Opening Faceoff
The 62nd season of varsity men's lacrosse team is set to open Saturday afternoon on ESPN3 at longtime rival Johns Hopkins. The 2020 campaign sees head coach Shawn Nadelen begin his ninth season at the helm of the program.
In The National Rankings
The Tigers rank 19th in the Week One USILA Coaches' Poll, dropping two spots from the preseason despite not playing during week zero. Towson is slotted 17th in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. Johns Hopkins is 11th in the USILA Coaches' Poll and 13th in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. Towson is 20th and Hopkins is seventh in the US Lacrosse Magazine Top 20.
The Season-Opening Tigers
Sure there was some graduation last season, but the Tigers return a healthy amount of experience across the board entering 2020. Towson returns well over half of its point production from last season while bringing back the entire back end. Senior attackman Brody McLean (39g, 6a) is the top point getter back in the lineup, with Luke Fromert (27g, 10a) and Grant Maloof (24g, 11a) close behind. Defensively, Towson returns three starters in All-American Koby Smith (20ct, 30gb, 10p), Gray Bodden (14ct, 28gb, 4p) and former LSM now close defenseman Garrett Zungailia (8ct, 29gb). In the defensive midfield, the Tigers lose Zach Goodrich, but retain Andrew O'Dare (5ct, 15gb) while bringing in rookies Jordan Hayes and Brandon Hund. Mo Sillah (8ct, 9gb) with Joe Patti as a backup. is back at LSM after an All-Rookie campaign The Tigers return 16-game starting goalie Tyler Canto (.523, 10.92gaa). At the X, the Tigers have Jack McNallen (65-118, .551, 37gb), who saw time late last season in relief of an injured Alex Woodall.
Scouting the Host Blue Jays
Johns Hopkins enters the 2020 campaign after an 8-8 record a year ago, including a 3-2 mark in the Big Ten. Johns Hopkins fell in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Notre Dame, 16-9. The Blue Jays return over 80 percent of their offense from last season, including leading scorers Joey Epstein (48g, 25a) and Cole Williams (27g, 19a). Hopkins returns faceoff specialists Kyle Prouty (132-229, .576, 66gb) and Matt Narewski (108-211, .512, 59gb). Between the pipes, Hopkins brings back Ryan Darby (.448, 13.04gaa), who started all 16 games for the Blue Jays last season.
Towson-Johns Hopkins History
Five quick miles separate Saturday's combatants from one another. The Tigers trail 6-41 all-time against the Blue Jays, but are coming off a 17-8 win at Unitas ® Stadium last season. Despite the overall record, the home team has won the last six matchups. The Tigers are 3-5 against Hopkins under the direction of Shawn Nadelen. Towson is hunting its first win at Homewood Field since the 1996 campaign, however, a run of 11 games. There have been seven one-goal games in series history, including three overtime showdowns, with two double overtime thrillers. The last one-goal game was a 12-11 double overtime win for the Blue Jays at Unitas ® Stadium in 2009. Towson is looking for back-to-back wins for the first time in series history.
Towson-Johns Hopkins By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Hopkins 41-6
at Towson Hopkins 20-4
at Hopkins Hopkins 21-2
at Neutral Sites n/a
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting March 27, 1976 (JHU 15-8)
Last Meeting Feb. 9, 2019
rv Towson 17, #7 Hopkins 8
Streak......................................................... Towson +1
Last Time Out vs. Hopkins | Feb. 9, 2019 | Towson, Md. | Johnny Unitas ® Stadium
A massive 13-1 scoring effort in the second and third quarters from the Tigers opened things up as unranked Towson went on to top seventh-ranked Johns Hopkins 17-8 in the biggest win for the Tigers over their Charles Street rivals in series history. Brendan Sunday announced himself to the lacrosse world with an eight-point, six goal two assist effort. Brody McLean added a hat trick while Grant Maloof and Koby Smith tagged the Jays for a pair of goals. Alex Woodall won 21 of his 28 faceoffs with 17 ground balls and three points (1g, 2a) as then-junior Tyler Canto made 10 stops in his collegiate debut.
With a Win Saturday Towson Would...
- Win its first game at Homewood Field since the 1996 campagin, snapping an 11-game road slide against the Blue Jays.
- Improve the Tigers to 7-3 in season openers under the guidance of head coach Shawn Nadelen, who took over in 2012.
- Be Nadelen's fourth win over the Blue Jays as head coach, improving him to 4-5 since 2012 and mark the most wins by a Tiger coach over the Blue Jays.
- See Towson win a road season opener for the first time since beating Mount St. Mary's 13-5 in 2017.
- Be the 20th win for the Tigers since 2012 against in-state opponents on the 2020 schedule. Towson is 19-13 against foes from the Old Line State in that span.
- Run Towson's regular season winning streak over in-state opponents to five dating back to 2018. The Tigers went 3-0 in the regular season against Maryland programs last season.
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 seven teams ranked in the USILA Coaches' Poll: No. 9 Denver (March 21) No. 10 Duke (March 14), No. 11 Johns Hopkins (Feb. 8), No. 12 Cornell (Feb. 21), No. 14 Loyola (Feb. 26), No. 17 Georgetown (March 7) and No. 18 UMass (April 11). Should all those teams remain ranked as the Tigers play them, it would be the third-most ranked opponents Towson would play in a single season under Shawn Nadelen. The most 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.
Elevenses
Saturday's showdown at Homewood will be the 14th time in the TIgers' Division I Era (1980) Towson will play a team ranked 11th in the USILA Coaches' Poll. The Tigers are 3-10 all-time against number 11. Saturday's game will be the fourth time the Tigers play No. 11 Johns Hopkins, hunting their first win over the Blue Jays at that rank. In the last three meetings between Towson and Hopkins at Homewood, the Blue Jays have been ranked 11th. Towson's last road win, and overall win, against the 11th-ranked team in the country was on April 5, 2014 at UMass, a 6-5 decision for Towson.
19th Nervous Breakdown
Saturday will be just the third game under head coach Shawn Nadelen in which Towson is slotted 19th in the USILA Coaches' Poll. The Tigers are 0-2 in such games, falling to No. 2 UMass 14-3 during the 2012 season and dropping an 8-1 decision against Penn State in 2014.
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.
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 May 12, 2019)
Towson: 42-21
Hofstra: 36-25
UMass: 36-23
Fairfield: 32-27
Drexel: 32-19
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 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.
