Opening Faceoff
Saturday's showdown between the Tigers (2-1CAA) and the Blue Hens (3-0 CAA) will be crucial to the CAA Tournament standings as both teams vie for the right to host the league championship May 2 and 4.

In The National Rankings
After dropping last weekend's league tilt with UMass, the Tigers slipped in the national polls this week. Towson was ranked 13th in the USILA Coaches' Poll, 14th by the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and 15th in the US Lacrosse Magazine Division I Top 20. The Blue Hens continued to receive votes in the USILA Coaches' Poll while entering the media poll at number 20.

The Road-Swinging Tigers
After capping the regular season home slate last weekend, the Tigers hit the road for the next two games, kicking off at Delaware on Saturday. Towson enters with a 7-4 overall mark and sit in a tie for second in the CAA with a 2-1 record. Towson's offense is led by Brendan Sunday (33-16-49) who is flirting with the 50-point milestone. Brody McLean (25-4-29) is looking to elevate into the 30-point club while Timmy Monahan (14-12-26) and Luke Fromert (18-7-25) are within range in the regular season. Grant Maloof (13-6-19) is one point shy of the 20-point barrier. At the X, Alex Woodall continues to dominate as he improved to 200-270 this season (.741) along with 138 ground balls. He is the second player in program history to win 200 faceoffs in a single season and trails Justin Berry's single-season record of 257. In goal Tyler Canto has made 120 saves to date, doing so at a 53.6 percent rate. Towson's clearing game has steadily improved over the course of the last few weeks, hovering near 80 percent. The Tigers have collected nearly 100 more ground balls than their opponents (394-297).

Scouting the Rival Blue Hens
The red-hot Blue Hens enter Saturday's game with a 10-2 overall record and sit atop the CAA with a 3-0 mark. Delaware has won its last four games and six of the last seven. Charlie Kitchen (32-23-55) and rookie Tye Kurtz (30-16-46) are the engines that drive the Blue Hen offense. Joe Eisele (25-6-31) is third in points while Dean DiSimone (20-8-28) nears the 30-point barrier. Delaware's netminder Matt DeLuca ranks near the top of the country in goals against average (8.74) and save percentage (.616) but has face 444 overall shots and makes nearly 14 saves per game. Delaware has struggled at the faceoff X this season, led by regular Joe Lenskold (87-204, .426). On defense, Austin Hayes has caused 20 turnovers and grabbed a team second-best 35 ground balls. 

Towson-Delaware History
It's a long series with Delaware with zero love lost between the programs. Towson leads the all-time series 42-18 after knocking the Blue Hens out of the CAA Tournament last season in overtime. Towson has won 14 of the 21 matches in Newark since the series began in 1961 while winning the last three meetings, including a sweep last year. Towson holds the longest win streak in series history at nine from April 21, 1990 through April 4, 1998. Under head coach Shawn Nadelen, the Towson Tigers are 7-1 against the Blue Hens.

Towson-Delaware By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record  Towson 42-18
at Towson  Towson 20-6
at Delaware Towson 14-7
at Neutral Sites Towson 1-0
at Unknown Sites Towson 7-5
First Meeting 1961 (Delaware 6-3)
Last Meeting May 3, 2018 
Towson 9, Delaware 8 (OT) (CAA Semifinals)
Streak Towson +3

Last Time Out vs. Delaware | May 3, 2018 | Amherst, Massachusetts | Garber Field
It was a thriller to the finish as Towson eliminated the Blue Hens from the CAA Tournament in a pouring-down rain with Matt Sovero providing the overtime winner. The Tigers held off a Delaware team that surged with five goals in the fourth quarter. In overtime, Delaware won the draw, just its fifth of the day, but Koby Smith caused a turnover, Towson cleared the ball before Jean-Luc Chetner hit Sovero in stride for the winner. Brendan Sunday posted a hat trick in the win while Grant Maloof added two goals. Alex Woodall won 16 of the 21 faceoffs with 12 ground balls for his efforts.

With a Win Saturday Towson Would...
- Improve to 43-18 all-time against Delaware, including 8-1 under Shawn Nadelen.
- Improve to 3-1 in league play and tie with Delaware for first place.
- Bring its road record to 4-1 this season.
- Give Towson its 66th win all-time in CAA games, the most for any program in the league.
- Hand Shawn Nadelen the 80th win of his career.

Come See Us!
Through last weekend's games, the Tigers rank sixth in Division I in terms of average attendance, with over 2,000 guests per game. Towson's cumulative home attendance this season has been 10,038, which ranks ninth in Division I, with only five games played at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium to date. This season, nearly 17,600 souls have seen the Black & Gold take the field, including home games, road contests and a pair of neutral-site tilts. Last week's attendance of 2,314 was the 19th largest crowd for a Towson men's lacrosse game at Unitas ® Stadium since the Tigers joined the CAA for the 2002 season.

One of the Active Greats
Senior faceoff specialist Alex Woodall currently ranks second among active NCAA Division I lacrosse players with 668 career faceoff wins. He trails only Yale's TD Ierlan (885). Woodall surpassed Justin Berry for the program's all-time career faceoff wins in the Tigers' win over Hofstra, winning the 508th of his Black & Gold career. Berry and Woodall are the only players in program history to win at least 500 career faceoffs. Woodall, who became just the second player in program history with at least 200 faceoff wins in a season, has a chance at the program's single-season faceoff wins mark of 257, set by Justin Berry in 2001.

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 65 total wins in the CAA, five 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 10 times, bringing home the trophy on a league-record seven occasions.

Team: Wins (CAA Titles, Last)
Towson: 65 (7, 2017)
Hofstra: 60 (2, 2008)
Drexel: 50 (1, 2014)
Delaware: 37 (3, 2011)
UMass: 27 (1, 2012)
Fairfield: 11 (0)

Watch Me Now
The Tewaaraton Foundation announced its first round of additions to its watch list for the prestigious Tewaaraton Award. Two Tigers were added to the list and served as the only additional student-athletes from the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Sophomore close defenseman Koby Smith was added along with senior attackman Brendan Sunday. The pair join seniors Zach Goodrich (SSDM) and Alex Woodall (FOGO) on the previously announced watch list.

Turnovers: Great for Dessert, Not for Lacrosse
It's really tough to score without the ball. Unfortunately for the Tigers this season, turnovers have been an issue. Towson cleaned up its ball control in the first three quarters against Hofstra, but eight miscues in the fourth quarter allowed the Pride to creep back into the game.

Since Towson came under the guidance of head coach Shawn Nadelen in 2012, Towson is 76-42 when turning the ball over fewer than 20 times, but sit at 3-7 in that span when finishing with at least 20 turnovers. Towson is 6-0 this year with fewer than 20 turnovers, but 1-3 on the year when turning it over more than 20 times.

Fast Hands for a Big Man
Much has been written about the transformation undergone by Towson senior faceoff specialist Alex Woodall, but he wasn't the only Tiger to undergo a rebuild this summer. Entering the 2017-18 academic year as the team's third goalie on the depth chart, Tyler Canto has improved his game by also trimming down and working over the summer at a boxing clinic to help improve his hand speed, a development clearly shown in his highlight-reel save against No. 1 Loyola on Feb. 27 (See #LaxTwitter for details).

CB30 Award
Over the summer, Towson Lacrosse great Carl Beernink passed away. An integral part of the program's rise to dominance in the 1990s, Carl was a leader and inspiration to the program both on and off the field. This season, Zach Goodrich will wear a CB30 patch in place of his captain's C to honor the late Carl Beernink. This annual award will be given to a Towson player who embodies the fighting spirit of Carl Beernink.

It's Carl Beernink Day
According to life-long friend John Blatchley, one of the best defenders in program history, Carl Beernink, declared every 30th day of the month as Carl Beernink day. Beernink passed away suddenly this summer, but his memory and influence carry on with the program. This Saturday will be March 30, Carl Beernink Day at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium. Prior to the game, the program will honor Carl's family on field.

Strength of Schedule
Towson cannot be accused of ducking top opponents this season. Through last weekend's games, the Tigers have one of the most difficult schedules, per the NCAA Statistics report. Towson's past opposition has a combined winning percentage of .604 (61-40), which ranks 12th among Division I programs. Towson's entire 2019 slate is currently 84-59 through April 9, a .587 winning percentage that ranks seventh in Division I.

X Marks the Spot
Alex Woodall has won double-digit draws in each of this last 15 games, including an 18-of-28 effort against UMass. Over that stretch, he has won 263 of his 355 draws, a remarkable 74.1 winning percentage at the X. Woodall has grabbed 176 ground balls in that span. 

Climbing the Charts
Senior faceoff specialist Alex Woodall is in his third season with the program after transfering from High Point University following his rookie season. The Annapolis, Marylander has made a lasting impact already with his 556 faceoffs in the Black & Gold. He currently ranks first all-time in program history, collecting the 508th win of his career against Hofstra and surpassing Justin Berry who won 507 faceoffs from 1998-2001.

All-Time Faceoff Leader Board
1. 556 Alex Woodall 2017-Pres. (Career at Towson)
2. 507 Justin Berry 1998-01
3. 466 Matt Eckerl 2004-07
4. 411 Scott Mullins 1983-86
5. 375 Mark Goers 1993-95

Home Cooking
As the 2019 season got underway, the Tigers have some home cooking to look forward to.  After picking up a 10-9 win over Hofstra in the CAA opener, the Tigers continued their winning ways at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium. Since head coach Shawn Nadelen took over the program in 2012, no current member of the CAA has won more home games than the Tigers. 

Team: Home Record Since 2012 (as of April 13)
Towson: 42-20
Hofstra: 36-25
UMass: 34-22
Fairfield: 32-26
Drexel: 32-18
Delaware: 26-31 

Near. Far. Wherever You Are.
Playing for the home crowd is always a pleasure for any team. But the Tigers have had success on the road in the Shawn Nadelen Era as well. Since taking over the program in 2012, the Tigers have racked a 31-26 (.554) record in road games.

How Big is a Tiger?
Not only has the roster size gotten larger this year, but the student-athletes that comprise have gotten bigger as well. Since Shawn Nadelen took over the program in 2012, the Tigers have gotten bigger and heavier. As researched by former Media Relations Student Intern Zoë Winslow, below are the average heights (in inches) and weights (in pounds) for the last seven Towson University men's lacrosse teams.
2012: 71.2 / 182.3
2013: 71.4 / 182.3
2014: 71.5 / 182.7
2015: 71.5 / 184.2
2016: 71.4 / 183.9
2017: 72.0 / 187.9
2018: 72.0 / 187.2
2019: 72.4 / 190.3

One and Done
Since head coach Shawn Nadelen took over the program in 2012, the Tigers have found themselves in some tight contests. The March 30 game against Hofstra marked the 32nd time Towson was involved in a one-goal game. And the Tigers have flexed their clutch muscles in those games, sitting at 22-10 in games decided by one goal after a 10-9 win Hofstra at home. In overtime games, Towson is now 4-4 and has won two of its last three extra-stanza contests, both wins coming on the road at Ohio Stadium. 

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 49-7 in games when Towson scores double digits. When Towson's defense limits opponents to single digits, the Tigers are a whopping 69-11 in that same time after a 14-7 win at Fairfield. On 44 occasions, the Tigers have scored in double figures while holding opponents to single digits, obviously a 44-0 record.