Opening Faceoff
Towson takes to the road for the first time in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play, heading to Amherst for a clash with the Minutemen. No. 7/No. 6 Towson heads north with a four-game win streak in hand and off to the team's best start since the 1990 campaign. The Tigers will be making just their third road trip of the year and sit at 1-1 in games away from Johnny Unitas Stadium.

In The National Rankings
In another wild week of Division I lacrosse, the Tigers made a big jump in this week's polls. Towson jumped three spots in the USILA Coaches' Poll to seventh, while slotting in at sixth in both the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and the Lacrosse Magazine Top 20, a jump of two spots and four, respectively. This marks the second-straight game Towson will play ranked in the top 10 in at least two polls. The Tigers are the only CAA team ranked this week, with UMass receiving votes in the  Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and the Lacrosse Magazine Top 20.

Updating the 2016 Tigers
Defense continues to be the core of the Tigers' squad. Towson is ranked fourth in the country, allowing just 7.00 goals per game. Of its 10 games, the Tigers have held nine opponents to single digits. Redshirt senior goalie Tyler White, who currently leads fan voting for the Senior CLASS Award, is second nationally with a goals against average of 6.41 and 10th with a 56.4 save percentage. Offensively, the Tigers continue to score, hitting double digits for a fourth-straight game last weekend. Three Tigers are over 20 points this year. Ryan Drenner (18g, 15) leads the way, followed by Joe Seider (20g, 3a) and Spencer Parks (11g, 10a). Eight different players have 10 or more points this year. Junior faceoff specialist Alec Burckley is flirting with a 60 percent win rate, emerging victorious  93 times in 159 tries. He leads in groundballs with 43.

Scouting The Minutemen
UMass is 4-5 on the year and 0-1 in CAA play after suffering a 9-7 loss at Delaware last weekend. The Minutemen are slow to start, getting outscored 22-12 in the first quarter, but out-scoring opponents a combined 49-40 in the second and third quarters. UMass's offense is versatile with seven players in double-digit points, but no one over 20. Buddy Carr (15g, 4a) sets the pace, followed by three players with 12 points. Goalkeeping has been by committee this season, with three goalies logging at least 80 minutes. Sean Sconone got the start at Delaware and has 20 saves to his credit. His goals against average is 9.58. UMass has struggled at the X, with a team winning percentage of 46.7. Tom Meyers is 43-of-79 (.544) while Noah Rak is 41-of-90 (45.6).

Towson-UMass History
Saturday's game will be the 11th meeting all-time between the Tigers and Minutemen. Towson leads the series 6-4 thanks to four-straight wins, including two last season. Towson ended UMass's season with a 9-8 win in the CAA Championship game, while earning a 6-3 win at home during the regular season. Towson won the last clash in Amherst 6-5 on April 5, 2014.

Towson-UMass By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record    Towson 6-4
    at Towson    Towson 3-1
    at UMass    Tied 2-2
    at Neutral Sites    Towson 1-0
    at Unknown Sites    UMass 1-0
First Meeting    1963
        UMass 7, Towson 3
Last Meeting    May 2, 2015 (Fairfield, Conn.)
        Towson 9, UMass 8
Streak    Towson +4

Last Time Out vs. UMass
With the CAA's automatic qualifying bid on the line, the Tigers got the game-winning goal on a behind-the-back shot from the since-graduated Justin Mabus with 1:50 left in regulation and the 30-second shot clock running. That play made SportsCenter's coveted Top 10 Plays, ranking fourth on arguably the busiest sports day of the year in 2015. Current junior Joe Seider notched a hat trick en route to the Tournament's Most Outstanding Player award while Mabus finished with three points on two goals and one assist. Then-senior Greg Cuccinello posted two goals as well, while redshirt senior goalie Tyler White made seven saves in the Tigers' fifth CAA Championship win. Alec Burckley had a strong showing at the X, winning 14 of his 20 chances along with four groundballs. The Tigers did not take a personal penalty call the entire game and allowed just one EMO goal.

Careers Against UMass
Nineteen different Tigers have strapped up against the Minutemen during their careers. Redshirt senior goalie Tyler White has played the last 180 minutes in goal for Towson against UMass, making 37 saves at a 69.8 percent clip. Last season in two games he made 21 stops and allowed a combined 11 goals in those games. Junior attackman Joe Seider has six career goals against the Minutemen, averaging 2.00 goals per game while senior attacker Spencer Parks has three points (1g, 2a) in last season's pair of games. Redshirt senior Ben McCarty has scored at least one point per season against Massachusetts and has three career points (2g, 1a). Junior Mike Lynch scored three goals in two games against UMass last season as classmate Ryan Drenner has two career helpers.

Burckley Named CAA Co-Player of the Week
Junior faceoff specialist had a pretty good outing against Drexel on April 2, winning 16 of his 21 faceoff attempts while collecting nine groundballs. Burckley set a career high in faceoff wins, besting his mark of 15 set twice last season. His nine groundballs against the Dragons represented a season high. His 16 faceoff wins were the second most for a Tiger in the Shawn Nadelen era (2012), just one behind Ian Mill's mark of 17. 

At Home as a Top 10 - As of April 2
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 26-18 at home as a top-10 team, dating back to the 1980 season when Towson elevated to Division I. Towson has now beaten Drexel at home as a top-10 team twice in the last decade: April 2 in an 11-7 victory and on April 24, 2004 as the 10th-ranked Tigers topped Drexel 13-8. 

Seider Added to Tewaaraton Watch List
Junior attackman Joe Seider was added to the coveted Tewaaraton Trophy, Presented by Under Armour, Watch List Friday morning, announced by the Tewaaraton Foundation. Seider is the only CAA player to be added to the list this round and joins teammate and redshirt senior goalie Tyler White on the Watch List.

Seider is second on the team in points (23) and leads the Tigers with 20 goals. He is riding a 15-game scoring streak dating back to the 2015 regular season. The Sparks, Maryland native has started in all 10 games for the No. 7/No. 6 Tigers and has taken a team-best 74 shots. He has one game-winning goal to his credit while scoring three extra-man goals.

The Tewaaraton Trophy, Presented by Under Armour, will be announced June 2 in Washington, D.C.

Double It, Double It
Towson's offense has been clicking all season long as Towson has reached double figure goal marks in eight of the 10 games this season. Towson is 8-0 when hitting 10+ goals in a game this season. The Tigers have been scoring at a torrid pace lately, hitting double figures in their last four games. Towson has not scored 10 or more goals in four straight games since the 2014 campaign. Should Towson hit double digits on Saturday against UMass, it will mark the first time since head coach Shawn Nadelen's first season at the helm (2012) Towson has scored 10 or more goals in five straight games.

25, 26, 27, 28, 29...
Redshirt senior goalie Tyler White logged his 29th career win on April 2 in an 11-7 victory over CAA rival Drexel. He is now tied with Reed Sothoron for the most wins by a goal since the Tigers joined the CAA in 2002. A win on Saturday would give White the 30th win of his career, the most for a Tiger keeper in the CAA Era.

With a Win Saturday
- Towson would improve to 2-0 in the CAA for the fourth time in head coach Shawn Nadelen's career. Towson opened CAA play at 1-1 during the 214 season.
- The Tigers would extend their win streak to five against the Minutemen. Towson has won the previous four meetings, yet has not hit double-digits in this series since a 13-6 win in 2010.
- Towson would run its overall winning streak to five games, the second time this season Towson has won five consecutive games.
- The Tigers would get their 10th win of the season and mark the first time since the 2004 and 2005 seasons Towson has won double-digit games in back-to-back seasons after going 12-6 last year. 

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 ®. 

Most Wins Against...
The Tigers picked up an 11-7 win over Drexel on April 2. It marks the program's 40th win over the Dragons since the series first began in 1962. Towson is now 40-10 all-time against Drexel, including back-to-back wins in the last two meetings. The 40 wins over Drexel represent the most against a single opponent in program history. Towson's 38 victories over Delaware are the second-most.

Bring Your Green Hat - Updated April 2
Junior attackman Joe Seider has been on an offensive terror lately, scoring at least one goals in his last 15 appearances. The streak began on April 25, 2015 in the regular season match up at Drexel. Since then, Seider has racked up 28 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 the longest active streak in the CAA.

Tigers Among the Division I Active Leaders - Updated April 7
Redshirt senior goalie Tyler White is among one of the top active goalies in the country. As of the April 7, 2016 statistical rankings, White was ranked 11th among Division I goalies in career saves, turning aside 397 opponent attempts. 

Junior faceoff specialist Alec Burckley is currently ranked 28th in the active career groundball list, raking in 140. Wingman Pat Conroy is 49th on the active list with 118. Burckley is also 20th in active faceoffs won (282) and 19th in faceoff attempts (526). 

It's a Pretty Darn Good Defense - Updated April 7
This season, Towson has allowed just 70 goals through the first 10 games of the season en route to an 9-1 record, the program's best start since opening the 1990 season at 11-1. Those 70 goals allowed are the second-fewest by any Towson team through 10 games since the program elevated to Division I for the 1980 campaign. Last season's defense allowed just 69 goals through the first 10 games, holding a 7-3 mark. The 2015 and 2016 defenses are the only two in the program's Division I history to hold opponents to 70 goals or less through 10 games.

Striking Early, Striking Quickly - Updated April 7
The first quarter has unquestionably belonged to the Tigers in 2016. Towson has out-scored opponents 30-12 in the first 15 minutes of games, while holding a 55-27 edge at halftime. Towson has 26 goals for in the third quarter, allowing 16. Towson out-goals opponents 31-27 in the fourth quarter thanks to a combined 13 fourth-quarter goals in the last two games.

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 10 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 two goals 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 April 7
Junior attackman Joe Seider has ripped off 291 career shots in his time with the program. Seider is now alone in fifth-place all-time with shot attempts, passing Bobby Griebe (2004-07) and Tom Wagner (1976-79), who each took 290 attempts. Next on the list with 301 shots each are John Como (1977-80) and Jonathan Enkelke (2004-08). 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 282 career wins, and is sole possession of eighth place all-time. Next on the list is Tim Lucky (1992-95), who won 323 draws from 1990-93. Burckley is just 18 faceoff wins away from becoming the eighth player in program history to win 300 or more draws. 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 April 7
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 (6.41) 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 29-14 overall record. Since 2002, only Reed Sothoron has won more games, collecting 29 from 2002-2005. White's winning percentage is better at 67.4, 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 2,516. 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 29-5 in games when Towson scores double digits. When Towson's defense limits opponents to single digits, the Tigers are a whopping 43-7 in that same time, including last week's 11-7 win over Drexel. On 24 occasions, the Tigers have scored in double figures while holding opponents to single digits, obviously a 24-0 record.