Opening Faceoff
Another season of Towson University men's lacrosse is set to open at Minnegan Field at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium as the Tigers play host to a longstanding opponent in Mount St. Mary's, the 10th straight season the two Old Line State foes clash.
In The National Rankings
After dropping the 2020 season opener, the Tigers fell to the Receiving Votes columns in all three major polls (USILA, Inside Lacrosse, Lacrosse Magazine) this week. The Mount is not receiving votes in another of the polls after falling in its season opener against rv Delaware last Saturday.
The Home-Opening Tigers
It was a mixed bag in the season opener for the Tigers as Towson fell 15-7 on the road at No. 11 Johns Hopkins. Towson got off to a slower start, but rallied to tie the game 6-6 early in the third quarter. Junior All-American defenseman Koby Smith (2g, 2a) leads Towson's offense with senior attackman Jon Mazza (2g) tied for the goal lead. Newcomer James Avanzato (1g, 1a) and senior attackman Brody McLean (1g, 1a) are tied for second in points with Mazza. Another close defenseman, senior Gray Bodden, added an assist to the Tigers line as well. Towson struggled at the X against Hopkins, with two faceoff specialists combining to go 6-26. Jack McNallen won six draws while junior Joey Chestnutt made his first career appearance for the Black & Gold. Down low, the Tigers caused eight turnovers against the Blue Jays, including three from rangy sophomore Garrett Zungailia. Five other Tigers contributed one caused turnover apiece. In net, senior keeper Tyler Canto was even in the opener, making 15 saves but allowed 15 goals in his 57 minutes of work. Jake Stout too made is first appearance
Scouting the Visiting Mountaineers
Mount St. Mary's dropped its 2020 season opener in Newark, Delaware against rv Delaware last weekend. The Mount jumped out to a 4-1 lead through the first 15 minutes, but a 10-2 burst from the Blue Hens in the second and third quarters made the difference. Luke Frankeny scoring five of The Mount's eight goals, including three on the extra man. Joe Bethke, Kadin Knightlinger and Jared McMahon notched one marker apiece. Sam Stephan won 17 of his 26 faceoffs, accounting for 11 ground balls along the way. Junior Dylan Furnback went the distance against Delaware, making 12 saves in his first start of the season.
Towson-Mount St. Mary's History
Towson and The Mount meet for the 16th time in a series that dates back to 1970. The Tigers are 14-1 all-time against the Mountaineers, with the lone loss coming by forfeit due to an ineligable player during the 1975 campaign. Towson has ripped off 13 straight wins against The Mount from 1976 through a 12-7 win in Emmittsburg last season. Saturday's showdown will be the 10th straight season the opponents meet. Towson averages 12.47 goals per game against the Mountaineers, including a highwater mark of 27 during the 1977 campaign. Towson head coach Shawn Nadelen is 8-0 all-time against The Mount, guiding the Tigers to double figure goals in five of those meetings.
Towson-Mount St. Mary's By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson 14-1
at Towson Towson 6-1
at Mount St. Mary's Towson 8-0
at Neutral Sites n/a
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting May 8, 1970 (Towson 1-0 WBF)
Last Meeting Feb. 15, 2019
#10 Towson 12, Mount St. Mary's 7
Streak......................................................... Towson +13
Last Time Out vs. The Mount | Feb. 15, 2019 | Emmittsburg, Md. | Waldron Family Stadium
A career-best outing for now-senior attackman Brody McLean led the Tigers toa 12-7 win on the road at Mount St. Mary's. McLean potted five goals on eight shots and added an assist for a six-point day. Koby Smith added three points in transition while Alex Woodall went 12-of-20 at the X. Joe Bethke had a three-goal, one assist outing for the Mount, which scored twice in the final three minutes of the game to keep things interesting.
With a Win Saturday Towson Would...
- Win its seventh-straight home opener, dating back to the 2014 season.
- Improve head coach Shawn Nadelen to 8-1 in home openers since taking over the program in 2012.
- Improve the Tigers to 9-0 against Mount St. Mary's under Nadelen.
- Be Towson's 14th-straight win over The Mount, dating back to the 1976 meeting.
- Be the 20th win for the Tigers since 2012 against in-state opponents on the 2020 schedule. Towson is 19-14 against foes from the Old Line State in that span.
Eyes On
Junior defenseman and USILA All-American Koby Smith was one of 50 men's lacrosse players named to the 2020 Tewaaraton Trophy Watch list on Thursday, Feb. 13. Smith was added to the Watch List in March last season as well. Now in his ninth season at the helm of the program, head coach Shawn Nadelen has had at least one player named to the first round of the Tewaaraton Watch List in every season: Koby Smith (2020), Zach Goodrich, Alex Woodall (2019), Goodrich (2018), Jack Adams, Ryan Drenner (2017), Tyler White (2016), Andrew Hodgson (2015), Thomas DeNapoli (2014), DeNapoli, Andrew Wascavage (2013) Peter Mezzanotte (2012).
February Stars
Saturday's game will be the 30th game in the month of February under head coach Shawn Nadelen. The Tigers are 17-12 in the second month of the year since 2012, including 5-1 over the last two seasons.
On this Date: February 15
Despite being in its 62nd season as a varsity program at Towson, Saturday's game will be just the third time the Tigers take the field on Feb. 15. Towson is 1-1 all-time on this date and will play at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium for the first time ever on Feb. 15. Towson won last season's showdown at The Mount 12-7 on Feb. 15 but fell on the road at No. 11 Johns Hopkins in the first-ever Feb. 15 game.
Looking to Bounce Back
Losing for the first time in a season is tough, but the Tigers have had the ability to bounce back under Nadelen. Towson is 4-4 in its next game after losing for the first time in a season. Three of those four losses were in Nadelen's first three seasons as head coach. Towson did not drop consecutive games after losing for the first time in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
The Top Third
Towson University head coach Shawn Nadelen begins his ninth season at the helm of the program. Hired as the top man following the 2011 season, Nadelen is the 26th-longest tenured Division I head men's lacrosse in the country. He was one of four head coaches elevated during the 2011 offseason: Brian Brecht (Rutgers), Keegan Wilkinson (Marist) and Taylor Wray (Saint Joseph's).
Greater Baltimore is Lovely this Time of Year
The Tigers will have the chance to really soak in Greater Baltimore this spring. The Tigers play within 15 miles of homebase for the first month and a half of the season. Towson won't play a game outside of Baltimore County/City until heading west to Denver for a March 21 showdown, the Tigers' longest trip of 2020.
Towson Lacrosse x Lax Sports Network
Towson men's lacrosse and Lax Sports Network will continue to enjoy the partnership the organizations have fostered over the years. This spring, Towson will appear on LSN five times as the CAA Game of the Week: Feb. 21 vs. Cornell, March 14 vs. Duke, April 11 at UMass, April 18 vs. Delaware and April 25 vs. Drexel.
The Gauntlet
As of the first week of the 2020, the Tigers are slated to play or have played six teams ranked in the USILA Coaches' Poll: No. 8 Denver (March 21), No. 10 Johns Hopkins (L, 7-15), No. 11 Duke (March 14), No. 14 Cornell (Feb. 21), No. 15 Georgetown (March 7) and No. 16 Loyola (Feb. 26). The most ranked teams Towson has played in a single season was nine during the 2013 season (3-6), followed by eight in 2017 (4-4). Towson played seven ranked in 2019 (3-4) as well.
The North Americans
Towson has representation from 12 different US states and one Canadian Province: California, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Ontario.
The Great 8
Last season, Towson University men's lacrosse captured its eighth CAA championship and fifth since Shawn Nadelen took over the program in 2012. The Tigers have hoisted the trophy in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 and now 2019. The rest of the current CAA alignment have combined to win the championships eight times. There have been 18 CAA Tournaments since the league began sponsoring men's lacrosse in 2001. Towson has captured nearly half of those titles.
CB30 Award
In the summer of 2018, 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, Koby Smith will wear a CB30 badge 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
Entering the 2020 season, Towson has one of the toughest schedules in Division I this year. Per Lacrosse Reference, Towson has the second-toughest nonconference strength of schedule in the country, trailing only Feb. 27's opponent, Loyola. Including conference games, Towson has the sixth-toughest schedule for the 2020 campaign. UMass is the next-closest CAA team, ranking 23rd in total strength of schedule.
More Strength
As proof of the previous note, the Tigers have played at least four teams that have reached their respective conference championship games last season. Title game opponents for Towson include: Drexel (CAA), Denver (BIG EAST), Georgetown (BIG EAST) and Johns Hopkins (Big Ten). Additionally, the Tigers scrimmaged Virginia (ACC) in the preseason as the Cavaliers defeated Notre Dame in the title game.
I Love Goooooooooooold
There has been little doubt that the Tigers have been a force when donning the gold throwback jerseys this season and the numbers don't lie. Last season Towson wore the porthole throwbacks fives times, scoring 66 goals in those contests, averaging over 13 goals per gold-jerseyed game. In the black jerseys, Towson has scored 86 goals across six games, averaging 12.29. In the traditional home whites, Towson has posted 35 goals at an 11.6 goals per game clip.
Wearing the C
This season, head coach Shawn Nadelen and his staff announced five student-athletes that will serve as captains for the 2020 season. All five will be first-time captains for the Tigers.
Senior midfielders Grant Maloof, Jake McLean and Jack McNallen, senior close defenseman Gray Bodden and junior defenseman Koby Smith.
Bodden, Maloof, McLean and McNallen will wear captains' Cs on their jerseys while Smith will have the CB30 badge in lieu of the captain's letter.
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 33-26 (.552) record in road games.
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 53-8 in games when Towson scores double digits. When Towson's defense limits opponents to single digits, the Tigers are a whopping 70-11 in that same time after an 11-9 win at Drexel during the regular season. On 45 occasions, the Tigers have scored in double figures while holding opponents to single digits, obviously a 45-0 record.
