Joe Granito has played all but 15 minutes in goal this season, making 106 saves at a 53.5 percent clip. He carries a 10.53 goals against average and a 4-5 overall record.

Towson-Drexel History
The respective home fields for Saturday's combatants are separated by just under 100 miles. Towson and Drexel will meet for the 50th time since the first meeting in 1962. Towson leads the all-time series at 39-10 as the teams split meetings last season. Drexel won in the regular season at Vidas Field, but Towson ended Drexel's season in the CAA Tournament Semifinals at Fairfield University. Drexel has won six of the last eight meetings.

Towson-Drexel By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record    Towson 39-10
    at Towson    Towson 16-3
    at Drexel    Towson 11-5
    at Neutral Sites    Towson 2-0
    at Unknown Sites    Towson 10-2
First Meeting    1962
        Drexel 14, Towson 7
Last Meeting    April 30, 2015 (Fairfield, Conn.)
        Towson 11, Drexel 8
Streak    Towson +1

Last Time Out vs. Drexel
The Tigers exacted revenge against the Dragons in the 2015CAA Tournament Semifinals, hosted at Fairfield University. Just five days prior Drexel topped No. 17 Towson 11-10 at the Dragons' Vidas Field, but Towson ended Drexel's season with an 11-8 win in Connecticut. Four different Towson players scored two goals in a balanced day, while Ryan Drenner dished out four assists, along with a goal for a five-point afternoon. Then senior midfielder Justin Mabus added two assists to his two goals as well. Tyler White made eight saves in goal, while his defense killed off three penalties. Alec Burckley won 12 of his 19 faceoffs along with eight groundballs, winning 26 total faceoffs against Drexel last season. Cole Shafer scored four goals for Drexel, while Robert Frazee (2) was the only other Dragon with multiple goals in the CAA Semifinal.

Careers Against Drexel
Since Towson and Drexel are conference rivals, 22 Tigers have suited up against the Dragons. Saturday's game will be the seventh time two Towson players, Mike Lowe and Ben McCarty, will play against Drexel. McCarty is the Tigers' active points leader against Drexel, scoring 15 goals in the last three years. He scored a career-best six goals against Drexel in the CAA Semifinals in 2013, while striking four times against Drexel in the 2015 regular season and another two in the 2015 CAA Semifinals. Ryan Drenner has three goals and six helpers all-time against Drexel while linemate Joe Seider has seven career points (4g, 3a) versus the Dragons. Tyler White has made 41 career saves in four games against Saturday's opponent, logging 243 career minutes.

At Home as a Top 10
On March 19, Towson played its first game at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium as a top-10 program for the first time since May 14, 2005 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against No. 5 Cornell. The Big Red won that game 12-11, but the Tigers have won more games at home as a top-10 team. Towson is now 25-18 at home as a top-10 team, dating back to the 1980 season when Towson elevated to Division I. Prior to the 15-6 win over Furman, Towson's last home win as a top-10 team came on April 24, 2004 as the 10th-ranked Tigers topped Drexel 13-8.

Clicking on Offense
After going four years without scoring 15 or more goals in a game, dating back to a 17-8 win over Mercer on March 21, 2012, the Tigers' offense has found its mojo. Towson scored 15 goals in its last two games, both 15-6 wins over Furman (March 19) and Binghamton (March 26). Those two wins mark the first time since the 2004 campaign that Towson has scored 15 or more goals in back-to-back games. Noted by play-by-play man Spiro Morekas, it marks the first time since that same season the Tigers have won games by at least nine goals in back-to-back contests as well.

White Named Senior CLASS Award Finalist
Redshirt senior goalie Tyler White was one of 10 NCAA Division I student-athletes to be named as a Senior CLASS Award Finalist, announced March 30. White is the only CAA student-athlete to make the finalist list.

The Senior CLASS Award will hold a Fan Vote on www.SeniorCLASSAward.com. Fans are able to vote once a day, every day from now until May 9. The Fan Vote counts for one-third of the final total, with the remaining two-thirds decided by NCAA Division I coaches and national media members.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. CLASS is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®. 

First Time For Everything
Despite Saturday's game being the 50th meeting all-time between Towson and Drexel, one first remains to be checked off the list. This game will be the first time in Towson's Division I history it will open conference play against the Dragons. April 2 is the earliest the Tigers and Dragons will clash since March 28, 2009, a 7-4 Towson victory in Philadelphia.

Bring Your Green Hat
Junior attackman Joe Seider has been on an offensive terror lately, scoring at least one goals in his last 14 appearances. The streak began on April 25, 2015 in the regular season match up at Drexel. Since then, Seider has racked up 25 goals, averaging nearly two per contest during the run. Seider's scoring streak is one of the longest in the country, checking in at seventh and is believed to be the longest active streak in the CAA.

Tigers Among the Active Leaders
Redshirt senior goalie Tyler White is among one of the top active goalies in the country. As of the March 31, 2016 statistical rankings, White was ranked 11th among Division I goalies in career saves, turning aside 392 opponent attempts. 

Junior faceoff specialist Alec Burckley is currently ranked 32nd in the active career groundball list, raking in 131. Wingman Pat Conroy is 47th on the active list with 116. Burckley is also 23rd in active faceoffs won (266) and 19th in faceoff attempts (505). 

With a Win Saturday
- A win Saturday would give the Tigers their fifth-straight CAA-opening win, a perfect 5-0 mark under head coach Shawn Nadelen. Towson would improve to 12-3 all-time in CAA openers since joining the conference in 2002.
- Towson would collect its first regular season win over Drexel under Nadelen, who took over in 2012. The Tigers last regular season win over the Dragons was an 8-7 win over the No. 7 Dragons in 2010 at home.
- The Tigers would improve to 7-0 at Johnny Unitas Stadium in 2016, the most wins at home in a single season since the Tigers went 8-2 during the 2004 campaign. 

It's a Pretty Darn Good Defense
This season, Towson has allowed just 63 goals through the first nine games of the season en route to an 8-1 record, the program's best start since opening the 1990 season at 8-1. Those 63 goals allowed are the fewest by any Towson team through nine games since the program elevated to Division I for the 1980 campaign. Last season's defense allowed just 66 goals through the first nine games, holding a 6-3 mark. The 2015 and 2016 defenses are the only two in the program's Division I history to hold opponents under 70 goals through nine games.

The Offense Continues to Score
Coupled with a stonewall defense, the Tiger offense is playing equally as well. The Tigers have notched 102 goals so far in 2016, averaging 11.33 goals per game. It's the first time since the 2012 season, head coach Shawn Nadelen's first at the helm, that the offense has produced 100+ goals in the first nine games. This season's team is the first squad to produce 100 or more goals through nine games since the 2004 team put up 106 with a 6-3 record. The 2002 and 2003 teams scored 117 and 103 goals in the first nine games, respectively. 

Striking Early, Striking Quickly - Updated
The first quarter has unquestionably belonged to the Tigers in 2016. Towson has out-scored opponents 28-11 in the first 15 minutes of games, while holding a 52-24 edge at halftime. Towson has 24 goals for in the third quarter, allowing 14. The fourth quarter is the only period this season in which the Tigers have not out-scored their opponent, scoring 25 times in the final period, while allowing 25 fourth-quarter goals.

Towson has been deadly efficient in the first five minutes of quarters this season. The Tigers have nine goals in the first five minutes of the first quarter, 10 in the second, 13 in the third and nine in the fourth. Conversely, the defense has been air tight, allowing only three goals in the opening five minutes, four in the third quarter and three in first five of the fourth quarter. The Tigers have allowed just one goal in the first five minutes of the second quarter this season, coming from Furman's Jonah Moore at 11:07. 

9th Time's The Charm
Since taking over the program in 2012, head coach Shawn Nadelen has won the ninth game in each of the last five seasons, including the March 26 win over Binghamton. Other wins include: at Hofstra (10-9, OT, March 31, 2012), vs. UMBC (12-9, March 19, 2013), Delaware (11-8, March 22, 2014) and at Binghamton (9-8, March 21, 2015). Since elevating to Division I in 1980, the Tigers are 25-12 all-time in their ninth game of the season. 

Overtime Thriller
On March 15, redshirt freshman Ian Kirby drilled the game-winning shot from just a few yards north of goal-line extended. That rip gave the Tigers their first overtime win since March 22, 2013 in a 7-6 win at Delaware. Since head coach Shawn Nadelen took over time program in 2012, the Tigers are 4-2 in overtime games. The Tigers have made the NCAA Tournament in two of the three previous seasons when Towson is involved in an overtime game.

Seider in the Career Top 10 - Updated March 31
Junior attackman Joe Seider has ripped off 280 career shots in his time with the program. Seider is now alone in seventh-place all-time with shot attempts, surpassing former teammate Andrew Hodgson's mark of 279. Next up for Seider is Bobby Griebe (2004-07) and Tom Wagner (1976-79), who each took 290 attempts. Glenn Smith sits atop the leader board with 458 shots from 1988-91. 

Burckley in the Career Top 10 - Updated March 31
With his sixth faceoff win against Johns Hopkins University on March 12, junior faceoff man Alec Burckley moved into the program's top-10 career list for faceoff wins. Burckley has 266 career wins, and is sole possession of 10th place all-time. Next on the list is Brian Cesarski, who won 274 draws from 1990-93. Towson Hall of Famer Justin Berry holds the career record at 507 from 1998-2001 and is the only player in program history to win more than 500 faceoffs.

Tyler White's Career Numbers - Updated March 31
It's no secret that Towson's starting goalie, Tewaaraton Watch Lister Tyler White, is one of the best backstops in the country. White has the third-best goals against average (6.34) in the nation, a mark that would better his own single-season record of 7.57 from the 2015 campaign. Over the course of his career, White has built a 28-14 overall record. Since 2002, only Reed Sothoron has won more games, collecting 29 from 2002-2005. White's winning percentage is better at 66.7, edging Sothoron's 64.4 percent (29-16). With goalie minutes available from 1997 to the present, White is among seven goalies with 1,000+ minutes in the rack, logging 2,456. Sothoron played in the most in that span at 2,976, while John Horrigan logged 2,660 from 1998-2001.

In it for the Long Haul - Updated
The Tigers' game at Ohio State was the farthest the Tigers will travel in the 2016 regular season. Towson flew out Monday for Columbus and returned to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Wednesday. Johnny Unitas Stadium, home of the Tigers, sits roughly 415 miles from Ohio Stadium, the site of the March 15 contest. The trip was roughly 830 round-trip miles. On April 9, Towson travels 356 miles to Amherst, Massachusetts to take on the Minutemen at Garber Field. The Tigers round out the regular season on April 30 at Shuart Stadium, home of the Hofstra Pride, a trip of 215 miles. Those two April games are the only CAA road trips for Towson this season.

Parks Earns Two Weekly Honors
After a seven-point week with four goals and three assists, senior attackman Spencer Parks collected two weekly honors for play between March 14-20. The Fallston, Maryland native was named as the CAA Co-Player of the Week on Monday, while being selected as the USILA/Lids Team Sports Player of the Week. Parks finished with two goals and two assists in the overtime win at Ohio State, including the game-winning helper to Ian Kirby. He put up two goals and one assist against Furman in the March 19 win, a 15-6 decision.

White Wins Three Weekly Awards
After going 2-0 one week, and making 19 combined saves, redshirt senior goalie Tyler White picked up three weekly awards. The big man was named CAA Player of the Week on March 8, followed up by NCAA Defensive Player of the Week on March 9. On Friday, White was named the Baltimore Sun's Player of the Week. White finished his games against No. 5 Loyola and UMBC with a goals against average of 6.67 and stopped 61.3 percent of the shots he faced, limiting the Greyhounds and Retrievers to just eight and four goals, respectively. At that point, White and his defense had not allowed an opponent to score double digits this season.

Local Market
This year, Towson has 14 games on its regular season slate. Of those 14 games, nine will be played at Johnny Unitas Stadium. Towson did not have to travel far for two of its five road games as the Tigers traveled down the road to Loyola (March 2) and Johns Hopkins (March 12). However, what the Tigers gain in local games, they make up for in true road games, covering roughly 2,000 miles going to Ohio State (March 15), Massachusetts (April 9) and Hofstra (April 30).

Local Market Part Deux
While it's not uncommon at all for the Tigers to face all three of the local institutions in the same season, this year's edition of the Battle for Greater Baltimore had a unique twist: Towson played all three schools in consecutive games. The Tigers went to Loyola on March 2, hosted UMBC on March 5 and then traveled down Charles Street to Johns Hopkins on March 12. 

Hodgson on the Move
After being drafted in Major League Lacrosse's Supplemental Draft in the offseason, former Towson standout midfielder Andrew Hodgson was traded on March 3. The Long Islander will have a chance to play his professional lacrosse close to home as he was transferred from the Denver Outlaws to the New York Lizards as part of a three-player, two draft pick trade. Hodgson and Duke defender Luke Duprey were sent to New York for Brody Eastwood, a fourth-round draft pick in the 2017 Collegiate Draft and a seventh-round pick in the 2017 Supplemental Draft. Hodgson, who is an assistant coach at Manhattan College, will have the chance to make his pro debut on April 23 as the Lizards host the Rochester Rattlers at 5 p.m. at Hofstra's Shuart Stadium.

Kirby Named CAA Rookie of the Week (2/23)
After a two-goal game against Mount St. Mary's, redshirt freshman Ian Kirby was named CAA Rookie of the Week (Feb. 23). Kirby took three shots in the Tigers' 9-5 win over in-state foe Mount St. Mary's, hitting for paydirt twice. Kirby has emerged as Towson's top man-up threat in the early goings, scoring three goals in his first two games, all on the extra-man.

Seider Named CAA Player of the Week (2/16)
The CAA office announced junior attackman Joe Seider as the Player of the Week (Feb. 16) in the first conference report of the season. Seider is the first Tiger to win a weekly award in the first report since he was tabbed Rookie of the Week during the 2014 season. In the Tigers' 11-2 win over Mercer, Seider finished with four points on three goals and one assist. He paced the game with 11 shots while helping Towson to double digits for the fifth time in Towson's last six games, dating back to last season.

White Named to Tewaaraton Trophy, Presented by Under Armour, Watch List
Redshirt senior goalie Tyler White was one of 50 NCAA Men's Lacrosse student-athletes named to a Watch List for the sports highest honor: The Tewaaraton Trophy, presented by Under Armour. The announcement was made in the evening of Feb. 23. White is one of two CAA players named to the watch list as he was joined by Hofstra's Sam Llinares. The Tigers have had three different players in the Shawn Nadelen era (since 2012) to be named to the Tewaaraton Trophy Watch List. Last season Andrew Hodgson was named while former standout Thomas DeNapoli was named twice (2013, 2014).

Preseason Nods
Redshirt senior goalie Tyler White earned several preseason accolades, including Honorable Mention All-America by Inside Lacrosse. The Elmira Heights, New York native was also named to the Preseason All-CAA Team, along with junior attackman Joe Seider. Ryan Drenner, Mike Lowe and Tyler Mayes all earned Honorable Mention Preseason All-CAA plaudits.

Defense + Offense = Success
With a defense as heralded as Towson's, it's not a surprise to followers of the team that the Tigers have lots of success when the offense and defense pair well. Since head coach Shawn Nadelen took over in 2012, the Tigers are 28-5 in games when Towson scores double digits. When Towson's defense limits opponents to single digits, the Tigers are a whopping 42-7 in that same time, including last week's 15-6 win over Binghamton. On 23 occasions, the Tigers have scored in double figures while holding opponents to single digits, obviously a 23-0 record.