Opening Faceoff
After a two-game road swing, the Towson University men's lacrosse team returns to Johnny Unitas ® Stadium to continue a series with the Hoyas of Georgetown. Saturday's game marks the first of back-to-back home games for the Tigers as Towson hosts Duke next weekend.
In The National Rankings
The Tigers were not ranked or mentioned in the major polls this week. The Hoyas enter Saturday with the number 13 slot in the USILA Coaches' Poll while sitting at number 12 in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.
The Homestanding Tigers
The Tigers conclude a two-game week while opening a two-game homestand on Saturday with Georgetown. Towson dropped its last game 10-5 across town at UMBC. Towson's offense is paced by Brody McLean (8g, 3a), who has at least two points in every game this season. James Avanzato (6g, 3a) is slotted second with nine points and multiple points in four out of five games this season. Austin Stewart (1g, 8a) has been a feeder this season, leading the Tigers with eight helpers. Close defenseman Garrett Zungailia leads Towson with 10 caused turnovers while snaring nine ground balls. Longstick midfielder Mo Sillah and short stick defensive midfielder Andrew O'Dare are second with three caused turnovers apiece and lead Towson's defensive efforts in the midfield. In goal, Shane Brennan is coming off a career-best 18 saver performance at UMBC, including 11 stuffs in the first half. He upped his season save percentage to 52.8 and now has 47 saves in just three games this season. The Tigers struggled at the X at UMBC Stadium, winning five of the game's 18 draws. Rookie Shane Santora paces Towson's faceoff efforts at 45.7 percent (21-46).
Scouting the No. 13/No. 12 Hoyas
Georgetown is off to a 5-0 start on the 2020 season, most recently topping Bellarmine 13-4. Saturday's game will be the Hoyas' first game away from Cooper Field since Feb. 15, a 14-8 win at UMBC. Jake Carraway (20g, 9a) is one of three Hoyas with more than 20 points, pacing Dylan Watson (20g, 2a) and Robert Clark (9g, 13a). The latter leads Georgetown's assist column. Carraway has scored 20 goals on 69 of his total shots this season, a 29.0 percentage. Watson leads a versatile man-up unit with three goals, with six Hoyas scoring on the extra-man. James Reilly is the top man at the X with 60 wins in 87 draws (.690). He leads with 39 ground balls as well. Owen McElroy has started in all five games this season, making 49 saves at a 62.0 percent clip and carries a goals against average of 6.60.
Towson-Georgetown History
Saturday will be the 11th meeting all-time between the Tigers and the Hoyas. The series dates back to a 15-3 Towson win in the District on April 10, 1963. The Tigers are 8-2 all-time against Georgetown. The Hoyas won the last matchup at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium 12-10 during the 2018 campaign. Towson took a 14-8 win at Cooper Field last season. The Tigers are 4-1 all-time against Georgetown at home, holding the same record on the road. Likewise, Towson is 5-1 against the Hoyas under the guidance of head coach Shawn Nadelen.
Towson-Georgetown By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson 8-2
at Towson Towson 4-1
at Georgetown Towson 4-1
at Neutral Sites n/a
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting April 10, 1963 (Towson 15-3)
Last Meeting Feb. 23, 2019
#9 Towson 14, #16 Georgetown 8
Streak......................................................... Towson +1
Last Time Out vs. Georgetown | Feb. 23, 2019 | Washington, D.C. | Cooper Field
Breaking open a tight game, the No. 9 Tigers out-scored the No. 16 Hoyas 6-2 over the final 15 minutes to collect a 14-8 win on the road. Brendan Sunday was a one-man wrecking crew, putting a hand on nine of Towson's goals, scoring four of his own with another five assists. Brody McLean tagged the Hoyas for two goals and two assists as eight different Tigers found the back of the net. Tyler Canto made 14 saves for the Tigers en route to the win. Daniel Bucaro led the day for Georgetown, posting three goals and four assists. Owen McElory made 11 saves for the Hoyas.
With a Win Saturday Towson Would...
- Pick up its first win of the 2020 season.
- Snap a six-game slide dating back to last season.
- Pick up back-to-back wins over the Hoyas since for the first time since winning four straight from 2014-17.
- Be Towson's first home win over the Hoyas since a 10-7 victory on Feb. 27, 2016.
- See the Tigers win their first-ever game against Georgetown in the month of March (the two sides have never played in the third month of the year).
MARCHing Forward
- February is done and in the books as Towson looks ahead to the third month of 2020.
- Towson is 30-17 all-time in the month of March under head coach Shawn Nadelen
- 2012: 5-1 | 2013: 5-2 | 2014: 5-1 | 2015: 4-2 | 2016: 5-1 | 2017: 2-3 | 2018: 2-3 | 2019: 2-3 | 2020: 0-1
On this Date: March 7
- Towson is 3-2 all-time on March 7
- The Tigers have never played Georgetown on March 7.
- Towson is 1-1 in March 7 home games.
- The Tigers are 2-0 under Shawn Nadelen on March 7.
- Towson's last game on March 7 was an 11-7 win at UMBC during the 2015 campaign.
- The Tigers' first March 7 game under Nadelen was 12-9 win at Marist in 2014.
- Towson has not played at home on March 7 since a 9-7 loss to No. 9 Maryland in 2009.
Versus: The BIG EAST (Current Membership): 29-9
Denver: 4-4 | Georgetown: 8-2 | Marquette: 0-0 | Providence: 1-0 | St. John's: 0-0 | Villanova: 16-3
- Saturday's game will be the 39th game all-time for the Tigers against the BIG EAST's current alignment.
- Towson is 29-9 all-time against this group of BIG EAST members, including 8-2 against the Hoyas and 16-3 against Villanova.
- Towson will play one more BIG EAST school, traveling to Denver for a March 21 showdown.
- Shawn Nadelen is 6-4 against current BIG EAST programs, going 5-1 against Georgetown and 1-3 against Denver.
All-Time vs. No. 13
- The Tigers are 10-4 in the Division I Era (1980) against teams ranked 13th in the USILA Coaches' Poll.
- Towson has played an opponent ranked 13th in each of the last two seasons, topping Ohio State 7-6 in a 2018 overtime game, but falling 7-6 against Denver last spring.
- The Tiger have never dropped back-to-back games against opponents ranked 13th.
- Towson has two four-game winning streaks over No. 13 opponents, topping Penn State, Maryland and Navy twice from 1990-97 and again with wins over Hofstra twice, Delaware and UMBC from 2001-2006.
- Towson's last home win over a 13th-ranked opponent was an 11-7 win over Delaware on March 25, 2006. The Tigers were unranked for that contest.
The Top Third
- Towson University head coach Shawn Nadelen is in 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.
- Nadelen 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 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.
The Gauntlet
- As of the fifth week of the 2020, the Tigers are slated to play or have played seven teams ranked in the USILA Coaches' Poll.
- 2020 Opponents Ranked (at time of game): No. 12 Cornell (L, 10-17), No. 17 Denver (March 21), No. 12 Loyola (L, 6-15), No. 12 Duke (March 14), No. 13 Georgetown (March 7), No. 11 Johns Hopkins (L, 7-15) and No. 17 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.
- Two Towson foes are receiving votes this week: Delaware (April 18) and Drexel (April 25).
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. 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 will play five 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), Johns Hopkins (Big Ten) and UMBC (America East). 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 March 3, 2020)
Towson: 42-22
Hofstra: 39-26
UMass: 38-24
Fairfield: 36-27
Drexel: 34-19
Delaware: 28-32
