Opening Faceoff
For the first time in 10 months, the Towson University men's lacrosse team hits the road for an official game, making the quick jaunt down Cold Spring Lane for a Baltimore clash at Loyola University Maryland Wednesday evening
In The National Rankings
Towson did not receive votes in either major poll this week. Loyola received votes in both major polls this week, falling out of the rankings this week.
The Finally on the Road Tigers
The Tigers make their first official road trip since April 17, 2021 after finalizing the 2021 regular season with back-to-back homers and opening 2022 with four straight at The U.
Towson's high-octane offense was on display again last weekend against rv Richmond as the Tigers scored a season-best 15 goals, aided by a 9-1 first quarter. Towson averages 20.5 points per game.
Nick DeMaio (14g, 2a) leads the offense after an 8-point performance last weekend. Kyle Berkeley (8g, 8a) and James Avanzato (8g, 7a) bring balance to the offense with 16 and 15 even points apiece.
Freshman faceoff specialist Matt Constantinides had a career-best 19-of-33 outing against Richmond, improving to 29-62 (.468) on the season.
Shane Brennan made a season-high tying 14 saves against Richmond while playing nearly 72 minutes of lacrosse in one game. He has 53 saves this season at a .486 rate.
Scouting the Host Greyhounds
Like Towson, Loyola is hunting for success this year, opening with an 0-3 mark after dropping a 13-12 decision against No. 6 Rutgers last weekend for the Greyhounds' home opener.
Fifth-year Aidan Olmstead (3g, 11a) is Loyola's top feeder, with 11 of his 14 points coming on assists. Adam Poitras (6a, 1a) is second on the team with seven points.
Graduate student Bailey Savio has been the go-to FOGO this year, winning 35 of his 72 draws (.486) with 20 ground balls to his credit.
It's been goalie by committee for Loyola this year; three of the four netminders that have played have logged at least 30 minutes. Luke Staudt has made a team-best 13 saves while Sam Shafer has nine to his credit.
Towson-Loyola History
With just four miles between campuses, Towson and Loyola have met on plenty of occasions; Wednesday's tilt will be the 65th meeting all-time between programs. Towson and Loyola have met at least once a year, every year since Towson's first varsity season in 1959, with the 1980 campaign as the lone exception. The teams have traded the last four home games; Towson won at The U in 2019 and 2021 while Loyola won at Ridley in 2018 and 2020.
Towson-Loyola By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Loyola 34-30
at Towson Even 16-16
at Loyola Loyola 17-13
at Neutral Sites Even 1-1
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting April 25, 1959
Loyola 8, Towson 6
Last Meeting March 27, 2021
Towson 7, #12 Loyola 6
Streak Towson +1
Last Time Out vs. Loyola | March 27, 2021 | Towson, Md. | Unitas Stadium
Down 5-2 midway through the third quarter, Towson mounted a furious comeback to take a 6-5 lead. After Loyola tied the action at 6-6 with three minutes to play, senior Tim Montgomery completed the hat trick and scored the overtime game-winner with 79 seconds left on the clock to lift Towson to a 7-6 win over its longtime rival. Five different Tigers scored the seven goals, led by Montgomery while Austin Stewart provided the lone Towson assist. Aidan Olmstead and Joey Kamish scored twice for Loyola as the game's goalies Shane Brennan (Towson ) and Sam Shafer (Loyola) made eight stops each.
With a Win Wednesday Towson Would...
- Win its first game at Ridley Athletic Complex since a 10-8 win on March 2, 2016.
- Win back-to-back games over the Greyhounds for the first time since winning three straight from 2005-07.
- Snap a three-game slide early in the season.
- Win its second straight road game, dating back to a 9-6 win at UMass on April 17, 2021.
- Start the month of March off at 1-0 for the first time since the 2019 campaign following a 15-13 shootout win against Jacksonville in Charlotte, North Carolina.
- 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 49 goals in the first four games of the year, averaging 12.25 per.
- It is Towson's highest goal total through the first four games since the 2019 season when the Tigers landed 55 goals in the first four games.
- When Towson scores at least 34 goals in the first four games under head coach Shawn Nadelen, the Tigers have won the CAA Tournament on four out of five qualifying seasons (2015 - 34; 2016 - 40; 2017 - 39; 2019 - 55, 2021 - 37(missed postseason))
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 (Feb. 11, 2022) - 1st - 9:37 - Assist: Koby Smith
- Dan Carder at Navy (March 5, 2015) - 3rd - 11:45 - Unassisted
- Pat Conroy vs. No. 8 Loyola (Feb. 18, 2015) - 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 eight opponents listed in the Week Four USILA/Dynamic Coaches Poll.
- No. 2 Virginia (L, 9-18), No. 10 Duke (March 19), No. 14 Johns Hopkins (L, 12-18), No. 17 Delaware (April 16), No. 19 Richmond (L, 15-16 (3OT)), rv Saint Joseph's (March 12), rv Loyola (March 2), rv UMass (April 9).
- 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: March 2
- March means lacrosse (it is a spring sport after all!).
- Wednesday will be Towson's sixth game all-time on March 2.
- The Tigers are 4-1 all-time on this date.
- Towson is 2-0 on the road on March 2, including a 10-8 win over No. 5 Loyola.
- The Tigers are 1-0 all-time against Loyola on this date, the aforementioned win.
- Towson is 2-0 under head coach Shawn Nadelen on March 2, that Loyola win paired with a 13-5 win at Mount St. Mary's in 2013.
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 2 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.
- Last Saturday's game was the sixth-straight home game for the Tigers, dating back to the 2021 season. Towson is 1-5 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 28, 2022)
Towson: 47-29 | Hofstra: 47-32 | UMass: 42-26 | Drexel: 41-20 | Fairfield: 39-31 Delaware: 35-33
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.
