Opening Faceoff
It's a three-game road swing for the Towson men's lacrosse program, including a pair this week at Mount St. Mary's (Wednesday) and at Richmond (Saturday) to wrap up nonconference action.
In The National Rankings
Towson received votes in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. Mount St. Mary's is not mentioned in any of the polls.
The Road Trippin' Tigers
It's the long and winding road ahead for the Tigers as Towson begins a three-game road set Wednesday afternoon. Towson's offense is paced by Brody McLean (7g, 3a) with CAA Rookie of the Week Andrew Milani (6g) and James Avanzato (5g, 1a) tied for second with six points apiece. Sixteen different Tigers have logged a point this season, including seven with multiple points. Towson's defense is ranked among the tops of Division for caused turnovers per game, checking in at eighth with 9.33 per outing, tops among CAA foes. Longstick midfielder Mo Sillah leads Towson with five forces while close defensemen Koby Smith and Garrett Zungailia are right behind with four. The Tigers also boast one of the most efficient man-up units in the country, scoring at a 40 percent clip, ranking 13th in Division I and second in the CAA. On the other end, Towson's man-down defense is sturdy as well, killing off penalties at an 83.3 percent rate, eighth-best in the country. Towson has allowed just one extra-man chance on six qualifying chances. Towson's 83.3 kill rate is second-best in Division I among teams with at least three games played. In cage, Shane Brennan has played 171 minutes of the Tigers' 181 this season. He has 36 saves to his ledger. Towson is clearing at a .740 percent rate, while holding opponents to .727.
Scouting the Mountaineers
Wednesday's showdown will be the second game this season for Mount St. Mary's at Waldron Family Stadium. The Mount previously beat Delaware 10-7 at home before falling 8-5 at Navy over the weekend. Luke Frankeny (3g, 2a) leads The Mount's offense with five points while a bevy (6) of teammates have two points apiece. Kadin Kightlinger and Kelly Gouin have one extra-man goal apiece. Sam Stephan has been the only Mountaineer at the X, winning 24 of his 49 draws (.615) with a team-best 16 ground balls. The Mountaineers have split time evenly in cage, with Dylan Furnback playing all 60 minutes against Delaware while Griffin McGinley played the whole way at Navy. Furnback has a 7.00 goals against average with a .588 save percentage.
Towson-Mount St. Mary's History
With an hour's drive separating the two programs, Towson and Mount St. Mary's have a deep history, dating back to the 1970 campaign. After a long hiatus, the two schools have met every season since 2011. Towson leads the all-time series at 14-2, with the lone regulation loss coming last season (11-10, Mount St. Mary's) at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium. Towson is 8-0 all-time against the Mountaineers in Emmitsburg.
Towson-Mount St. Mary's By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson 14-2
at Towson Towson 6-2
at The Mount Towson 8-0
at Neutral Sites n/a
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting May 8, 1970 (Towson WBF)
Last Meeting Feb. 15, 2020
Mount St. Mary's 11, Towson 10
Streak Towson -1
Last Time Out vs. Mount St. Mary's | February 15, 2020 | Towson, Md. | Johnny Unitas ® Stadium
A late flurry from the Tigers fell short as Mount St. Mary's picked up its first Division I win over Towson with an 11-10 decision. The Mount reeled off four goals in a seven-minute span to take an 11-8 lead before two late charges from Towson cut the deficit to one with half a quarter to play. Neither team could find the net after the 6:05 mark of the fourth quarter. Jon Mazza (3g, 1a) led Towson while Matt Haggerty (4g) paced the visitors. Mount netminder Dylan Furnback made a game-high 11 saves.
With a Win Saturday Towson Would...
- Win its first true road game since April 27, 2019, an 11-9 decision at Drexel.
- Improve Towson to 9-0 all-time on the road against Mount St. Mary's.
- Avoid back-to-back losses this season.
- Be Towson's second win inside the Old Line State this season, paired with an overtime win over Saint Joseph's two weeks ago.
- See Towson improve to 2-0 over the Northeast Conference this season.
Milani Named CAA Rookie of the Week
- Redshirt freshman Andrew Milani was tapped as the CAA Rookie of the Week on Tuesday.
- He scored two goals against No. 1 Duke at home last weekend.
- Milani is the second Tiger to win Rookie of the Week this season (Colby Barsz, Feb. 16).
Toques Off
- Fifth-year senior Brody McLean scored a hat trick in back-to-back games for the Tigers to open the 2021 campaign.
- He was the first Tiger to score hat tricks in back-to-back games to open the season since he himself did it to open the 2019 season.
The Steve Grossi Reunion Tour
Hop in your van and get ready for a tour. Last Saturday kicked off a four-part series of the Steve Grossi Reunion Tour. This spring, the Tigers will take on three institutions assistant coach Steve Grossi has a connection with. The first stop was last weekend's game against Saint Joseph's, where Grossi was the defensive coordinator for three seasons (2013-15). Next up is a trip to the University of Richmond, where Grossi was a defensive coach and recruiting coordinator for two seasons (2017-18). In league play, Towson will take on Grossi's alma mater, Drexel, twice: March 6 in Philadelphia and May 1 at Unitas ® Stadium.
The Tigers are currently 1-0 on the Steve Grossi Reunion Tour.
The Buddy System
So far in the young season, Towson's feeders have been evenly split; no Tiger has assisted the same person twice. Towson had five assisted goals at Virginia, each with a different source.
J. McLean -> J. Avanzato: 1 | J. McLean -> B. McLean: 1 | B. McLean -> J. Avanzato: 1
B. McLean -> A. Milani | R. Gaeger -> B. McLean: 1 | B. McLean -> A. Beacham: 1
C. Gallagher -> B. McLean: 1 | C. Wasserman -> G. Ey: 1 | A. Beacham -> B. McLean: 1
R. Swain -> A. Milani: 1 | A. Ducommun -> A. Milani: 1 | J. Bender -> J. Gaskins: 1
J. Avanzato -> B. McLean: 1 | C. Wasserman -> J. Avanzato: 1
Eyes On
Senior defenseman and USILA All-American Koby Smith was one of 50 men's lacrosse players named to the 2020 Tewaaraton Trophy Watch list early last season. Smith was added to the Watch List in March last season as well. Now in his 10th 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) and Peter Mezzanotte (2012).
Flair for the Dramatic
Redshirt freshman Andrew Milani has a flair for the dramatic as he chose overtime to score his first collegiate game-winning goal. With 2:34 left in overtime against Saint Joseph's on February 13, Milani drove the alley, rolled back and threw a low shot on goal and scored five-hole for an 8-7 win. Per Milani, that was his first overtime game-winning goal since March 14, 2018 in his junior campaign at nearby St. Paul's School with an 11-10 on the road at Norfolk Academy in Virginia.
The Gauntlet
- Year in and year out Towson constructs one of the toughest Division I schedules.
- In this week's major polls, five 2021 opponents are ranked inside the top 20
- #2/#1 Duke | #3/#2 Virginia | #11/#12 Loyola | #14/#14 UMass | #18/#18 Richmond
- Four Towson opponents are receiving votes in this week's USILA Coaches' Poll
Saint Joseph's, Hofstra, Drexel, Delaware
- Towson played four ranked opponents in six games during 2020: No. 11 Johns Hopkins, No. 12 Cornell, No. 12 Loyola, and No. 13 Georgetown.
- The Tigers played five single-digit ranked opponents during the 2019 season: No. 7 Johns Hopkins, No. 1 Loyola, No. 3 Cornell, No. 2 Duke, No. 6 Maryland.
Preseason Accolades
Senior defenseman Koby Smith was honored several times during the preseason. He was selected as the CAA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and was a second team All-America pick by both the USILA and Inside Lacrosse. Additionally, Smith was selected to the Preseason All-CAA Team.
Ever See Half a Bird?
This season, the Tigers will enter in round-robin-and-a-half style conference schedule. Towson will play all five CAA opponents, while squaring off with long-time rivals Delaware, Drexel and Hofstra twice, once at home and once on the road. Towson will play eight league games this spring, three more than the normal five-game slate. Hofstra will host the 2021 CAA Men's Lacrosse Championship at Shuart Stadium in early May. The top four teams will vie for the league's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament.
February Stars
- The concept of February lacrosse is a newer development, much to the chagrin of fans.
- Towson's first-ever game in amethyst birth month was February 28, 1998, an 18-15 track meet against UMBC.
- All-time, the Tigers are 24-25 in the month of February.
- Under head coach Shawn Nadelen, the Tigers are 17-17 in February.
- Towson and Mount St. Mary's have seen one another six times in February. Towson is 5-1 in those February meetings.
On this Date: February 24
- Towson will play its fourth-ever game on February 24.
- The Tigers are 1-2 all-time on this date.
- Towson is 0-1 on the road, falling at Virginia 12-8 in 2001.
- The Tigers are 1-1 under Shawn Nadelen
vs. Mercer - 2013 (W, 9-8 OT) | vs. Georgetown - 2018 (L, 10-12)
- Towson has never played a road game on February 24.
Welcome to the Party
- Freshman Chop Gallagher made his first appearance for the Black & Gold, getting the start at attack in the Tigers' season opener at No. 5 Virginia.
- Freshman defensive midfielder Travis Maynard also made his collegiate debut at Virginia.
- LSM Ethan Ticehurst, a fifth-year senior, played in his first game for the Towson Tigers after spending the first four years of his career at Division II Saint Leo.
- Close defenseman Colby Barsz made his first career start against Saint Joseph's.
The Top Third
- Towson University head coach Shawn Nadelen is in his 10th season at the helm.
- Hired as the top man following the 2011 season, Nadelen is the 25th-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).
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 four times as the CAA Game of the Week: Feb. 20 vs. Duke, March 13 vs. Hofstra, March 20 at Delaware, and March 27 vs. Loyola.
- The CAA Semifinals and Championship at Hofstra will also be carried on LSN.
The North Americans
Towson has representation from 13 different US states and two Canadian Provinces: California, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, British Columbia and Ontario.
The Great 8
In 2019, 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 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, Carson Gaeger will wear a CB30 badge on his jerseys to honor the late Carl Beernink. This annual award will be given to a Towson player who embodies the fighting spirit of Carl Beernink.
