Opening Faceoff
Towson makes its second-straight CAA Championship game appearance after besting long-time rival Drexel 10-6 on Thursday. The Tigers draw No. 2 Fairfield by way of the Stags' 11-8 win over No. Hofstra. Towson is the first team to make back-to-back title game appearances since Massachusetts did so in 2011 and 2012.
In The National Rankings
After securing its second-straight 12-win season, Towson moved up in all three polls. The Tigers are 11th in both the Nike Lacrosse/USILA Coaches' Poll and in the Cascade/Maverik Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. Towson is 10th in this week's Nike Lacrosse/Lacrosse Magazine Top 20.
Updating the Top-Seeded Tigers
The Tigers' offense continues to be a diverse bunch as nine different Tigers scored on Thursday. Joe Seider (30g, 4a) was the only Towson player with multiple goals in the semifinals. CAA Co-Player of the Year Ryan Drenner (26g, 20a) leads the team with 46 points. He is four-points shy of becoming the first Tiger since 2013 with 50 or more points in a season (Thomas DeNapoli, 60 points). Spencer Parks is second on the team with 35 points (19g, 16a), with Seider in third with 34 points (30g, 4a). Ben McCarty (18g, 7a) and Mike Lynch (17g, 8a)each scored against Drexel to remain tied at 25 points apiece. Faceoffs bounced back into the black as Alec Burckley won 13 of the 19 faceoffs on Thursday, improving to 121-229 (52.8 percent) this season. The Tiger defense sits at fourth in the country, allowing just 7.47 goals per game. Tyler White has the third-best goals against average in Division I at 7.10 with 119 saves at a 53.6 percent clip.
Scouting The No. 2 Stags
Fairfield advanced to its first-ever CAA Championship game by virtue of an 11-8 victory over No. 3 Hofstra. Freshman sensation Colin Burke (46g, 16a) had a seven-point night against the Pride and leads the Stags with 62 points. Charlie Schnider (10g, 32a) is the distributor on the offense and is second in points with 42. Local product TJ Neubauer (31g, 3a) rounds out Stag players with 30 or more points with 34. Tyler Behring has been the go-to in goal for Fairfield, making 188 saves at a 56.5 percent clip. He carries a 9.53 record into the title game and a 9-7 record.
Towson-Fairfield History
Not the longest series in Tiger history, Saturday will be just the third-ever meeting between the Tigers and Stags. Towson has won the previous two meetings, including an 18-11 win at Johnny Unitas Stadium just two weeks ago. Saturday's title game will be the first-ever postseason meeting between teams and just the second clash in Towson. The Tigers are making their eighth CAA Championship game appearance.
Towson-Fairfield By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson 2-0
at Towson Towson 1-0
at Fairfield Towson 1-0
at Neutral Sites n/a
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting April 11, 2015
#16 Towson 8, #20 Fairfield 7
Last Meeting April 23, 2016
#10/#12 Towson 18, rv Fairfield 11
Streak Towson +2
Last Time Out vs. Fairfield
Junior midfielder Mike Lynch had a career outing against the Stags as he potted five goals along with one assist for a career-best six points. Lynch did his five-goal damage in the first half as the Tigers had their biggest conference game offensive output in the CAA Era (2002). Not to be over shadowed, Spencer Parks and Ryan Drenner had three goals apiece while freshman Jon Mazza notched two goals. Five other Tigers had one goal. Fairfield's Colin Burke, the CAA Co-Player of the Year alongside Towson's Drenner, had a seven-point game with five goals and two assists. Nico Panepinto had four points on a hat trick and an assist. Neither starting goalie, Towson's Tyler White or Fairfield's Tyler Behring, had strong days, combining for just eight saves. The former had five while the later had three.
With a Win Saturday
- Towson would claim its sixth CAA title and third in the Shawn Nadelen Era (2012). It would extend the Tigers' hold on CAA Crowns with Delaware in second with three. Hofstra and former member Loyola have two CAA Championships.
- Improve to 14-2 on the season, the most wins in a campaign since going 14-4 in 2001, which included a trip to the NCAA Final Four.
- The Tigers would get their third-straight win over Fairfield, including twice this season.
- Towson would collect its 10th win at Unitas Stadium this season, the program's Division I record for home victories.
- The Tigers would be the first No. 1 seed and CAA Tournament host to claim the title on its home field since UMass topped Drexel 18-12 in 2012.
- The Tigers would claim the CAA's automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Tournament and make the program's 13th NCAA Tournament appearance and second in the Nadelen Era. It would be the second-straight apperance for the Tigers, the first back-to-back berths since three-straight from 2003-2005, coupled with three consecutive CAA titles.
Hosting The 'Ship
Saturday will be the first time since the 2010 campaign Towson is hosting the CAA Championship game. Towson has not claimed a conference title game on its home field since the top-seeded Tigers bested number two seed Villanova 12-7 during the 2004 campaign. After Thursday's win, Towson is now 8-4 all-time in home CAA Tournament games, improving to 14-6 in the Tournament.
50 Nifty Wins of Nadelen's Career
Towson head coach Shawn Nadelen won the 50th game of his career with the Tigers' 10-6 CAA Semifinal victory over Drexel. He becomes the third head coach in program history with at least 50 wins and is chasing his former boss, Tony Seaman, who won 99 games at the helm of the Black & Gold. Nadelen's first career win came in his first career game, a 12-10 victory on the road at Jacksonville on Feb. 11, 2012. His 25th victory was a 6-5 affair at UMass on April 5, 2014. He has doubled his career wins total in the last two seasons.
Home, Sweet Home
Towson's 10-6 win over Drexel on Thursday was the team's ninth from the friendly confines of Unitas Stadium this season. That mark represents the most home wins in a single season in the program's Division I Era (1980). The previous best was eight home victories in 2004. A victory on Saturday would give the program its first-ever double-digit home win season in the Division I era.
CAA Dominance
No team has left its mark on the Colonial Athletic Association like the Tigers have. Since joining the league for the 2002 campaign, Towson has picked up 55 conference victories, more than any other program in the league. Hofstra is second with 54. The Tigers have won five CAA Tournaments, and are hunting their sixth on Saturday. Delaware is second with three titles. No program has appeared in more CAA Championship games than Towson, which makes its ninth title game showing since 2002.
All-Conference Nods
The Tigers did well in the 2016 CAA Men's Lacrosse postseason awards. Towson saw junior Ryan Drenner earn Co-Player of the Year honors, while head coach Shawn Nadelen was the league's Coach of the Year. Drenner became the first Tiger to win a share of Player of the Year since Ben DeFelice was also a Co-Player of the Year in 2004. Nadelen is the first Tiger head man to earn Coach of the Year honors since Tony Seaman won the award in 2010.
Joining Drenner on the First Team All-CAA list were juniors Jack Adams (SSDM) and Tyler Mayes (LSM). Four Towson standouts, Joe Seider (A), Mike Lynch (M), Mike Lowe (D) and Tyler White (GK) earned Second Team All-CAA plaudits. Freshmen Zach Goodrich (M) and Jon Mazza (M) were tabbed All-Rookie. Drenner was also the Tigers' selection for the All-Academic Team.
Combining Hot Offense With Stout Defense - Updated May 6
While the Tigers may not be known for their scoring, Towson ranks in the top 20 in scoring the season, putting away 11.13 goals per game. Towson's bread and butter is on the defensive fourth, holding opponents to just 7.47 goals per outing. Only four Division I teams in the country rank in the top 20 for offense and are in the top 10 for defense. Towson is joined by Army (11.63/7.69), Yale (12.85/7.85) and Saint Joseph's (12.67/7.67).
The Century Mark
Towson's starting attack line boasts two 100-point scorers. Junior Ryan Drenner notched his 100th point at 13:46 of the third quarter with a goal at Hofstra, while linemate Joe Seider utilized a hat trick to move to 101 career points, hitting the century mark at 11:56 of the third period.
Bouncing Back
During Shawn Nadelen's tenure at Towson, the Tigers have allowed double-digit goals in just 27 of his 79 career games coached, including last weekend's contest. Towson is 14-12 since 2012 following a game when it allows opponents double-digit markers. After allowing double digits, the defense has buckled down in the ensuing game; Towson has allowed opponents double digits just 10 times after allowing 10 or more in the previous game. Since taking over the program in 2012, Nadelen holds a 17-14 mark following a loss. Towson beat Fairfield 18-11 at home following a 10-7 setback against Delaware the week before.
Got That 33rd Win - Updated May 6
Redshirt senior goalie Tyler White logged his 30th career win on April 9 in an 11-8 victory over CAA rival UMass. He is now has the most for a Tiger keeper in the CAA Era.
White is tied for first place in the CAA in all-time wins since the conference first sponsored men's lacrosse in 2002. His 33 wins are now tied for the most in the CAA with UMass's Tim McCormack's and Drexel's Bruce Bickford, who each had 33. A win Saturday for White would move him into first-place alone for the most wins in the CAA Era at 34.
30+ Career Wins for Current CAA Teams
Mark Manos (Drexel) - 33 (2009-12)
Tim McCormack (UMass) - 33 (2010-12)
Tyler White (Towson) - 33 (2013-Present)
Bruce Bickford (Drexel) - 31 (2006-08)
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 ®.
Bring Your Green Hat - Updated May 6
Junior attackman Joe Seider has been on an offensive terror lately, scoring at least one goal in his last 20 appearances. The streak began on April 25, 2015 in the regular season match up at Drexel. Since then, Seider has racked up 40 goals, averaging two per contest during the run.
Tigers Among the Division I Active Leaders - Updated May 6
Redshirt senior goalie Tyler White is among one of the top active goalies in the country. As of the May 5, 2016 statistical rankings, White was ranked 10th among Division I goalies in career saves, turning aside 437 opponent attempts.
Junior faceoff specialist Alec Burckley is currently ranked 28th in the active career groundball list, raking in 160. Wingman Pat Conroy is 48th on the active list with 129. Burckley is also 22nd in active faceoffs won (310) and 21st in faceoff attempts (596).
Seider in the Towson Career Top 10 - Updated May 6
Junior attackman Joe Seider has ripped off 332 career shots in his time with the program. Seider is now alone in second-place all-time with shot attempts, passing the 327 attempts by Kevin Sturm (1995-97, 1999). Glenn Smith sits atop the leader board with 458 shots from 1988-91. The Hereford, Maryland native has 87 career goals and needs just two more goals to pass the 89 markers from Bobby Griebe (2004-07) and Tom Wagner (1976-79).
Burckley in the Towson Career Top 10 - Updated May 6
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 310 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 three 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 May 6
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 (7.10) 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 33-15 overall record. White's win over UMass was the 30th of his career, passing Reed Sothoron, who won 29 from 2002-2005. White's winning percentage is better at 68.8, 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 2,814. 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 May 2
The Tigers' game at Ohio State was the farthest the Tigers will travel in the 2016 regular season. Towson flew out that 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 traveled 356 miles to Amherst, Massachusetts to take on the Minutemen at Garber Field. The Tigers rounded out the regular season on April 30 at Shuart Stadium, home of the Hofstra Pride, a trip of 215 miles. Those two April games were the only CAA road trips for Towson this season.
Lowe Named CAA Player of the Week (5/2)
Lowe played an outstanding defensive game to help the No. 12 Tigers close out the regular season with an 8-7 victory over Hofstra. It was Towson's first win at James M. Shuart Stadium since the 2012 season. Lowe anchored a defense that held its 11th opponent of the season to single digits. In addition, Lowe marked Hofstra's second-leading point getter, Sam Llinares, keeping the reigning CAA Player of the Year without a point and limiting Llinares to just one shot. Lowe forced three turnovers in the game and recorded seven groundballs.
Parks Named CAA Player of the Week (4/15)
After a four-point week where he scored his second hat trick of the season and added an assist to his day, senior attackman Spencer Parks was named CAA Player of the Week. Parks scored what proved to be the game-winning goal early in the third quarter as the Tigers recorded its second CAA win of the season. It is Parks' second weekly honor and the Tigers' sixth of the season. Parks is the first Tiger to win multiple CAA Players of the Week this year.
Burckley Named CAA Co-Player of the Week (4/2)
After winning 16 of his 21 faceoff attempts while collecting nine groundballs, junior faceoff specialist Alec Burckley was named CAA Co-Player of the Week (April 2). Burkley 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.
Seider Added to Tewaaraton Watch List - Updated May 6
Junior attackman Joe Seider was added to the coveted Tewaaraton Trophy, Presented by Under Armour, Watch List, 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 third on the team in points (34) and leads the Tigers with 30 goals. He is riding a 20-game scoring streak dating back to the 2015 regular season. The Sparks, Maryland native has started in all 13 games for the No. 11/No. 11 Tigers and has taken a team-best 115 shots. He has two game-winning goals to his credit while scoring six extra-man goals.
Defense + Offense = Success - Updated May 6
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 31-5 in games when Towson scores double digits. When Towson's defense limits opponents to single digits, the Tigers are a whopping 46-8 in that same time, including Thursday's 10-6 win over Drexel in the CAA Semifinals. On 28 occasions, the Tigers have scored in double figures while holding opponents to single digits, obviously a 28-0 record.
