Opening Faceoff
Saturday's regular season finale could determine seeding for the upcoming CAA Tournament as the Tigers remain in the hunt for the regular season championship with a win on the road at long-time foe Drexel.

In The National Rankings
After picking up a 14-12 win on the road, Towson remained steady in the polls this week, holding at 13th in the USILA Coaches Poll and sliding up one spot in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. Towson elevated two spots in the US Lacrosse Magazine Division I Top 20. Drexel was not mentioned in any of the polls entering this week.

The Regular Season Finale Tigers
Picking up their third conference win of the year, the Tigers forced a three-way tie for first place. Towson and Drexel play the final game of the regular season to determine seeding. The Tigers' offense is led by Brendan Sunday (37-17-54) as he looks to be the first Tiger over 60 points since the 2013 campaign. Brody McLean (27-5-32) and Timmy Monahan (16-14-30) are in the 30-point club with Luke Fromert (19-8-27) and Grant Maloof (18-7-25) knocking on that door. Towson is averaging 12.08 goals per game, the team's best average in the Shawn Nadelen Era (2012). Defensively, Towson is led by Zach Goodrich and Koby Smith, who have forced 14 turnovers apiece. Gray Bodden and Chad Patterson have 13 and 11 caused turnovers, respectively. In goal, Tyler Canto has made 130 saves to date and enters this weekend with a 53.1 save percentage. At the X, Alex Woodall leads the Tigers, winning 205 of his 275 draws, a 74.5 winning percentage that ranks second in the country. Jack McNallen is a sturdy backup, winning 21 of his 32 chances, including 14 of 23 against Delaware last weekend. He is 65.6 percent on the season.

Scouting the Home Finale Dragons
Drexel enters Saturday's showdown with a 6-6 overall record and a 2-2 mark in the CAA, winning its last two contests against Fairfield and Hofstra. The Dragons have been in tight games this season, playing five one-goal games, including two overtime contests. Drexel averages 13.42 goals per game, but allows 12.33 an outing. Reid Bowering (40-7-47) and Matthew Varian (24-23-47) lead the high-powered offense. Bowering scores on over half his total shots. Marshal King (20-21-41) is second in assists and third in points. At the X, Jimmeh Koitah has won 177 of his 318 faceoffs at a 55.7 percent clip with 100 ground balls. Ross Blumenthal has been the go-to in goal during conference play. He has 82 total saves including 15 last weekend against Hofstra. 

Towson-Drexel History
Saturday's tilt will be another in a long history of Towson vs. Drexel on the lacrosse field. The Tigers lead the all-time series 44-10 after a 17-9 win at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium last season. Towson has won six straight over the Dragons, dating back to the 2015 CAA Semifinals. The Towson-Drexel series is the second-most contested matchup in Tiger history, trailing only 61 matches between Towson and Delaware. Under Shawn Nadelen, the Tigers are 7-5 against the Dragons. Towson won its last game at Vidas Field with an 8-7 count.

Towson-Drexel By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson 44-10
at Towson Towson 20-3
at Drexel Towson 12-5
at Neutral Sites Towson 2-0
at Unknown Sites Towson 10-2
First Meeting  1962 (Drexel 14, Towson 7)
Last Meeting April 6, 2018
Towson 17, Drexel 9
Streak......................................................... Towson +6

Last Time Out vs. Drexel | April 6, 2018 | Towson, Md. | Johnny Unitas ® Stadium
After a 3-3 tie after 15 minutes, it was all Towson over the next 45 minutes as the Tigers out-scored the Dragons 14-6. Towson racked five goals in the second quarter and another eight in the fourth. Johnny Giuffreda scored five goals while Brendan Sunday scored his second career hat trick. Matt Sovero logged four points on three goals and one assist as Phil Wies posted four points with three assists and one goal. Shane Brennan made 10 saves in the win. Drexel got a five-point night from Marshal King (3g, 2a) and another three points from Matthew Varian (2g, 1a).

With a Win Saturday Towson Would...
- Improve to 45-10 all-time against Drexel, the most wins for Towson over a single team.
- Improve to 4-1 in league play and a share of the CAA Regular Season title.
- Run Towson's winning streak over the Dragons to seven.
- Be the third time in the last four seasons Towson finishes 4-1 in CAA games.
- Bring its road record to 5-1 this season.
- Give Towson its 67th win all-time in CAA games, the most for any program in the league.
- Hand Shawn Nadelen the 81st 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 11 in Division I, with only five games played at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium to date. This season, over 18,600 souls have seen the Black & Gold take the field, including home games, road contests and a pair of neutral-site tilts. The regular season home finale 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.

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".

Lock it Up. No YOU Lock it up.
With Towson's 14-12 win over No. 20 Delaware last weekend, the Tigers secured a berth in the upcoming CAA Men's Lacrosse Tournament, hosted by the regular season champion. The CAA Semifinals are set for May 2 while the title game with an automatic qualifier on the line is slated for May 4.

The field for the upcoming tournament has been set, featuring Towson, Delaware, Drexel and UMass. Fairfield and Hofstra have been elimnated from the postseason. This weekend's games will determine the seeding for the championship.

Towson, Delaware and UMass are all 3-1 in the CAA this season. Delaware and UMass play Friday afternoon while Towson plays Drexel on Saturday. The Tigers can still host the CAA Championships with a win on Saturday, coupled by a Delaware win Friday afternoon.

Since head coach Shawn Nadelen took over the program for the 2012 season, Towson is the only team in league to qualify for every CAA Tournament in that span. Since the first CAA Tournament in 2003, Towson has missed the playoffs twice, 2008 and 2011.

Premier Lacrosse League Draft Results
In the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday, the upstart Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) aired its 2019 College Draft on NBC Sports. Two Tigers heard their names called early in the 24-slot draft.

Senior defensive midfielder and two-time All-American Zach Goodrich was selected third overall by the Chrome Lacrosse Club by legendary head coach Dom Starsia. It was the second time this spring Goodrich was drafted third overall by a professional team after he was selected by the Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse.

Classmate and All-American Alex Woodall (Annapolis) was selected fourth overall by the Whipsnakes Lacrosse Club, picked by Jim Stagnitta. He would join 2017 teammate Ryan Drenner (Westminster) on a roster that is heavy with talent from the state of Maryland. Woodall was also the first overall selection in the MLL Draft by the now-shuttered Ohio Machine.

One of the Active Greats
Senior faceoff specialist Alex Woodall currently ranks second among active NCAA Division I lacrosse players with 673 career faceoff wins. He trails only Yale's TD Ierlan (918). 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 66 total wins in the CAA, six 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: 66 (7, 2017)
Hofstra: 60 (2, 2008)
Drexel: 51 (1, 2014)
Delaware: 37 (3, 2011)
UMass: 28 (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 77-42 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 7-0 this year with fewer than 20 turnovers, but 1-3 on the year when turning it over more than 20 times.

2019 MLL Draft Results
Three Towson University Tigers were selected in this year's Major League Lacrosse Draft, hosted at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, North Carolina. Faceoff specialist Alex Woodall was the first overall draft pick as the Ohio Machine claimed him to begin the event. Defensive midfielder Zach Goodrich was selected third overall as the Boston Cannons claimed the two-time All-American. Breakout attackman Brendan Sunday was snagged 13th overall by the Atlanta Blaze.

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.

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 .628 (91-54), which ranks 5th among Division I programs. Towson's entire 2019 slate is currently 101-68 through April 25, a .598 winning percentage that ranks seventh in Division I.

X Marks the Spot
Alex Woodall has won double-digit draws in 15 of his last 16 games. He went 5-for-5 at Delaware after suffering an upper body injury early in the first quarter. Over that stretch, he has won 268 of his 360 draws, a remarkable 74.4 winning percentage at the X. Woodall has grabbed 180 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 561 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. 561 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

Hats Off!
Entering the 2018 season, Towson's active roster had combined for four hat tricks. Brendan Sunday had three, Matt Sovero had two and Timmy Monahan had one.

Kicking off the 2019 campaign, the Tigers have turned in 17 hat tricks. Brendan Sunday leads the way with seven in the first 10 games while Brody McLean has a quintet as well. Grant Maloof now has three alongside a pair from Luke Fromert. Timmy Monahan has one as well. Sunday had a "sock trick" with six goals in the season opener on Feb. 9.

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 32-26 (.552) 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

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 50-7 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.