Opening Faceoff
What was originally a Saturday afternoon game has now become a Friday afternoon game as the Tigers and Hawks elected to move this showdown a day earlier with poor weather, including rain, snow and high winds, in the Greater Philadelphia area.
In The National Rankings
Towson did not receive votes in the polls this week. Saint Joseph's was receiving top 20 votes in both the USILA Coaches and Inside Lacrosse Media Polls.
The Hittin' The Road Tigers
After playing at home for five of the first six games, the Tigers hit the open road for the next four, including a neutral site game against Duke next weekend Washington, D.C.
Towson resurgent offense his hit double figure goals in five of the six games this year, going 3-2 when scoring 10 or more. The Tigers averaged 11.00 goals per game last weekend, racking 11 in both games.
James Avanzato (11g, 13a) leads a team-oriented offense with a balanced 24 points. Kyle Berkeley (12g, 8a) leads from the midfield while Nick DeMaio (17g, 2a) has emerged as a finisher this season.
Towson's close defense is a force to be reckoned with as Koby Smith (10ct), Garrett Zungailia (8ct) and Reagan McNemar (6ct) have combined for 24 caused turnovers and 43 ground balls.
Shane Brennan has been steady in net, making 71 saves alongside a 12.26 goals against average. He has played over 362 minutes this season.
Scouting the Host Hawks
Saint Joseph's sits at 4-2 overall, falling in its last outing on Tuesday against its crosstown and Towson's league rival, Drexel, 18-17 at Vidas Field.
The Hawks are 3-1 at home this season wit the lone blemish coming against another CAA opponent, No. 17 Delaware.
Matt Bohmer (19g, 9a) paces the Hawks' offense with 28 points, while Tucker Brown (12g, 6a) is second with 18. Carter Page (14g, 2a), Levi Anderson (9g, 7a) and Austin Strazzulla (9g, 7a) all have 16 points.
Zach Cole has been a force at the X this year, winning 124 of his 169 draws, a .734 winning percentage, which leads Division I by three percentage points. He has 78 ground balls to his credit.
Towson-Saint Joseph's History
Friday will be the fifth meeting all-time between the Tigers and Hawks, who briefly shared membership in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) for three seasons. Towson dropped its only trip to Sweeney Field, falling 6-3 in 2012 regular season finale. Last season when the Tigers topped Saint Joseph's 8-7 in 90 seconds into bonus lacrosse at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium thanks to an Andrew Milani OT GWG.
Towson-Saint Joseph's By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson Leads 3-1
at Towson Towson 3-0
at Saint Joseph's Saint Joseph's 1-0
at Neutral Sites n/a
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting April 30, 2011
Towson 15, Saint Joseph's 2
Last Meeting Feb. 13, 2021
Towson 8, Saint Joseph's 7 (OT)
Streak Towson +2
Last Time Out vs. Saint Joseph's | February 13, 2021 | Towson, Md. | Johnny Unitas ® Stadium
Nearly 90 seconds into bonus lacrosse, Andrew Milani laid home the game-winner as Towson topped Saint Joseph's 8-7 at home. Brody McLean (3g, 1a) led the Tigers with four points while Casey Wasserman (1g, 1a), Andrew Beacham (1g, 1a) and Milani (2g) all finished with two points. Saint Joseph's tied the game with 92 seconds left to force overtime. Austin Strazzulla (2g) scored the tying goal, his second of the day. Adam Ritter added two points with a goal and assist. Shane Brennan made 11 saves for Towson while his counterpart, Jack Zullo, stopped a dozen.
With a Win Friday Towson Would...
- Win three-straight games for the first time this season
- Be victorious in three straight games for the first time since three-straight in April 2021.
- Win its second-straight road game this season and third in a row dating back to 2021.
- Improve to 3-0 this season against former conference foes (Loyola (CAA), UMBC (ECC)).
- Start the month of March off at 3-0 for the first time since the 2014 when Towson opened the third month of the year at 5-0.
- Be the 93rd 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 71 goals in the first six games of the year, averaging 11.83 per.
- It is Towson's highest goal total through the first six games since the 2019 season when the Tigers landed 81 goals in the first four games.
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 92 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 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.
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 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 March 10, 2022)
Towson: 48-29 | Hofstra: 47-33 | UMass: 43-26 | Drexel: 42-20 | Fairfield: 39-32 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 59-8 in games when Towson scores double digits.
- When Towson's defense limits opponents to single digits, the Tigers are a whopping 77-12 in that same time after topping rv Loyola 11-8 at Ridley on March 2.
- On 49 occasions, the Tigers have scored in double figures while holding opponents to single digits, obviously a 49-0 record.
