Opening Faceoff
Memory of a goldfish will be key for the Tigers as Towson has a quick turnaround after Friday's game against No. 16 Johns Hopkins. Towson prepares for a two-game week at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium, hosting Mount St. Mary's on Tuesday and No. 1/No. 2 Virginia on Saturday.
In The National Rankings
Towson did not receive votes in either major poll this week, nor did Mount St. Mary's.
The Busy Week Tigers
It's a busy opening two weeks for the Tigers as Towson prepares for its second game of the season just four days after its first and with a third on the horizon in another five days.
Towson enters with an 0-1 record, falling 18-12 against No. 16 Johns Hopkins in the season opener Friday night. Towson trailed by six at halftime and trimmed the deficit to 14-12, but could not overtake the Blue Jays in the final 15 minutes.
Towson's midfield proved to be formidable on Friday as Andrew Milani (3g, 2a) and Kyle Berkeley (4g) combined for nine points and seven goals through the midfield. Chop Gallagher (1g) and Ryan Swain (1g) added goals as well.
The Tiger attack unit was led by transfer Nick DeMaio (3g), who potted his first career hat trick, getting the third with just 2.4 seconds left in the third quarter. James Avanzato (2a) continued his role as a feeder for the Tigers.
Towson's defense caused seven turnovers, including three from Reagan McNemar.
Shane Brennan made 13 saves in his 59 minutes of action against the Blue Jays.
Scouting the Mountaineers
Mount St. Mary's brings a 1-1 record with it from the Catoctin Mountains after falling 12-6 at No. 16 over the weekend. The Mount picked up an 11-9 win at Navy to open the season.
Cormac Giblin (6g) leads The Mount scoring efforts while Jared McMahon (2g, 1a) is second. Steven Schmitt (2a) is the top feeder on the team with his pair.
By percentage, Ethan Holobinko is the top faceoff specialist, winning six of his eight chances (.750) against Delaware. Connor Beals is 15-of-37 on the season, a .405 clip.
Defensively Mitchell Dunham and Ben Ward have caused four turnovers each while Noah Daniels leads the team with seven ground balls.
Towson-Mount History
It's a series that dates back to 1970 but only recently has been played every year. Even through two atypical seasons, Towson and The Mount have met every season since 2011. Towson has controlled the series, suffering just one loss in regulation to the Mountaineers, coming during the 2020 season at Unitas ® Stadium. The Tigers exacted revenge a year ago with an 11-5 win in Emmitsburg. Towson holds the longs winning streak in the series at 13 from 1976-2019.
Towson-Mount By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson 15-2
at Towson Towson 6-2
at Mount St. Mary's Towson 9-0
at Neutral Sites n/a
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting May 8, 1970
Towson 1-0 by forfeit
Last Meeting Feb. 24, 2021
Towson 11, Mount St. Mary's 5
Streak: Towson +1
Last Time Out vs. Mount St. Mary's | Feb. 24, 2021 | Emmitsburg, Md. | Waldron Family Stadium
Towson led wire-to-wire in a road game against the Mountaineers, potting the first goal five minutes in before scoring the second just 45 seconds later en route to an 11-5 win. James Avanzato finished the day with two goals and three assists for a five-point effort. Brody McLean led the Tigers with a hat trick while Andrew Milani and Ryan Swain chipped in two goals apiece. Shane Brennan made 18 saves in the win. Mount St. Mary's controlled the faceoff X, winning 12 of the 20 draws in the contest. Jake Krieger paced the Mount with two goals.
With a Win Tuesday Towson Would...
- Win back-to-back games against the Mount for the first time since winning 13 in a row from 1976-2019.
- Snap a four-game slide dating back to last spring.
- Improve the Tigers to 16-2 all-time against Mount St. Mary's.
- Be the Tigers' first win of the 2022 season.
- Be the 90th career win for head coach Shawn Nadelen.
Shorty's Like a Melody
- With 9:37 to play in the first quarter against No. 16 Johns Hopkins, Nick DeMaio scored the Tigers' first short-handed goal since the 2015 season.
- Defenseman Koby Smith had the assist on the play.
- It was the first short-handed goal since Dan Carder scored a shorty at Navy in a double-overtime loss in Annapolis.
- That goal came on March 3, 2015, less than a month after longstick midfielder Pat Conroy also scored a shorty against Loyola.
- It had been 100 games since the Tigers scored a short-handed goal.
- DeMaio is the first offensive player in the Shawn Nadelen Era to score a short
Short-Handed Goal Scorers in Shawn Nadelen Era
- Nick DeMaio vs. No. 16 Johns Hopkins - 1st - 9:37 - Assist: Koby Smith
- Dan Carder at Navy - 3rd - 11:45 - Unassisted
- Pat Conroy vs. No. 8 Loyola - 4th - 0:17 - Assist: Joe Seider
Key Rule Change
- Entering this spring, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Committee approved a shot-clock reset rule.
- A shot-clock reset under 60 seconds will reset the shot clock back to 60 seconds.
- A shot-clock reset between 60-80 seconds will reset the shot clock back to 80 seconds.
- Once play is stopped in flag down, slow whistle scenarios and the shot clock is at or below 60 seconds while possession remains in the offensive half of the field, the shot clock will reset to 60 seconds.
- When play is stopped for a defensive injury and the shot clock is above 60 seconds, the reset will be 80 seconds. If the shot clock is at or below 60 seconds in the offensive half of the field, it will be reset to 60 seconds.
The Gauntlet
- Stop us if you've heard this before, but Towson has one of the toughest schedules in DI.
- Towson will face nine opponents listed in the Week Two USILA/Dynamic Coaches Poll.
- No. 1 Virginia, No. 7 Duke, No. 11 Denver, No. 14 Loyola, No. 15 Johns Hopkins (L, 12-18), No. 17 Delaware, rv Drexel, rv Hofstra rv UMass.
- The only opponents that did not receive votes in Week Two are Mount St. Mary's, UMBC, Saint Joseph's and Fairfield.
- Four of first five foes on tap this spring were all mentioned in the poll: No. 15 Johns Hopkins, No. 1 Virginia, rv Richmond and No. 14 Loyola.
- Towson will face three of the first four at home before a quick trip to Cold Spring Lane on March 2.
On this Date: February 15
- Towson will play its fourth game all-time on February 15 on Tuesday.
- The Tigers are 1-2 all-time on this date.
- Towson is 1-1 against Mount St. Mary's on February 15, winning the first matchup 12-7 at The Mount in 2019 but falling 11-10 in 2020.
- Tuesday's game will be the second time ever Towson is playing at home on February 15.
- The Tigers are 0-1 at home on February 15 with the loss coming in 2020 against The Mount.
Transfer Station
- Towson bolstered its roster this off-season with a number of transfer.
- Offensively, the Tigers added Nick DeMaio (Maryland), Kyle Berkeley (Maryland), Luke Shilling (Johns Hopkins) and Sam Weisshaar (Anne Arundel Community College). On defense, Peyton Winters (Harford Community College) adds depth to a veteran backline.
- Those five transfers join a pair of established Transfer Tigers: James Avanzato (Maryland) and Austin Stewart (Denver).
The Top Third
- Towson University head coach Shawn Nadelen is in his 11th season at the helm of the program.
- Hired as the top man following the 2011 season, Nadelen is the 24th-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
- Hope you like the view from Johnny Unitas ® Stadium.
- The Tigers will be at home for the first four games of the 2022 season.
- Towson doesn't leave The U until a March 5 trip all the way over to Loyola University Maryland (a whopping four miles).
- The Tigers don't leave the state of Maryland until a March 12 trip to Saint Joseph's.
- Towson's longest trip of the regular season is a jaunt to Denver on March 26.
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. 11 vs. Johns Hopkins, Feb. 19 vs. Virginia, April 23 at Fairfield, April 30 vs. Hofstra.
The North Americans
Towson has representation from 17 different states and one Canadian province: Maryland (21), New York (5), New Jersey (3), California (2), Florida (2), North Carolina (2), Pennsylvania (2), Virginia (2), Connecticut (1), Colorado (1), Georgia (1), Kentucky (1), Michigan (1), Ohio (1), Oregon (1), Texas (1), Washington (1), British Columbia, Canada (1).
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 70 total wins in the CAA, five more than rival Hofstra. Below is a list of the current members of the CAA and their win totals in onference 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: 70 (8, 2019)
Hofstra: 65 (2, 2008)
Drexel: 56 (2, 2021)
Delaware: 44 (3, 2011)
UMass: 33 (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, Garrett Zungailia 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.
Previous CB30 Award Winners
2019 - Zach Goodrich
2020 - Koby Smith
2021 - Carson Gaeger
Wearing the C
This season, head coach Shawn Nadelen and his staff announced five student-athletes that will serve as captains for the 2022 season.
This year's captains are: Shane Brennan, Brandon Hund, Koby Smith, Ryan Swain and Garrett Zungailia.
Brennan, Hund, Smith and Swain will wear captains' Cs on their jerseys while Zungailia will have the CB30 badge in lieu of the captain's letter.
Home Cooking
Johnny Unitas ® Stadium is a tough place to play for visiting opponents. 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 February 14, 2022)
Towson: 46-27
Hofstra: 46-30
UMass: 41-26
Drexel: 40-20
Fairfield: 38-31
Delaware: 34-33
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 35-31 (.530) record in road games.
How Big is a Tiger?
- Not only has the roster size gotten larger this year, but the student-athletes that comprise have gotten bigger as well.
- Since Shawn Nadelen took over the program in 2012, the Tigers have gotten bigger and heavier.
- As researched by former Media Relations Interns Zoë Winslow and Ashley Cottrell, below are the average heights (in inches) and weights (in pounds) for the last 11 Towson University men's lacrosse teams.
2012: 71.2 / 182.3
2013: 71.4 / 182.3
2014: 71.5 / 182.7
2015: 71.5 / 184.2
2016: 71.4 / 183.9
2017: 72.0 / 187.9
2018: 72.0 / 187.2
2019: 72.4 / 190.3
2020: 72.2 / 187.7
2021: 71.89 / 185.1
2022: 72.1 / 184.3
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 56-8 in games when Towson scores double digits.
- When Towson's defense limits opponents to single digits, the Tigers are a whopping 75-12 in that same time after a 9-6 slugfest win at UMass (April 17, 2021)
- On 47 occasions, the Tigers have scored in double figures while holding opponents to single digits, obviously a 47-0 record.
