Opening Faceoff
After seven-straight nonconference games, the Towson University men's lacrosse team opens CAA play on Saturday with a trip to long-time rival Drexel. The Tigers begin their 16th season in the CAA, dating back to the 2002 season. The Tigers are the reigning regular season and tournament champions.
 
In The National Rankings
Despite suffering a setback last weekend to No. 6 Denver, the Tigers moved up in two of the three major polls. Towson moved to No. 14 in the USILA Coaches Poll and is now ranked No. 15 in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. This week's opponent, Drexel, was not mentioned in either poll. Two CAA teams, Towson and Hofstra, were ranked in the two major polls this week. The Pride were sixth and third, respectively.
 
The On-The-Road Again Tigers
After wrapping up a three-game home stand on Saturday, all against nationally-ranked foes, the Tigers hit the road for the first time in nearly a month. Towson's last road game was an 8-6 win at crosstown foe UMBC on March 4. Ryan Drenner (16g, 10) continues his torrid scoring pace as he leads Towson with 26 points. He had his second six-point game last weekend against Denver. Joe Seider (11g, 5a) is currently second with 16 points while Tyler Konen (4g, 7a) rounds out the top three. Defensively, Towson is ranked 13th nationally, allowing a scant 8.29 goals per game. At the X, expect Alex Woodall to have a bounce back game on Saturday. Despite making it a 50/50 game against Denver's top faceoff unit, Woodall is winning 58.2 percent of his draws (78-134). He leads Towson with 41 ground balls. Midseason All-American Zach Goodrich has a team second-best 18 grounders.
 
Scouting The Rival Dragons
Like Towson, Drexel is looking to bounce back from a one-goal loss after dropping a 9-8 overtime decision at Providence. Cole Shafer (20g, 3a) leads Drexel in both goals and points, while Reid Bowering (13g, 8a) has 21 points. Robert Frazee (14g, 4a) is nearing the 20-point bench mark as well. Defensively, Drexel is allowing 11.50 goals per game, backed by 482 minutes in goal by Jimmy Joe Granito. He has an 11.47 goals against average and a 50.8 save percentage, stopping 95 opponent attempts. He has seen 326 total shots this year. Faceoffs have been tough on the Dragons this year as Drexel wins just 36.1 percent of its draws. Jimmeh Kolta is the top specialist, winning 61 of his 159 draws. He is the leading ground ball getter with 25 to his credit. Drexel has been hit with 35 penalties for 26:30 and kills penalties at a 40 percent clip (10-25).

Towson-Drexel History
Two opponents that need no introduction to one another, the Tigers and Dragons will square off for the 52nd time on Saturday, dating back to 1962. The Tigers hold control of the series with a 41-10 record, including a three-game win streak which include two postseason victories. Towson and Drexel have met in the CAA Tournament in each of the last four seasons while meeting at least once a year since 1983.
 
Towson-Drexel By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record           Towson 41-10
            at Towson       Towson 18-3
            at Drexel         Towson 11-5
            at Neutral Sites           Towson 2-0
            at Unknown Sites       Towson 10-2
First Meeting   1962 (Drexel 14-7)
Last Meeting   May 5, 2016 
                        #11 Towson 10, Drexel 6
Streak  Towson +3
 
Last Time Out vs. Drexel
The top-seeded Tigers clashed with fourth-seeded Drexel in the 2016 CAA Semifinals last season at Johnny Unitas Stadium. The Tigers used two mini runs to build a 6-2 lead at the end of the first half, including a full-field heave from Nick Gorman at the buzzer in the first quarter. The Tigers ended the Dragons' season with a 10-6 victory to advance to a second-straight CAA Championship game. Ryan Drenner finished with three points on one goal and two assists while Joe Seider potted a pair of goals. All told, eight different Towson players found the back of the net.
 
With a Win Saturday
- The Tigers would win their sixth-straight CAA opener in the Shawn Nadelen Era. Towson has not dropped a league opener since 2011. 
- Towson would improve to 2-0 over Drexel when opening CAA play against the Dragons. Towson beat Drexel 11-7 at Unitas Stadium last season to begin conference play.
- The Tigers would get their fourth-straight win over the Dragons, the longest winning streak in the series since Towson won 10 straight from 1999-2007.
- Towson would collect its 42nd win over the Dragons, the most for Towson over a single opponent in program history.
- Towson would grab its first win at Drexel since a 7-4 win on March 28, 2009.
- The Tigers would extend their CAA record wins total to 56, the most in league history.
 
Careers Versus Drexel
Ryan Drenner is the active points leader against the Drexel Dragons, dropping in five goals and handing out 10 assists. Joe Seider is close behind with 12 points on nine goals and three assists. Mike Lynch is the active leader at the midfielder with five points on four goals and one helper. Tyler Mayes has eight career caused turnovers against Drexel.
 
CAA Openers
Since joining the CAA in 2002, the Tigers have had success in league openers. The Tigers are 12-3 in CAA openers, holding a 3-3 mark on the road for the first league game of the year. Towson hits the road to open the conference slate for the first time since a 7-6 overtime win at Delaware on March 22, 2013.
All-Time League Openers
Since elevating to Division I for the 1980 season, the Tigers have played in three different conferences: East Coast Conference, America East, Colonial Athletic Association. Towson has fared very well in their first conference game of year, holding a 26-5 all-time mark since its first league game on March 23, 1983, a 16-7 win over Lafayette. As a member of the East Coast Conference and the America East, Towson went 14-2 in league openers and is currently 12-3 in the first CAA game of the year.
 
Goals on Goals on Goals
The Tigers' series with Drexel is one of the longest in program history. The Tigers and Dragons will meet for the 52nd time since 1962 on Saturday. Since then, the Tigers have racked up 696 goals against Drexel. The Dragons have only scored 363 goals all-time against the Tigers. Towson averages 13.6 goals per game against Drexel in the previous 51 meetings, while limiting Drexel to 7.11.
 
Midseason All-American
The seventh annual Inside Lacrosse Midseason All-America list was released this week. Sophomore defensive midfielder Zach Goodrich was named among some of the best in the country as he was the short stick defensive midfielder named First Team Midseason All-America. Goodrich was the lone CAA student-athlete named to the first team, while three student-athletes from Hofstra were selected.
 
Road Warriors
After three-straight home games, and four of the last five contests at Unitas Stadium, the Tigers will hit the road for CAA play three times this season, relying on Interstate 95 for nearly all of their travel. This weekend, Towson travels just over 100 miles to Vidas Field for its first road game since March 4. In two weeks, Towson continues further up I-95 to visit Delaware before doubling the distance for a trek to Fairfield, Connecticut on April 22.
 
Rankings Percentage Index
The NCAA released its first set of RPI numbers this week. With its 4-3 record, the Tigers checked in at No. 21. Towson had the second-highest RPI of teams in the Colonial Athletic Association, with No. 6 Hofstra (8-0) in at fourth of the RPI.
 
Class of the CAA
Since joining the CAA for the 2002 season, no program in league history has enjoyed more success than Towson University. The Tigers have racked up 55 total wins in the CAA, one more than rival Hofstra. Below is a list of the current members of the CAA and their win totals in conference games since joining the league. The Tigers have appeared in the conference title game a total of nine times, bringing home the trophy on a league-record six ocassions.
 
Team: Wins (CAA Titles, Last)
Towson: 55 (6, 2016)
Hofstra: 54 (2, 2008)
Drexel: 46 (1, 2014)
Delaware: 31 (3, 2011)
UMass: 17 (1, 2012)
Fairfield: 8 (0)
 
Defending the Crown
In a conference as tough as the CAA, it's no easy feat to retain the conference crown. Since 2002, only two different member institutions have successfully defended the crown: Towson and Delaware. The Tigers won the league for the first time in 2003 followed two more titles in succession. Delaware won back-to-back championships in 2010 and 2011. The Tigers successfullydefended their 2015 title last season with a 4-2 win over Fairfield. Towson is the only member institution to three-peat and will look do so for a second time this season.
 
Let's Get Defensive
Defense has long been the backbone of the Towson University lacrosse program. Entering the 2017 season, it was a spot many looked to as a potential weakness with the graduation of three close defenseman and a goalie, two of whom were All-Americans. Head coach Shawn Nadelen and defensive coordinator Dan Cocchi have laid those questions to rest. After owning the best defense in Division a year ago, Towson is currently ranked 13th in Division I in goals allowed per game (8.29). Moreover, Towson has allowed the fifth-fewest total goals this season (58). Of teams with at least seven games to their credit, Towson has allowed the second-fewest total goals, despite four new starters in the backfield.
 
Defensive Unit University
In a note collected by Towson University women's lacrosse contact Megan O'Brien, the Tigers are the only Division I program with both its men's and women's programs ranked in the top 15 nationally in scoring defense. The men's team is ranked 13th, allowing 8.29 goals per game, while the women's side allows just 8.60 goals per game, which ranks 11th.
 
Best in Baltimore
Local rivalries are always important. For a second-straight season, the Tigers squared off against the three Greater Baltimore schools, Johns Hopkins, Loyola and UMBC, in three consecutive games. This season, Towson went 2-1 against local rivals, beating UMBC 8-6 and No. 6 Johns Hopkins 13-8. Towson dropped an 11-7 decision against Loyola. As of March 20, Towson was the top-ranked team in Greater Baltimore, ranking 16 in both the USILA Coaches' Poll and the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. Johns Hopkins and Loyola swap places between 17 and 18 in the polls, depending on which poll is used.
 
Over the last three regular seasons, Towson has controlled the Greater Baltimore Area.
Towson: 6-3
Johns Hopkins: 5-3
Loyola: 3-2
UMBC 3-2.
 
The Century Club
In the Tigers' 13-8 win over No. 6 Johns Hopkins, senior attackman Joe Seider joined an elite club in the Tigers' program history. At 14:02 of the second quarter, Seider potted the 100th goal of his Tiger career. He became the seventh player in program history to hit the 100-goal mark, joining the likes of Glenn Smith (154), Kevin Sturm (125), Jonathan Engelke (113), Matt Clune (108), Mike Burke (106) and Tom Nelson (105). Seider has 102 career goals and needs just three more to catch Nelson.
 
No Place Like Home
Since taking over the program for the 2012 season, head coach Shawn Nadelen and the Tigers love playing at the friendly confines of Johnny Unitas Stadium. The Tigers are 30-15 all-time at Minnegan Field, including a program-record 11-1 last season. The Tigers have never suffered a losing mark at home under Nadelen, logging three 4-3 seasons (2015, 2013, 2012) at home. During the 2014 campaign, the Tigers finished with a 6-3 mark at home. The Tigers are currently 1-3 at Unitas Stadium this season.
 
Ground Balls Win Games
There is a long-standing adage in lacrosse that "ground balls win games". So far this season, Towson has won the ground ball battle in all but one game, out-ground balling opponents 183-133 in the early goings. Last season, Towson was a perfect 10-0 when it collected more ground balls than its opponent, and went 6-3 in games when opponents had more grounders. The Tigers' two-year record is 14-1 in games with more ground balls.
 
Local Flare
Not only will the Tigers play nine of their 12 games within an hour drive of Unitas Stadium, but the Tigers are bringing local talent to campus as well. On the roster this season, not only are there 26 student-athletes from Maryland, but of those 26, 25 are from within an hour of Towson University. The lone outlier is Matt Sovero, who hails from Easton, Maryland on the Eastern Shore, roughly 85 miles from Unitas.
 
Eight of the Tigers' 10 starters this season are from the Old Line State, including the entire starting attack and midfield units. The only two starters not from Maryland are Sid Ewell, whose hometown of Carlisle, Pennsylvania is 85 miles from campus, and Josh Miller, who will get to play near his hometown of Norwalk, Connecticut when the Tigers take on Fairfield on April 22.
 
The Down Lowe
Players come, players go. In Major League Lacrosse, a high-profile trade was made on March 3 between the Florida Launch and the Chesapeake Bayhawks. Brothers Lyle and Jeremy Thompson were traded to the Annapolis-based Bayhawks, along with the 38th pick in the upcoming Collegiate Draft. In exchange, the Launch received the number eight over all pick, defenseman Mark McNeil and former Towson standout Mike Lowe.
 
The former #20 for Towson played in seven games with the Bayhawks last season after an outstanding career with the Tigers. He collected 17 ground balls and served just two minutes in penalties. Chesapeake went 4-3 with Lowe on the roster, including an immediate impact as the Bayhawks won four straight games.
 
In the Nick of Time
Another former Towson Tiger is set to make an impact at the professional level. Nick Gorman, who played for the Tigers from 2014-16, was signed to the Denver Outlaws on March 8 after the franchise held open tryouts. Gorman impressed at the tryouts as assistant head coach/general manager Jon Cohen stated "We were very impressed not only by his on ball play at the tryout but Gorman did a fantastic job off of the ground and in his off-ball play."
 
Gorman was a member of two CAA championship teams (2015, 2016) while playing in 44 career games for the Black & Gold. During his time at Towson, Gorman grabbed 94 ground balls, including a career-best 40 in his first season at Towson. The University of Denver transfer scored a full-field goal on a buzzer beater against Drexel in the 2016 CAA Semifinals.
 
Lid Lifters
Since taking over the program prior to the 2012 season, head coach Shawn Nadelen is 5-1 in season openers, including victories in each of the last three seasons. Since elevating to Division I prior to the 1980 season, Towson is 18-19 in season openers. All-time since the program's first game, a 7-4 win over the Brown Lacrosse Club in 1959, Towson is 27-31 in the first game of the season.
 
Crabcakes and Lacrosse
Maryland has long been known as a hotbed for lacrosse talent. With 26 current players from the Old Line State, Towson is certainly reaping the benefits of that. Through the March 25 game against Denver, head coach Shawn Nadelen is 36-23 all-time when playing games within Maryland. This season, the Tigers will play eight games in Maryland, including six at Johnny Unitas Stadium. February 18 and March 11 are the only two games in Maryland in which Towson will not be the home team. Nadelen has a sub-.500 record in a just one season when playing in Maryland, winning four of the nine games in 2012.
 
50 Nifty
Last season in the CAA Semifinals, head coach Shawn Nadelen picked up the 50th win of his Towson career, eliminating Drexel with a 10-6 win at Unitas Stadium. He became the third coach in program history to hit the 50-win plateau, and became the fastest of the three to gain 50 Division I victories. That game was his 81st contest at the helm. Former head coaches Tony Seaman and Carl Runk needed 88 and 89 games, respectively, to grab 50 Division I wins. However, legendary head coach Carl Runk is the fastest Towson coach to 50 total wins, hitting the mark in 1972 in just 69 total games in the Tigers' Division II Era.
 
Preseason All-America Looks
Three Tigers earned mention in the Inside Lacrosse Preseason All-America conversation, with senior defensive midfielder Jack Adams picking up second team honors. Classmates and fellow Marylanders Ryan Drenner and Joe Seider, both attackmen, earned honorable mention.
 
Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere
Since taking over the program in 2012, head coach Shawn Nadelen has not shied away from the "anyone, anytime, anywhere" mentality. Under his direction, Towson has won 22 true road games in that time, including a combined 12 in the last two seasons. Nadelen's teams have finished at .500 or better on the road in three of his five seasons at the helm: 5-1 in 2016, 6-3 in 2015 and 5-5 in 2013. Towson is 2-0 in road games so far in 2017. In each of those seasons, the Tigers have won the CAA Tournament and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament via the league's automatic bid.
 
Familiar Faces
If the 2017 schedule looks similar to the 2016 edition, it's for one simple reason: All 12 teams on this year's slate are teams the Tigers played at least once last season. With the exception of Denver (March 25), Towson played every 2017 opponent during the 2016 regular season, while also drawing Drexel, Fairfield and Loyola in the postseason.
 
2017 Captains
This season, the Towson men's lacrosse coaching staff, in conjunction with the student-athletes, named four captains.
 
Redshirt senior midfielder Brian Bolewicki is a captain for a second-straight season. He is the fourth two-time captain in the Shawn Nadelen Era, joining Thomas DeNapoli (2013, 2014), Greg Cuccinello (2014, 2015) and Ben McCarty (2015, 2016). Seniors shortstick defensive midfielder Jack Adams and attackman Ryan Drenner are captains for the first time in their career. Sophomore defensive midfielder Zach Goodrich was named this year as well, becoming the first sophomore captain in the Nadelen Era.
 
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 34-5 in games when Towson scores double digits. When Towson's defense limits opponents to single digits, the Tigers are a whopping 50-8 in that same time, including the 13-8 win over No. 6 Johns Hopkins. On 32 occasions, the Tigers have scored in double figures while holding opponents to single digits, obviously a 32-0 record.