Opening Faceoff
Another rivalry renewed as the Tigers make the short trek to Newark, Delaware for the 66th meeting all-time against the Fightin' Blue Hens. Towson is looking to avenge a pair of regular season losses against Delaware last season.
In The National Rankings
Towson received a single vote in this week's USILA Coaches Poll. The Tigers did not pick up a vote in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. Delaware was not mentioned in either poll.
The On the Road Again Tigers
It was a great stay while it lasted; the Towson men's lacrosse team is on the road again for the fifth time in the last six games this week.
Even-scoring James Avanzato (22g, 20a) leads the Tigers in points with 42, with three teammates scoring 20-plus points: Nick DeMaio (25g, 4a), Kyle Berkeley (15g, 13a), and Luke Shilling (14g, 11a).
An improved Matt Constantinides (83-194) has been big for the Tigers on this two-game heater; the freshman is 31-52 at the X in league play, a .596 winning percentage.
Returning after an injury, Shane Brennan has been great in net for the Tigers, making 16.00 saves on average in play allowing just over 10 goals per game.
Towson's defense remains stout, paced by 13 caused turnovers from close defenseman Koby Smith. Defensive midfielder Reece Potter has been solid of late, causing 11 turnovers while rangy Garrett Zungailia has 10 opponent miscues to his credit.
Scouting the Blue Hens
Delaware enters Saturday's showdown with a 6-5 overall record and an 0-2 mark in the league, riding a three-game slide.
Mike Robinson (35g, 9a) and JP Ward (23g, 17a) are each north of the 40-point mark, with Tye Kurtz (21g, 8a) nearing the 30-point threshold.
Close defenseman Owen Grant has caused 20 turnovers this season, while adding eight points on five goals and three assists.
Delaware has flip-flopped in goal, with Paul Reidy getting the nod in the last three games. He has 67 saves while Matt Kilkeary has made 54. The goaltenders' goals against averages are close at 11.62 and 11.80, respectively.
Towson-Delaware History
Longtime rivals across many different conferences, Towson and Delaware duel for the 66th time since 1961. The Tigers lead the all-time series 45-20, but are on a two-game skid against the Blue Hens. Towson is 9-3 against Delaware under head coach Shawn Nadelen. Excluding the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, Towson and Delaware have met at least once every season since 1976. The Tigers are 21-11 on the road at Delaware. Towson averages 10.74 goals per game against the Blue Hens.
Towson-Delaware By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Towson Leads 45-20
at Towson Towson 22-9
at Delaware Towson 21-11
at Neutral Sites Towson 2-0
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting May 16, 1961
Delaware 6, Towson 3
Last Meeting April 24, 2021
#13 Delaware 16, Towson 8
Streak Delaware +2
Last Time Out vs. Delaware | April 24, 2021 | Towson Md. | Johnny Unitas ® Stadium
A slow start doomed the Towson men's lacrosse team against 13th ranked Delaware as the Tigers fell 16-8 at home in the second meeting last season. Delaware out-scored the Tigers 6-2 in the first 30 minutes, adding a 10-6 differential in the second half. James Avanzato had a split two-goal, two-assist day. Brody McLean added two goals for the Tigers. Charlie Kitchen (2g, 4a) led the Blue Hens while Tye Kurtz (2g, 3a) and Cam Acchione (5g) had five-point days.
With a Win Saturday Towson Would...
- Improve to 3-0 in the league for the first time since 2017, beating the same three opponents in the exact same order: at Drexel, home vs. UMass, at Delaware.
- Snap a two-game slide against the Blue Hens, keeping Delaware to no more than two consecutive wins since winning the first four meetings (1961-1964).
- Be Towson's second-straight win on the road; Towson has not won consecutive road games since April 17, 2021 at UMass and at Loyola on March 2, 2022 (played six in a row at home)
- See the Tigers collect their first win at Delaware Stadium since a 14-12 decision in 2019.
- Improve head coach Shawn Nadelen to 10-3 all-time against the Blue Hens.
- Be the 95th career win for head coach Shawn Nadelen.
The Long and Winding Road...
- Last week, Towson ended a four-game road swing, which kicked off on March 11 at Saint Joseph's and ended right back in Philadelphia on April 2 at Drexel.
- The Tigers went 1-3 in that stretch, including a 1-2 mark in true road games.
- The four-game road swing tied the longest road trip in the Shawn Nadelen Era (2012)
- Towson also played four-straight games in 2013, 2015, 2019, 2021 and now 2022.
- In three of those four previous seasons, Towson has won the CAA Championship.
...That Leads to Your Door
- Towson opened the season with a four-game homestand, taking on No. 16 Johns Hopkins, Mount St. Mary's, No. 1 Virginia and rv Richmond.
- The Tigers had five of their first games of the 2022 season at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium.
- Before the April 9 12-9 win over #20 UMass, Towson had not played at home since an 11-10 win over crosstown rival UMBC on March 5.
- It was roughly 3,017,100 seconds between the finishing whistle of the UMBC game and Saturday's opening faceoff. Or 50,285 minutes if you prefer that unit of time. Or 838 hours.
On This Date: April 16
- Perhaps not the Tigers' favorite day for a lacrosse contest. The Tigers are 2-9 all-time on this date, dating back to the first-ever April 16 game, an 8-2 loss at North Carolina in 1968, the rookie season for legendary head coach Carl Runk.
- Towson is 1-5 when playing on the road on this date.
- The Tigers are 0-1 against Delaware in April 16 showdowns, falling 10-7 at home against Delaware, Towson's lone league blemish that season.
- Head coach Shawn Nadelen is 0-1 against Delaware in the aforementioned 2016 contest.
- Towson and Delaware have never met at Delaware Stadium on this date.
All-Time vs. No. 20
- The Tigers are now 5-3 all-time against teams ranked 20th in that week's USILA Coaches' Poll, topping 20th-ranked UMass 12-9 last weekend.
- Prior to, Towson had not played a 20th-ranked foe since the 2015 campaign, collecting an 8-7 win over at Fairfield.
- Towson had never played a 20th-ranked UMass team. Towson is now 1-0 against #20 UMass.
- The Tigers have won their last three games against a 20th ranked foe, with two one-goal wins including the aforementioned Fairfield game and a 10-9 win at Hofstra in 2012.
- Shawn Nadelen teams are 3-0 against 20th ranked opponents.
CAA Openers Under Head Coach Shawn Nadelen
- After last Saturday's 13-12 win at Drexel, the Tigers are 7-2 all-time under head coach Shawn Nadelen in CAA Openers
- Towson is 3-2 in road openers for league play.
- The Tigers are 3-1 at Drexel for the first CAA game of the season.
- Towson is 2-1 all-time against Drexel when the Tigers and Dragons meet for the CAA opener in Philadelphia.
- Last Saturday was the fourth time since 2012 the Tigers open CAA action against Drexel (2016, 2017, 2021, 2022)
- With the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020, no league games were played.
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 93 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
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 enjoye 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: 72 (8, 2019) | Hofstra: 66 (2, 2008) | Drexel: 57 (2, 2021) | Delaware: 44 (3, 2011) | UMass: 34 (2, 2018) | Fairfield: 12 (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, Towson leads the way with 49 home wins in that span.
Team: Home Record Since 2012 (as of April 9, 2022)
Towson: 49-29 | Hofstra: 48-33 | UMass: 46-26 | Drexel: 43-21 | Fairfield: 40-33 | Delaware: 36-34
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 37-36 (.507) record in road games.
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 60-8 in games when Towson scores double digits.
- When Towson's defense limits opponents to single digits, the Tigers are a whopping 78-12 in that same time after topping #20 UMass 12-9 at home on April 9, 2022.
- On 50 occasions, the Tigers have scored in double figures while holding opponents to single digits, obviously a 50-0 record.
