Opening Faceoff
The Towson Tigers round out a four-game home stand to open the 2022 campaign on Saturday, hosting University of Richmond at Unitas ® Stadium for the first time in series history. Towson looks to avenge an 11-10 loss at Robbins Stadium last season.

In The National Rankings
Towson did not receive votes in either major poll this week. Richmond received votes in both the USILA Coaches' Poll and in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.

The Homestanding Tigers
Saturday's High Noon Showdown marks the end of a four-game home stand for the Tigers, the teams longest run of home games in the same season since Shawn Nadelen took over in 2012.

Towson is sports a fairly balanced offense, assisting on 22 of the Tigers' 34 total goals. Kyle Berkley (7g, 6a) and James Avanzato (5g, 5a) lead that charge with 13 and 10 points, respectively, both with balanced goals-to-assist numbers. Pure scorer Nick DeMaio leads Towson's goal efforts with eight.

Reagan McNemar and Koby Smith lead in the defensive third with four caused turnovers apiece with rookie Sam Morin (11gb) and redshirt junior Garrett Zungailia (10gb) pacing Towson off the ground.

Shane Santora had a strong showing at the X against No. 1 Virginia on Saturday, improving to 23-50 on the year as a 12-of-25 showing.

Another Shane, this one a Brennan, backs Towson's defense in goal with 39 saves while facing 133 total shots. He carries a .494 save percentage into Saturday's game.

Scouting the Visiting Spiders
Richmond brings a 1-1 overall record to Johnny Unitas ® Stadium this weekend, topping Marist 18-4 in its most recent outing last Saturday.

The Spider offense, which averages 13.5 goals per game, is led by nine points each from Ryan Lanchbury (4g, 5a) and Dalton Young (6g, 3a). Lance Madonna (4g, 1a) and Mount St. Mary's transfer Luke Frankeny (3g, 2a) have accounted for five points apiece.

Jake Saunders has forced seven opponent turnovers this season, while Braden McClure has half a dozen.

Faceoff specialist Jared Chenoy has 13 ground balls to pair with a 57.5 winning percentage at the X, going 23-of-40 this year.

Richmond is disciplined, taking just six penalties this season for a combined five minutes. The Spiders have surrendered just one goal on six penalty kills this year.

Towson-Richmond History
It's a very brief history between the Tigers and the Spiders on the lacrosse field; the teams have met just once. Richmond won the first meeting 11-10 after out-scoring the Tigers 5-1 in the fourth quarter.

Towson-Richmond By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Richmond 1-0
at Towson First Meeting
at Richmond Richmond 1-0
at Neutral Sites n/a
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting Feb. 27, 2021
#18 Richmond 11, Towson 10
Last Meeting Feb. 27, 2021
#18 Richmond 11, Towson 10
Streak Richmond + 1

Last Time Out vs. Richmond | Feb. 21, 2021 | Richmond, Va. | Robbins Stadium
Holding a 9-5 lead with 17 minutes to play, the Tigers faltered in the fourth quarter as Richmond scored a six-goal run to take an 11-9 lead with 6:26 to play. Brody McLean scored with 2:05 to play, making it a one-goal game, but neither team scored again as Towson dropped an 11-10 decision. Austin Stewart (1g, 3a) led the Tigers with four points while Brody McLean (2g, 1a), Andrew Milani (3g) and Ryan Swain (3a) all had three-point days. Luke Grayum (3g, 1a) had four points to lead the home side while his netminder, Jack Rusbuldt, notched 13 saves.

With a Win Saturday Towson Would...
- Even the series with Richmond to 1-1 all-time.
- Improve to 2-2 in the month of February for a second-straight year (Towson finished February 2021 with a 2-3 record).
- Be the 91st career win for head coach Shawn Nadelen.

Capitol Lacrosse Classic
- Announced on Friday afternoon, Towson and Duke will play at 6 p.m. at the Capitol Lacrosse Classic.
- The Tigers and Blue Devils meet at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. as part of a triple-header day.
- Towson's game will be the third of the afternoon, leading off with Hampden-Sydney and Catholic University, followed by a rematch of last season's NCAA Championship game between No. 1 Maryland and No. 2 Virginia.
- Towson and Duke will meet neutral site for the first time since the first round of the 2001 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Tournament, a 12-10 Towson win at UMBC Stadium.
- Tickets go on sale on Thursday, March 3.

Offense is Clicking
- Towson's offense is clicking along in 2022.
- The Tigers have scored 34 goals in the first three games of the year, averaging 11.33 per.
- It is Towson's highest goal total through the first two games since the 2019 season when the Tigers landed 43 goals in the first three games.
- When Towson scores at least 30 goals in the first three games under head coach Shawn Nadelen, the Tigers have won the CAA Tournament on three out of three qualifying seasons (2016 - 30; 2017 - 31; 2019 - 43)
- Twice Towson has won the CAA Championship twice without scoring 30 goals in the first three games: 2013 - 22; 2015 - 27.

Climbing the Coaching Charts
- Towson head coach Shawn Nadelen is now in his 11th season at the helm after being elevated to that position for the 2012 season.
- To date, Nadelen has posted 90 career wins and is nearing the century mark.
- Nadelen is third on Towson's all-time wins list: Carl Runk (262), Tony Seaman (99).

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 Three USILA/Dynamic Coaches Poll.
- No. 2 Virginia (L, 9-18), No. 7 Duke (March 19), No. 13 Johns Hopkins (L, 12-18), No. 14 Denver (March 26), No. 17 Delaware (April 16), No. 20 Loyola (March 2), rv Richmond (Feb. 26), rv UMBC (March 5), UMass (April 9).
- The only opponents that did not receive votes in Week Two are Mount St. Mary's, Saint Joseph's, Fairfield and Hofstra.
- Four of first five foes on tap this spring were all mentioned in the poll: No. 13 Johns Hopkins, No. 2 Virginia, rv Richmond and No. 20 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 26
- Saturday will be the fifth time in program history the Tigers will play on February 26.
- Towson is an even 2-2 all-time on this date.
- In a quirk, the only team Towson has played on February 26 is Loyola.
- Towson has never hosted a game on February 26; all four have been at Loyola.
- Towson last played on February 26, 2020 at No. 12 Loyola's Ridley Athletic Complex.
- Towson's last win on February 26 was a 9-8 win in 2007 between the No. 14 Tigers and the No. 18 Greyhounds on Cold Spring Lane.

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.
- Saturday's game will be the sixth-straight home game for the Tigers, dating back to the 2021 season. Towson is 1-4 in that span.

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  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: 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 24, 2022)
Towson: 47-28
Hofstra: 46-31
UMass: 42-26
Drexel: 40-20
Fairfield: 39-31
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 57-8 in games when Towson scores double digits.
- When Towson's defense limits opponents to single digits, the Tigers are a whopping 76-12 in that same time after topping Mount St. Mary's 13-8 earlier this week.
- On 48 occasions, the Tigers have scored in double figures while holding opponents to single digits, obviously a 48-0 record.