Opening Faceoff
After a quick trip down Charles Street, the No. 19/No. 18 Tigers host Mount St. Mary's for the first of seven games at Johnny Unitas Stadium this Saturday. It will be just the second time in the program's Division I history (1980) that Towson will host the Mount for its home opener. Towson is 1-0 against the Mount in such games, winning 9-1 in 2014.

In The National Rankings
The Tigers slipped a few notches in the weekly national polls after suffering a season-opening loss at No. 14 Johns Hopkins. The Tigers checked in at 18th in the Nike/USILA Coaches' Poll, collecting 52 points. In the Maverik/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll, the Tigers slotted in at 19th with 64 points. Towson received votes in the Nike/US Lacrosse Division I Men's Lacrosse Top 20. Mount St. Mary's is not ranked and did not receive any votes.

The Home-Opening Tigers
Towson had a balanced scoring effort last weekend at Johns Hopkins, with six different Tigers accounting for goals. Jon Mazza leads Towson with two points after potting a goal and feeding Jean-Luc Chetner for his first goal as a Tiger. Chad Patterson (defense), Grant Maloof and Johnny Giuffreda also scored their first goals for the Black & Gold. Junior faceoff specialist Alex Woodall, who returns from a nagging injury in the 2017 postseason, bounced back to form and has won 16 of his 24 draws (66.7 percent). He lost just once in the second half at Johns Hopkins, collecting five total ground balls along the way. Towson has split time in goal, with Shane Brennan getting the start at Hopkins and making four saves. Josh Miller played the second half with five stops.

Scouting the Mountaineers
Despite a 16-12 loss at Delaware last weekend, the Mountaineers produced 17 points. Six Mountaineers have two points this season, Luke Frankey, Stephano Mastro and Brendan McCarthy scored two goals apiece. Five different student-athletes logged one assist at Delaware Stadium. Freshman Sam Stephen had a strong debut, winning 16 of his 28 faceoffs. He grabbed nine ground balls as well. Senior keeper Matt Vierheller played all 60 minutes against the Blue Hens, making 12 saves (42.9 percent). The Mountaineers will look to improve in the clearing game after gaining the zone on 12 of 18 chances, including 1-for-3 in the final frame.

Towson-Mount St. Mary's History
Separated by less than an hour's drive, Towson and Mount St. Mary's are no strangers to one another. The Tigers lead the all-time series 12-1 since first squaring off in 1970. The Tigers have won the last 11 meetings, with the lone blemish coming in 1975 after an ineligable player forced the Tigers to forfeit the game. After elevating to Division I in 1980, Towson did not play the Mount until the 2004 campaign. The Tigers and Mountaineers have met every year since 2011 and have reeled off seven-straight. Towson head coach Shawn Nadelen is 6-0 against Mount St. Mary's since taking over the program in 2012. 

Towson-Mount St. Mary's By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson 12-1
at Towson Towson 5-1 
at Mount St. Mary's Towson 6-0
at Neutral Sites n/a
at Unknown Sites Towson 1-0
First Meeting 1970
Last Meeting Feb. 18, 2017 
#12 Towson 15, Mount St. Mary's 5
Streak Towson +11

Last Time Out vs. Mount St. Mary's | Feb. 18, 2017 | Emmitsburg, Md.
After making the start at attack, Jon Mazza got things going for the Tigers in Emmitsburg, Maryland, tucking away six goals in the Tigers' 2017 season opener. He scored his six goals on 10 shots, which led the game. The since-graduated Ryan Drenner and Joe Seider scored two goals each while three other Tigers found the back of the net. Drenner and classmate Mike Lynch had a team-best two assists each. Making his Towson debut, Alex Woodall won 13 of his 16 faceoffs, picking up nine ground balls. Towson split time in goal as Josh Miller made the start and played 57 minutes in his first career start and win. He stopped 11 Mount shots and allowed three goals. Matt Hoy played the final three minutes.

With a Win Saturday
- The Tigers would improve to 1-1 on the 2018 season.
- Towson would improve to 13-1 all-time against Mount St. Mary's, including eight-straight victories.
- Head coach Shawn Nadelen would improve to 5-2 in home openers, including wins in four of the last five home openers
- The Tigers would improve to 35-16 at Johnny Unitas Stadium under head coach Shawn Nadelen.
- Towson would win its fifth-straight game at home, dating back to an 11-8 win over UMass during the 2017 regular season
- The Tigers would bump to a 10-4 record at home against in-state rivals.

Careers Versus Mount St. Mary's
Seventeen current Tigers have logged minutes against Mount St. Mary's during their Black & Gold careers. Jon Mazza is the leader in points with six, all coming on his six goals last season in Emmitsburg. Senior midfielder Cole Robertson is second with one goal, which he tallied last season. Alex Woodall is 13-16 in his Towson debut last season, collecting nine ground balls. Senior keeper Josh Miller is the only active Towson goalie with minutes played against the Mountaineers, playing 57 minutes last season and stopping 11 Mount shots in his first career victory.

How to Say It: TOWSON
TOWSON is pronounced TOW like towel + Son. 

IT IS NOT: TOE-son, Townson, Towsond, Townsend, Townsen, Towzen. One N, no Z.

We are Towson University, no longer Towson State University (and haven't been since July 1, 1997).

Our mascot is Doc The Tiger, named after Donald "Doc" Minnegan, long-time soccer coach and athletics department administrator. Towson became the "Tigers" in 1962 after John Schuerholz (yes, the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame General Manager) pushed for the name change from the "Towson College Knights".

Strong Starts at the X
One of the best faceoff specialists in the country, junior Alex Woodall comes out firing in season openers. In his career, he has won 34 of 52 faceoffs in the first game of the year, including a 16-24 effort last Saturday at Johns Hopkins. His season-opening faceoff percentage is 65.4, boosted by a 13-of-16 day at Mount St. Mary's last season. Oddly, his first appearances of the season have never been at home. During his first year at High Point, the Panthers opened at Duke, while last season began at Mount St. Mary's and this year kicked off at Johns Hopkins. In home openers, Woodall is 25-42 (59.5 percent).

One for One
Junior close defenseman Chad Patterson scored his first career goal last weekend at No. 14 Johns Hopkins, taking his first career shot in the process. He joins fellow starter and senior Sid Ewell as current close defensemen with points. Ewell tallied an assist last season in the NCAA Tournament First Round win at No. 8 Penn State. 

2018 Captains
At the program's annual Face-Off Night, head coach Shawn Nadelen made the announcement of the program's captain trio for the upcoming season: Junior shortstick defensive midfielder Zach Goodrich, a two-time captain, senior midfielder Cole Robertson and senior defensive midfielder Adam Ceribelli.

Face-Off Night: An Annual Tradition
On Saturday, Feb. 4, the Towson University men's lacrosse team continued its annual tradition: Face-Off Night.

Those who saw Towson in the fall and spring exhibitions may have noticed players without decals on their helmets.The vast majority of those were newcomers to the Tiger program and had not yet "earned their stripes". 

Face-Off Night is a blending of new faces and those who have graduated. Each new player is presented with his jersey and number for the current season. These jerseys are presented to the new player by at least one alumnus, often paired with a new player wearing the same number he wore during his time with the program.

Preseason All-America Honors
Three Tigers were mentioned in Inside Lacrosse's Preseason Media All-America Team. Junior defensive midfielder and USILA Second-Team All-American Zach Goodrich earned first team honors by the media, while Sid Ewell and Alex Woodall collected honorable mention plaudits.

Conference History
For the first time in CAA history, a midfielder was named CAA Preseason Player of the Year, according to a poll of the league's head coaches. And it was not an offensive midfielder: defensive midfielder Zach Goodrich was selected as the top player in the league. He is just the second non-attackman to be named and second defensive player to earn the honor after former Penn State goalie Austin Kaut was selected.

Youth Movement
Towson will be a young but experienced team this season. At the onset of the 2018 season, there are 21 true freshmen or redshirt freshmen on the roster. That amounts to nearly 40 percent of the roster. Below is a roster breakdown by class
Freshmen: 18 | Redshirt Freshmen: 3
Sophomores: 11 | Redshirt Sophomores: 1
Juniors: 11 | Redshirt Juniors: 2
Seniors: 7 | Redshirt Seniors: 1

No Rest for the Weary
Coming off the success of 2017, the Tigers will take on another challenging schedule in 2018. Of the 20 teams on the USILA Division I Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches' Poll, Towson will take on six, including five on the road. Rankings below are based on the Preseason Poll.

Feb. 10 at No. 11 Johns Hopkins | Feb. 28 at No. 13 Loyola | March 10 at No. 8 Ohio State
March 17 vs. No. 2 Duke | March 24 at No. 4 Denver | March 31 at No. 19 Hofstra

In Minto Condition
It was a busy summer for redshirt junior Dylan Kinnear. In addition to the Tigers' run to Championship Weekend and the overseas trip to Ireland, Kinnear suited up in the box for the Okotoks Raiders, Junior A Lacrosse Club.

Kinnear helped lead the Raiders to the Minto Cup Tournament after capturing the Alberta Provence championship. The Calgary native finished his nine games with 25 goals and 20 assists as a transition player.

And Miles to Go Before I Sleep
Through the first month of the 2018 season, Towson will not have very far to travel. In addition to a pair of home games against Mount St. Mary's (Feb. 17) and Georgetown (Feb. 24), the Tigers will make two quick trips down Charles Street. Between Unitas Stadium, Homewood Field and the Ridley Athletic Complex, Towson will cover just 20 miles in February.

And then March hits. 

Towson host two games in March: UMBC on March 3 and Duke on March 17. In between the games is a plane trip to Columbus to take on Ohio State (March 10), followed by a flight to Denver (March 24) and bus ride to Hofstra (March 31). 

Round trip to the three March road games covers over 4,600 miles. On April 14, Towson will head to Amherst, Massachusetts to face UMass, another 712 miles.

The Neighbors to the North
Like the Kent Islanders, Towson's roster has three Canadians: fifth-year Richmond Transfer Jean-Luc Chetner (British Columbia), redshirt junior Dylan Kinnear (Alberta) and Brody McLean (Ontario).

Transfer Tigers
It was a busy offseason for the Towson compliance office as the Tigers welcome six transfers to the program this spring. In addition to four in the previous two seasons, the newest crop of Tigers include transfers Timmy Monahan (Maryland), Luke Fromert (Mercer), Jean-Luc Chetner (Richmond), Brody McLean (Stony Brook), Tyler Canto (UMass Lowell) and Spencer Coyle (Navy).

Previous transfers included Sid Ewell (CCBC Essex), Alex Woodall (High Point), Johnny Giuffreda (Loyola) and Dylan Kinnear (Ohio State). 

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 33-15 all-time at Minnegan Field, including a 5-3 mark last season. In 2016, the Tigers set a program record for home wins, going 11-1 at Unitas Stadium. The Tigers have never suffered a losing mark at home under Nadelen, logging three 4-3 seasons (2012, 2013, 2015) at home. During the 2014 campaign, the Tigers finished with a 6-3 mark at home. 

Long Time Ranked
Saturday's game will be the 40th-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 40-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 41 games between March 10, 2001-March 21, 2004. (Preseason polls did not begin until 2007 (this excludes games played before the first poll of the season came out. Preseason).

Towson has been ranked inside the USILA Coaches' Poll Top 20 for 30 consecutive weeks. That is the longest stretch of rankings for the Tigers since earning a spot in the Coaches' Poll for 32 consecutive weeks from March 5, 2001-March 15, 2004. The final USILA Coaches' Poll of the 2017 season was released on Monday, May 8.

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 59 total wins in the CAA, two 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: 59 (6, 2016)
Hofstra: 57 (2, 2008)
Drexel: 49 (1, 2014)
Delaware: 31 (3, 2011)
UMass: 20 (1, 2012)
Fairfield: 9 (0)

Best in Baltimore
Local rivalries are always important. And once again, Towson will honor those rivalries and square off against the three Greater Baltimore schools: Johns Hopkins, Loyola and UMBC. Towson and Johns Hopkins are the only two schools in Greater Baltimore that are scheduled to play the other three this season.

Over the last three regular seasons, Towson has established itself among the best in the Baltimore Area.

Towson: 6-4
Johns Hopkins: 6-3
Loyola: 3-2
UMBC 3-2

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 40-6 in games when Towson scores double digits. When Towson's defense limits opponents to single digits, the Tigers are a whopping 58-8 in that same time, including the 10-7 win over second-seeded Syracuse (May 21). On 37 occasions, the Tigers have scored in double figures while holding opponents to single digits, obviously a 37-0 record. 

23-Man Rosters
Towson has enjoyed a resurgence of its alumni at the professional level over the last two seasons.

During the professional offeseason, MLL teams announced their 23-man protected rosters. Among the 207 protected players, four are former Tigers.

Jack Adams | 2017 | SSDM | Charlotte Hounds
Patrick Conroy | 2016 | LSM | Atlanta Blaze
Ryan Drenner | 2017 | Attack | Florida Launch
Andrew Hodgson | 2015 | Midfield | New York Lizards