Opening Faceoff
It's CAA or bust for the Towson University men's lacrosse team as the Tigers hit the road to the City of Brotherly Love to square off with longtime rival Drexel Saturday afternoon at Vidas Field.
In The National Rankings
Neither Team Received votes in the major polls this week.
The Rounding Out the Road Trip Tigers
Towson rounds out a four-game home swing on Saturday with a trip to Philadelphia. The game will be a preview of the venue for the 2022 CAA Men's (and women's!) Lacrosse Championships, Vidas Field.
The Tigers are looking to snap a three-game slide while hunting their first CAA win of the season in the league opener.
James Avanzato (15g, 17a) leads the Towson offense with 32 points. Nick DeMaio (23g, 3a), Kyle Berkeley (12g, 11a) and Luke Shilling (12g, 9a) are in the 20s for points this season.
Defensively, Koby Smith, who missed the Denver game with a lower body injury, leads with 11 caused turnovers. Linemates Reagan McNemar and Garrett Zungailia are one away from double digits.
Evan Long has played a majority of time in goal over the last three games, including starts at Saint Joseph's and Denver. He made a career-best 19 saves against Denver, bringing his season total to 40 and a .533 save percentage. Shane Brennan has missed the last three games with an upper body injury.
Scouting the Dragons
Drexel enters league play with an even 4-4 record, but has dropped its last two contests, including a 15-12 track meet at Robert Morris last weekend.
Five Dragons have at least 20 points, paced by Max Semple (22g, 4a) and Sean Donnelly (17g, 9a) with 26 points apiece. Jack Mulcahy (9g, 16a) is the feeder for Drexel with Aidan Coll (16g, 6a) as a finisher and Ryan Genord (12g, 10a) with a balanced 22 points.
Drexel has also flipped goalies between incumbent Ross Blumenthal and Drew McGill. The latter started against Robert Morris last weekend and has 49 saves to his credit in 254 minutes of work. He carries a .467 save percentage into Saturday alongside a 13.20 goals against average.
Towson-Drexel History
Towson and Drexel will meet for the 59th time since April 1962. The Tigers lead the all-time series 46-12, but Drexel won both matchups last season, both heartbreakers for the Tigers. Towson had won the last eight showdowns entering the 2021 campaign. Since head coach Shawn Nadelen took over the program in 2012, Towson and Drexel have met twice a season every year, minus the 2012, 2018 and 2020 season (which had no CAA games contested). Towson averages 13.29 points per game against Drexel.
Towson-Drexel By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson Leads 46-12
at Towson Towson 26-5
at Drexel 17-7
at Neutral Sites Towson 3-0
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting April 12, 1962
Drexel 14, Towson 7
Last Meeting May 1, 2021
#13 Drexel 12, Towson 11
Streak Drexel +2
Last Time Out vs. Drexel | May 1, 2021 | Towson, Md. | Johnny Unitas ® Stadium
It was a tale of two halves for the Tigers; Towson led 6-2 at halftime of the regular season finale. But the Dragons answered with a 10-7 second half to win 12-11 at Unitas ® Stadium and spoil Towson's chances at a CAA Tournament berth. James Avanzato tagged the Dragons for five points on three goals and two assists. Returners Austin Stewart (1g, 1a) and Ryan Swain (1g, 1a) posted two points apiece. Jack Mulcahy led Drexel with four points on a hat trick and one assist. The graduated Reid Bowering added a hat trick as well. Faceoffs were nearly even as Drexel won 14 of the 26 draws while Towson had a dozen wins. Shane Brennan made 14 saves for Towson as Ross Blumenthal stopped 11 Towson attempts.
With a Win Saturday Towson Would...
- Snap a two-game slide to the Dragons; Towson's last win over Drexel was the 2019 CAA Championship, a 16-14 decision in Amherst, Massachusetts.
- Halt a three-game slide for the Tigers.
- Be Towson's second win away from Johnny Unitas ® Stadium this season.
- Even Towson's record in the Keystone State to 1-1 after falling at Saint Joseph's early.
- See Towson win its first CAA opener since topping Hofstra 10-9 during the 2019 season.
- Be the 93rd career win for head coach Shawn Nadelen.
CAA Openers Under Head Coach Shawn Nadelen
- The Tigers are 7-2 all-time under head coach Shawn Nadelen in CAA Openers
- Towson is 2-2 in road openers for league play.
- The Tigers are 2-1 at Drexel for the first CAA game of the season.
- Towson is 1-1 all-time against Drexel when the Tigers and Dragons meet for the CAA opener in Philadelphia.
- Saturday will be the fourth time since 2012 the Tigers open CAA action against Drexel (2016, 2017, 2021)
- With the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020, no league games were played.
From Navy Blue & Gold to Black & Gold
- Saturday will be a homecoming of sorts for two Towson assistant coaches.
- Now in his fourth season with the program, defensive coordinator Steve Grossi played for the Dragons from 2005-2008.
- In his third season at Towson, offensive coordinator Matt Musci was a member of the Drexel program from 2003-06.
Back to the Keystone State
- The Tigers return to the Keystone State for a third time this year.
- More specifically, it will be the Tigers' second trip to Philadelphia during the regular season
- Towson played down the road at Saint Joseph's on Friday, March 11, falling to the Hawks 11-8.
- The Tigers scrimmaged at Lehigh on February 5 in Bethlehem.
- Officially or unofficially, this will be the sixth Pennsylvania program the Tigers meet this academic year; Towson scrimmaged Lehigh at The Boys' Latin School of Maryland in the fall before scrimmaging Bucknell and York in the preseason.
It's a Record
- In the Tigers' outing at Saint Joseph's on March 11, Towson set an NCAA record for fastest goals scored by the same team.
- First Jonathan Bender scored on a crease dunk pass from Chop Gallagher. Bender drew a dead-ball penalty with 2.9 seconds to play in the fourth quarter.
- With no faceoff following the Bender goal, James Avanzato picked the ball up at the whistle, stepping in a scored from 40 yards out, closer to midfield than the restraining box.
- Avanzato's goal stopped the clock with 0.7 seconds on the board.
- All told, just 2.2 seconds of game time passed between goals.
- The previous NCAA mark was three seconds, held by several team/mates.
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 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 did not leave The U until a March 2 trip all the way over to Loyola University Maryland (a whopping four miles).
- The Tigers did leave the state of Maryland until a March 11 trip to Saint Joseph's.
- Towson's longest trip of the regular season is a jaunt to Denver on March 26.
- Towson's Feb. 26 game against Richmond was the sixth-straight home game for the Tigers, dating back to the 2021 season. Towson went 1-5 in that span.
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, Towson and Hofstra are tied for the league lead with 48.
Team: Home Record Since 2012 (as of March 28, 2022)
Towson: 48-29 | Hofstra: 48-33 | UMass: 45-26 Drexel: 42-20 | Fairfield: 39-33 | Delaware: 36-33
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 36-33 (.522) 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.
