Opening Faceoff
Towson looks to exact revenge on its first loss from last season as the Tigers lineup up against No. 12/No. 11 Cornell late Friday afternoon at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium. The clash will be the Tigers' first of five regular season appearances on Lax Sports Network in 2020.
In The National Rankings
Towson fell from the receiving votes column of the major polls this week. Cornell is currently ranked 12th in the USILA Coaches' Poll and 11th in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. US Lacrosse Magazine's Top 20 has the Big Red slated 11th as well.
The Home-Standing Tigers
Friday afternoon will be the first back-to-back home stand for the Tigers this season. The Tigers play back-to-back home games once a month in the regular season. Towson is looking to bounce back after being nipped 11-10 against Mount St. Mary's on Saturday. Fifth-year senior Jon Mazza (5g, 1a) leads the points race for Towson while fellow attackman Brody McLean (3g, 1a), midfielder James Avanzato (2g, 2a) and defenseman Koby Smith (2g, 2a) are all tied for second. Last weekend saw the return of Grant Maloof (1g) while Austin Stewart (1g, 1a) made his debut for the Black and Gold. Rookie faceoff man Shane Santora (10-of-17, .588) made his first appearance off the bench to spark Towson's faceoff unit. At close defense, the Tigers' veteran corps of Smith, Gray Bodden and Garrett Zungailia have started both games to date. The rangy Zungailia is ranked in the top 25 nationally in caused turnovers per game (2.00). Towson split time on Saturday in goal between Tyler Canto (17 saves) and Jake Stout, who made his first home appearance with two saves in 12 minutes of work.
Scouting the Big Red
No. 12/No. 11 Cornell travels from Central New York to Greater Baltimore with a 1-0 overall record after scooting past UAlbany 19-10 on the road in the Big Red's season opener. Jonathan Donville (5g) and Jeff Teat (1g, 4a) lead the charge for Cornell with Cooper Telesco (4g) in second in total goals. Despite the potency of the offense, Cornell could not score on three extra-man chances. Paul Rasimowicz leads Cornell at the X with 12 wins on 17 chances (.706), backed by a .600 percentage from Angelo Petrakis (6-of-10). Sophomore netminder Chayse Ierlan went the distance against UAlbany, making 10 saves on 20 shots on goal for a .500 save percentage. He faced 37 total shots against the Great Danes.
Towson-Cornell History
Towson and the Big Red meet for the fourth time in a series history that dates back to the 2005 NCAA Tournament. Cornell leads the all-time record with a 3-0 mark, including an 18-11 win in Charlotte, North Carolina last spring. Friday's showdown will be the second-ever meeting at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium. When Towson and Cornell first met, current Towson head coach Shawn Nadelen was in his first season as an assistant coach under Tony Seaman.
Towson-Cornell By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Cornell 3-0
at Towson Cornell 1-0
at Cornell Cornell 1-0
at Neutral Sites Cornell 1-0
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting May 14, 2005 (Cornell 12-11)
Last Meeting March 10, 2019
#2 Cornell 18, #1 Towson 11
Streak......................................................... Cornell +3
Last Time Out vs. Cornell | March 10, 2019 | Matthews, N.C. | The Sportsplex
No. 1 Towson jumped out to a 5-3 lead through 15 minutes, but No. 2 Cornell had a 9-1 advantage in the second quarter to break open the game en route to an 18-11 lead. Towson got four points from Luke Fromert (2g, 2a) while Koby Smith (2g) and Grant Maloof (1g, 1a) logged two points apiece. Cornell's Clarke Petterson led the game with eight goals while John Piatelli (4g, 2a) had six points. Jeff Teat had four helpers in the game.
With a Win Friday Towson Would...
- Pick up its first win of the 2020 season.
- Snap a three-game slide dating back to last season.
- Win its first game at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium since March 30, 2019
- Pick up the program's first win over Cornell in series history.
- Grab its first win over an Ivy League opponent since April 26, 2008 against Penn (18-12).
- Hand head coach Shawn Nadelen his first win over an Ivy League program as a head coach
February Stars
Friday's game will be the 31st game in the month of February under head coach Shawn Nadelen. The Tigers are 17-13 in the second month of the year since 2012, including 5-2 over the last two seasons.
On this Date: February 21
Friday night's fight will be just the second time in program history the Tigers will pull on the Black & Gold on Feb. 21. Towson is 0-1 all-time on this date, dropping an 11-8 decision at No. 16 Loyola during the 2009 campaign. Towson has never played on Feb. 21 under the direction of head coach Shawn Nadelen.
All-Time vs. Number 12
The clash at Unitas Stadium this Friday will be the ninth meeting for the Tigers against a team ranked 12th in the USILA Coaches Poll. It is the first such meeting since the 2017 season when the Tigers dropped an 11-7 game at home against Loyola.
- Towson is 2-6 all-time against the 12th-ranked team.
- The Tigers' last win over Number 12 came as a 12-10 decision over Duke on May 12, 2001 during the NCAA Tournament.
- Towson's last home win over Number 12 came on April 23, 1983 against Hofstra, 9-8.
- The Tigers have dropped their last two games against Number 12, including a 9-6 decision against UMBC on April 1, 2008.
Versus: The Ivy League
Brown: 1-2 | Cornell: 0-3 | Dartmouth: 2-1 | Harvard: 1-0 | Princeton: 1-2 | Penn: 1-2 | Yale: 1-1
- Friday's tilt will be the 19th meeting for the Tigers all-time against Ivy League opponents. Towson is 7-11 all-time against the Ivys.
- Cornell is the only Ivy League program Towson is scheduled to face during the 2020 regular season.
- Friday's showdown is the first time in program history Towson will play Cornell in back-to-back seasons.
- Towson has played Brown (1960, 1961), Penn (2008, 2009) and Yale (1998, 1999) in back-to-back seasons.
- The Tigers have never lost in back-to-back seasons against an Ivy League opponent.
The Silver Lining
Under head coach Shawn Nadelen, Towson has opened a season with an 0-2 record once, dropping the first three games of the 2013 season. That Tiger team went on to capture the first of five CAA Championships under Nadelen, earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament and finished with the number 17 rank in the final USILA Coaches Poll.
Welcome to the Party
- Rookie faceoff specialist Shane Santora made his Black & Gold debut at the X for Towson in the Tigers' home opener against Mount St. Mary's.
- The Bayport, New Yorker won 58.8 percent of his faceoffs, going 10 of 17 in his debut.
- Santora had the best percentage in a Towson debut with at least 10 draws since Alex Woodall went 13-of-16 (.813) against The Mount in 2017.
- He is the first Tiger to take a faceoff wearing #36 in the Tigers' CAA Era (2002).
Greater Baltimore is Lovely this Time of Year
- 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 third week of the 2020, the Tigers are slated to play or have played seven teams ranked in the USILA Coaches' Poll.
- 2020 Opponents Ranked: No. 10 Duke (March 14), No. 11 Loyola (Feb. 26), No. 14 Cornell (Feb. 21), No. 13 Denver (March 21), No. 15 Georgetown (March 7), No. 15 Johns Hopkins (L, 7-15), and No. 19 UMass (April 11).
- 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.
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 67 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 11 times, bringing home the trophy on a league-record eight occasions.
Team: Wins (CAA Titles, Last)
Towson: 67 (8, 2019)
Hofstra: 61 (2, 2008)
Drexel: 51 (1, 2014)
Delaware: 37 (3, 2011)
UMass: 29 (2, 2012, 2018)
Fairfield: 11 (0)
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. 26'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.
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.
Home Cooking
As the 2019 season got underway, the Tigers had 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 Feb. 19, 2020)
Towson: 42-22
Hofstra: 38-25
UMass: 36-23
Fairfield: 34-27
Drexel: 32-19
Delaware: 28-31
