Opening Faceoff
After an unexpected bye week, the Tigers hit the road for a fourth-straight game, making the quick jaunt to Newark, Delaware for another edition of a longstanding rivalry against Delaware. Saturday's showdown will be the 64th meeting all-time between the programs.
In The National Rankings
Towson did not receive votes in the major polls this week. Delaware was slotted 16th in the USILA Coaches Poll and 18th in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. Delaware was 20th in the US Lacrosse Magazine Top 20.
The Will We Play Home Soon? Tigers
After last weekend's home game against Hofstra was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the Pride program, Towson heads back out for its fourth-straight road trip. The Tigers and Blue Hens meet in a series nearly as old as the Towson program itself. Brody McLean (14g, 4a) leads Towson's scoring efforts, with Andrew Milani (14g) tied for the goal lead and sitting third in points. James Avanzato (10g, 5a) is second for Towson's offense. Ryan Swain (4g, 5a) has been playing well lately and leads the midfield scoring. At the faceoff X, Shane Santora had a career day against Drexel, winning 20 of his 26 draws along with six ground balls. Long stick midfielder Mo Sillah is the Tigers' top takeaway man with eight caused turnovers while the rangy Garrett Zungailia is second with seven. The latter leads the team with 17 ground balls. Shane Brennan has played nearly 350 minutes in net for Towson, making 71 saves, seeing 241 total shots. Towson's extra-man unit has been sharp in 2021, scoring seven times on 18 qualifying chances, a .389 percent clip. The Tiger downers have also played well, allowing just three goals while offering up just 13 chances.
Scouting the Blue Hens
Delaware enters Saturday's game with a 5-1 overall mark and 2-0 in the CAA. After dropping its season opener at Mount St. Mary's, Delaware has won five straight games. Mike Robinson (23g, 4a) leads the scoring for the Blue Hens, with Tye Kurtz (16g, 8a) close behind. The pair lead in shooting as well with 55 and 34, respectively. Charlie Kitchen (7g, 12a) is the top feeder. Jake Hervada (34-72) and Roland Hockenberry (27-61) have been the go-to faceoff specialists. Matt Kilkeary has played 355 minutes in goal, making 71 saves at a .555 percent clip against 222 total shots. He has a 9.63 goals against average.
Towson-Delaware History
One of the most played opponents in Towson's history, the Tigers and Blue Hens will meet for the 64th time since the series began in 1961. Towson holds control of the series at 45-18 all-time, including five straight wins. Barring last season's cancelled meeting, the Tigers and Blue Hens have met every season since the 1976 campaign and have been league foes for nearly that entire time. Since taking over the program for the 2012 season, Towson head coach Shawn Nadelen is 9-1 all-time against Delaware, including 4-0 in Newark. Despite the longevity of the series, it will be 689 days since these two teams met in the CAA Semifinals on May 2, 2019.
Towson-Delaware By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson 45-18
at Towson Towson 22-8
at Delaware Towson 21-10
at Neutral Sites Towson 2-0
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting 1961 (Delaware 6-3)
Last Meeting May 2, 2019
#12 Towson 18, Delaware11
Streak Towson +5
Last Time Out vs. Delaware | May 2, 2019 | Amherst, Mass. | Garber Field
A two-goal, 7-5 Towson lead at halftime was left in the dust as Towson scored 11 times in the second half, using a seven-goal third quarter to advance to the CAA Championship for a fifth-straight season. Towson won with an 18-11 count. Brendan Sunday turned in an eight-point, three goal five assist evening in western Massachusetts while Brody McLean and Timmy Monahan dropped off four goals apiece. The night belonged to Jack McNallen, however, as he went 27 of 31 at the faceoff X, setting several CAA records along the way. Charlie Kitchen (2g, 2a) and Joe Eisele (4g) paced Delaware.
With a Win Saturday Towson Would...
- Snap a two-game slide on the road.
- See Towson win its 46th game all-time against Delaware.
- Push Towson's winning streak over the Blue Hens to six straight.
- Be head coach Shawn Nadelen's 10th win over Delaware in 11 tries.
- Bring Towson's record to 2-2 in this current four-game road swing.
- Be Towson's first win outside the Old Line State since an 18-16 win against Drexel in Amherst, Massachusetts on May 4, 2019.
Et tu, Blue Hen?
- Towson and Delaware will clash for the 11th time in the month of March.
- The Tigers lead the series in the third month with a 6-4 count.
- Towson and Delaware have not met in March since March 22, 2014, an 11-8 Towson home win.
- The Tigers are on a three-game winning streak in the month of March against Delaware.
- Head coach Shawn Nadelen is 3-0 in March against the Blue Hens.
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.
- McLean now has three hat tricks in six games for the Tigers, adding the 10th of his career at Mount St. Mary's.
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 the home opener against Saint Joseph's, where Grossi was the defensive coordinator for three seasons (2013-15). Next up was 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 1-2 on the Steve Grossi Reunion Tour. Topping Saint Joseph's 8-7 in overtime before falling 11-10 at No. 18 Richmond and 12-10 at Drexel.
The Buddy System
So far in the young season, Towson's feeders have been all over the field; Only two pairs have assisted each other more than once. James Avanzato has assisted Brody McLean three times, including two at Mount St. Mary's (Feb. 24). Likewise, Ryan Swain has fed Brody McLean three times. Swain is the only player with multiple assists to multiple goal scorers.
J. Avanzato -> B. McLean: 3 | R. Swain -> B. McLean: 3 | C. Wasserman -> J. Avanzato: 3
R. Swain -> A. Milani: 2 | A. Stewart -> A. Milani: 2
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
A. Ducommun -> A. Milani: 1 | J. Bender -> J. Gaskins: 1 | J. Gaskins -> A. Milani: 1
J. Avanzato -> R. Swain: 1 | B. McLean -> J. McLean: 1 | A. Stewart -> J. Avanzato: 1
A. Stewart -> C. Wasserman: 1 | C. Wasserman -> A. Milani: 1 | B. Hund -> B. McLean: 1
J. Avanzato -> A. Milani: 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
- #1/#2 Duke | #9/#9 Virginia | #12/#12 Loyola | #15/#13 UMass | #16/#18 Delaware
- Hofstr and Drexel received votes in the polls this week.
- 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.
On this Date: March 20
- Despite its long history, Towson has only played on March 20 three times.
- The Tigers are 2-1 on March 20 since the program started in 1959.
- Towson has never played a road game on March 20.
- Head coach Shawn Nadelen will coach his first-ever game on March 20.
- Towson's last game on March 20 was a 10-8 win at home against Ohio State.
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 three 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.
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: 52 (1, 2014)
Delaware: 39 (3, 2011)
UMass: 30 (2, 2012, 2018)
Fairfield: 11 (0)
Cs the Day!
This season, head coach Shawn Nadelen and his staff announced three student-athletes that will serve as captains for the 2021 season.
Fifth-year senior midfielder Jake McLean and senior close defenseman Koby Smith will be captains for a second season. Sophomore Brandon Hund will be a captain for the first time in his career. He is the second-ever sophomore to be named captain for Towson.
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 34-29 (.540) 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 54-8 in games when Towson scores double digits. When Towson's defense limits opponents to single digits, the Tigers are a whopping 72-11 in that same time after an 11-5 decision at Mount St. Mary's (Feb. 24). On 46 occasions, the Tigers have scored in double figures while holding opponents to single digits, obviously a 46-0 record.
