Opening Faceoff
After a quick trip away from home, the Tigers return to Unitas Stadium for their first CAA home game of the season. The Tigers and UMass meet at Unitas Stadium for the first time since a grinding 6-3 Towson win back in 2015. Both teams are coming off of wins in their respective CAA openers.

In The National Rankings
In spite of a come-from-behind win last week, the Tigers dropped one spot in two of the three national polls. The Tigers check in at No. 15 in the USILA Coaches Poll and No. 16 in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. Towson jumped two spots in the US Lacrosse Magazine Division I Top 20, holding down the No. 13 spot. The Tigers jumped six spots in the NCAA RPI rankings, moving up from 21st to 15th this week.

The Home for a Minute Tigers
Improving to 4-0 on the road this season with a come-from-behind 8-7 win at Drexel last weekend, the Tigers (5-3, 1-0 CAA) are back at Unitas Stadium for one game before hitting the road for a pair. The Tigers' offense is paced by senior attackman Ryan Drenner (20g, 10a) and his 30 points. Four other Tigers are in double digit points this year: Joe Seider (12g, 6a), Jon Mazza (10g, 1a), Tyler Konen (4g, 7a), Brian Bolewicki (6g, 4a). At the faceoff X, sophomore specialist Alex Woodall had a bounce-back game against Drexel (12-18), bringing his season percentage just shy of 60 percent (90-152). Towson's dynamic defensive midfield unit is led by 20 caused turnovers from CAA Player of the Week and senior LSM Tyler Mayes and another 10 from sophomore captain Zach Goodrich. Towson swapped Matt Hoy in goal last week at Drexel. The senior stopped made 10 saves in his first career start and win.

Scouting The Minutemen
Like Towson, UMass is coming off of a CAA opening win, taking down Delaware 9-6 in Amherst, Massachusetts on Saturday. The Minutemen (4-5, 1-0 CAA) are led on offense by two 20-point getters. Dan Muller (13g, 11a) leads the way, followed closely by Tyler Bogart (19g, 2a). Graham Consoletti (7g, 9a) is nearing the 20-point barrier as well with 16 points. UMass keeps things close, scoring 8.33 goals per game while holding opponents to 9.78; the Minutemen have five games decided by two goals or less this season. Faceoffs will be crucial this Saturday again for both teams. UMass wins at a 54.6 percent clip thanks to 74 of 120 wins from Noah Rak, who also leads with 35 ground balls. In goal, D.J. Smith leads UMass with 537 minutes, stopping 100 opponent shots at a 53.2 percent rate. He carries a goals against average of 9.84 along with a 4-5 record this year.

Towson-UMass History
Saturday's game will be the 12th meeting all-time between the Tigers and Minutemen. The teams first met back in 1963, but didn't meet again until UMass joined the CAA in 2010. The Tigers lead the series at 7-4, backed by five-straight victories, including a 9-8 win at Fairfield for the 2015 CAA Championship. In a series of slugfests, the last four games have been decided by three goals or less.

Towson-UMass By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson 7-4
at Towson Towson 3-2
at UMass Towson 3-2
at Neutral Sites Towson 1-0
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting 3/28/1963 (UMass 7-3)
Last Meeting April 9, 2016 
#7 Towson 11, UMass 8
Streak Towson +5

Last Time Out vs. UMass
After trailing 2-0 early in the first quarter, the Tigers used a four-goal burst to put separation into the Minutemen, including two from current senior Joe Seider. The squads traded blows through the second quarter before UMass tied the game at 6-6 just before halftime. Towson out-scored the Minutemen 5-2 in the second half to claim an 11-8 win at Garber Field, the program's first win in Amherst since the 2010 season. The since-graduated Spencer Parks had a four-point day behind three goals and one assist. Seider and Ryan Drenner had three points apiece, the former with a hat trick and the latter on one goal and two helpers. Towson was disciplined in Amhest, Massachusetts, taking just one penalty.

With a Win Saturday
- The Tigers would begin CAA play with a 2-0 mark for a third-straight season. Towson has never gone 2-0 in league play in three-straight seasons since joining the CAA in 2002.
- Towson would extend its winning streak over UMass to six-straight, adding to the longest winning streak in the series.
- The Tigers would win their third-straight at Unitas Stadium over the Minutemen. Since elevating to Division I in 1980, Towson has dropped just one game against UMass at home, a 9-8 overtime game in 2011 when the Minutemen ranked 16th.
- Towson would halt a two-game skid at home this season, getting its first victory at Unitas Stadium since topping No. 6 Johns Hopkins 13-8 on March 11. UMass is the first unranked team to enter Unitas Stadium this season.
- Towson would be guaranteed at least a .500 record this regular season. The Tigers have won at least half of their regular season games in each of head coach Shawn Nadelen's five previous seasons at the helm.
- The Tigers would extend their CAA record wins total to 57, the most in league history.

Careers Versus UMass
Senior attackman Joe Seider is the program's all-time points and goals leader against UMass, potting nine goals in his previous four meeting against the Minutemen. Ryan Drenner is second among active players with five points on one goal and four helpers. Tyler Mayes is the active leader in caused turnovers, forcing four UMass miscues. 

CAA Second Helpings
Since joining the CAA in 2002, the Tigers have had success in their second league game of the season. All-time, Towson is 12-3 in the second CAA game of the season, including a 4-1 mark under head coach Shawn Nadelen, who took over the program in 2012. His lone blemish in the second league game of the season is a 9-7 loss at Hofstra in 2014. When Towson improves to 2-0 in CAA games, the Tigers have won three CAA Championships under Nadelen. The only season Towson opened league play at 2-0 and didn't win the conference tournament was Nadelen's first season.

Spreading the Wealth
The Tigers improved to 5-3 on the year with their 8-7 win at Drexel last weekend. While Ryan Drenner and Joe Seider lead the offense, Towson has generated game-winning goals from five different sources. Below is a list of the five different game-winning goal scorers and the game in which they scored the decisive marker.
• Brian Bolewicki - at Mount St. Mary's - Feb. 18
• Cole Robertson - at Georgetown - Feb. 25
• Joe Seider - at UMBC - March 4
• Ryan Drenner - vs. No. 6 Johns Hopkins - March 11
• Tyler Young - at Drexel - April 1

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 to the secnod team.

#22 Going for #22
Those watching Towson lacrosse over the last three and a half years are familiar with senior attackman Ryan Drenner. The Finksburg, Maryland native is a dynamic athlete, capable of feeding or scoring. To wit, Drenner has 20 goals and 10 assists this season. He also owns one of the longest point streaks in the country as he has at least one goal or assist in each of the Tigers' last 21 games. His 21 game streak ranks 25th in the country and is the longest active streak in the CAA.

Long Time Ranked
Saturday's game will be the 30th straight game the Towson University men's lacrosse team will play ranked inside the USILA Coaches' Poll Top 20. The last time Towson played a game as an unranked team was on May 2, 2015 against UMass in the CAA Championship game; Towson received votes prior to the start of the league tournament. 

The 30-straight games in the USILA Coaches' Poll Top 20 is the longest such streak for the Tigers in the Shawn Nadelen Era (2012) and longest stretch since 30 between April 3, 2004 and March 19, 2006. (Preseason polls did not begin until 2007. Two games were played to open 2005 and 2006 before the first poll).

Towson has been ranked inside the USILA Coaches' Poll Top 20 for 24 consecutive weeks. That is the longest stretch of rankings for the Tigers since earning a spot in the Coaches' Poll for 22 consecutive weeks from March 27, 2006-March 3, 2008.

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. Last weekend, Towson traveled just over 100 miles to Vidas Field for its first road game since March 4. In the next two weeks, Towson continues further up I-95 to visit Delaware on April 15 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 5-3 record, the Tigers checked in at No. 15. Towson had the second-highest RPI of teams in the Colonial Athletic Association, with No. 6 Hofstra (9-0) in at sixth of the RPI. This week's foe, UMass, was slotted 23 in 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 56 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 occasions.
Team: Wins (CAA Titles, Last)
Towson: 56 (6, 2016)
Hofstra: 55 (2, 2008)
Drexel: 46 (1, 2014)
Delaware: 31 (3, 2011)
UMass: 18 (1, 2012)
Fairfield: 8 (0)

Causing an Effect
Last weekend, senior longstick midfielder Tyler Mayes forced six Drexel turnovers, a career-best for the Bel Air, Maryland native. Mayes' six caused turnovers were the second-most for a Tiger behind eight from Peter Mezzanotte against Saint Joseph's on April 30, 2011. It was Mayes' second game this season with at least five caused turnovers, joining his five forces against No. 6 Johns Hopkins in a 13-8 win. He is one of just two players with at least five caused turnovers this season. Mayes has 20 caused turnovers this season, bringing his career total to 73, good enough for third all-time at Towson. His 20 forced turnovers this year rank 10th for a single season as well.

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 by two more titles in succession. Delaware won back-to-back championships in 2010 and 2011. The Tigers successfully defended the 2015 crown 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 14th in Division I in goals allowed per game (8.13). Moreover, Towson has allowed the fourth-fewest total goals this season (65). Of teams with at least eight 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 one of only three Division I programs with both its men's and women's programs ranked in the top 15 nationally in scoring defense. The men's team is ranked 14th, allowing 8.13 goals per game, while the women's side allows just 8.64 goals per game, which ranks 10th. Joining Towson are the men's and women's teams from Bryant and Richmond.

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 then-No. 12 Loyola. As of April 3, Towson was the second-ranked team in Greater Baltimore, ranking 15 in the USILA Coaches' Poll and 16 by the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. Johns Hopkins and Loyola are ranked 11th and 19, respectively, in the Coaches' Poll.

Over the last three regular seasons, Towson has controlled the Baltimore Area.
Towson: 6-3
Johns Hopkins: 5-3
Loyola: 3-2
???????UMBC 3-2.

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 231-179 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 15-1 in games with more ground balls.