Opening Faceoff
The 2022 regular season finale is here as the Tigers conclude action on Saturday against long-time rival Hofstra University. There's a lot on the line in the final weekend of league play, with two games on Saturday and one Friday night.
In The National Rankings
Neither team was mentioned in the USILA Coaches' Poll nor the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.
The Home Again Tigers
It's the final home game of the regular season as Towson returns from a two-game road swing, topping Fairfield 12-8 last weekend in Connecticut. Towson is playing just its second home game since the middle of March.
Towson's well-balanced offense continues its steady ways, led by 48 points from James Avanzato (26g, 22a). Kyle Berkeley (20g, 14a) leads the Tigers from the midfield with 34 points while attackmen Luke Shilling (17g, 14a) and Nick DeMaio (26g, 5a) have 31 points apiece.
At the X, Matt Constantinides has been rock solid in league play, winning 57.6 percent (57-of-99) of his faceoffs with 39 ground balls.
In net, Shane Brennan has been a brick wall in CAA games this year, stopping 61 opponent attempts at a 60.4 percent clip. He averages 15.25 saves per CAA game, stopping no fewer than 13 shots in a league game this year.
Defensemen Koby Smith (14cts) and Garrett Zungailia (14cts) pace the defense. SSDM Reece Potter (13cts), defenseman Reagan McNemar (10cts) and Colby Barsz (10cts) add to the line.
Scouting the Pride
The Pride are fighting for a berth in the postseason, entering Saturday's game with a 1-3 league mark and sit 5-9 overall.
Gerard Kane (21g, 15a) leads Hofstra's offense with 36 points. Rory James (18g, 7a), Dylan McIntosh (20g, 3a) and Matt Elder (10g, 12a) are all in the mid 20s in points.
Chase Patterson has been nearly 50 percent at the X during league play, winning 44 of his 89 draws (.494) with 28 grounders.
Mac Gates has played all but three minutes in cage for Hofstra this season, logging 838 minutes. He has 172 saves on his ledger at a 53.4 percent clip and carries a 10.74 goals against average, but is 11.50 in CAA games.
Towson-Hofstra History
The Tigers and Pride have met plenty of times, with Saturday's game representing the 53rd meeting all-time between the rivals. Hofstra leads the series 28-24. The teams have traded wins home and away over the last four meetings. Towson's last back-to-back wins came in 2016 and 2017. The Tigers are 16-9 all-time against the Pride when playing at home while averaging 9.48 goals per game across the entire series, dating back to the 1961 campaign.
Towson-Hofstra By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Hofstra Leads 28-24
at Towson Towson 16-9
at Hofstra Hofstra 18-8
at Neutral Sites Hofstra 1-0
at Unknown Sites n/a
First Meeting May 10, 1961
Hofstra 14, Towson 2
Last Meeting April 13, 2021
Towson 10, #17 Hofstra 8
Streak Towson +1
Last Time Out vs. Hofstra | April 13, 2021 | Towson Md. | Johnny Unitas ® Stadium
In the second meeting of the 2021 regular season, Towson avenged an earlier loss, topping #17 Hofstra 10-8 at home. The Tigers held a 7-3 lead at the break and weathered a 4-2 fourth quarter to secure the win. Brody McLean led the Tigers with four goals while the unrelated Jake McLean logged two goals. Eight total Tigers accounted for a point in the win. Shane Brennan made 14 saves, weathering eight Hofstra power plays and allowing just two man-up goals. Ryan Tierney led Hofstra with four points on a hat trick and one assist. Justin Sykes was the only other Pride player with multiple goals. Brian Herber won 15 of the 20 faceoffs for Hofstra.
With a Win Saturday Towson Would...
- Improve to 4-1 in the league for the first time since 2019.
- Secure the top seed in the upcoming CAA Tournament.
- Earn the team's first regular season championship since the 2017 campaign.
- Improve the Tigers to 4-3 at home this season, Towson's 10th full season with a winning record at home under head coach Shawn Nadelen (2020 was not a full season).
- Improve head coach Shawn Nadelen to 7-4 all-time against the Pride.
- Be the 96th career win for head coach Shawn Nadelen.
Closing Arguments
- It's long been said that it's not how you start, but how you finish.
- The Tigers are 5-4 in the regular season finale under head coach Shawn Nadelen.
- (The 2020 season was cut short after six games due to the COVID-19 Pandemic)
- Despite that close record, Towson is 4-1 in the last five regular season finales, including four straight wins in the finale from 2016-19.
- Under Nadelen, the Tigers are 2-0 when facing Hofstra to end the regular season.
Festivities
- This Saturday, the Tigers will honor several groups of alumni.
- During pregame, Towson will present the 2021 senior class with their framed jerseys. Typically presented during Faceoff Dinner in January, the Tigers were unable to do a live event this year to present the group.
- Also during pregame, the Joseph Ferrante Memorial Scholarship will be presented to a current junior on the team. A three-year starter for the Tigers and a 1975 graduate, the Ferrante Scholarship is presented annually by the Alpha Omega Lamda fraternity.
- Following the first quarter, the program will honor the Beernink Family and present the 2022 Beernink Award to close defenseman Garrett Zungailia.
- At halftime, Towson will honor and recognize two of the program's top teams: the 1972 Mason-Dixon Conference championship team and the 2017 NCAA Division I Final Four team.
BIG Fans of Johnny Unitas ® Stadium
- As expected, the Tigers love playing on home turf at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium.
- Since Shawn Nadelen took over the program, Towson has not had a home season below .500 since the 2012 campaign.
- Towson is a precarious 3-3 at home this season, but riding a two-game winning streak at home with victories over #20 UMass (April 9, 12-9) and UMBC (March 5, 11-10).
What Does it Mean Now
- The Tigers control their fate for the top seed in the upcoming CAA Tournament, holding a 3-1 record in league play this season.
- A win secures not only the top spot in the upcoming championship event, but will secure the regular season title for the Tigers.
- Towson has been the top seed in the CAA Tournament six times since joining the league at the start of the 2002 season (2003, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2016, and 2017)
On This Date: April 30
- The Tigers will play their 15th game all-time on the final day of the fourth month.
- Towson is 9-5 all-time on April 30.
- The Tigers hold a decisive 5-2 record in home games on this date.
- Head coach Shawn Nadelen is 2-0 all-time on this date, collecting wins over Drexel in the 2015 CAA Tournament and again in 2016 over Hofstra.
- The Tigers are 1-1 all-time against the Pride on this date, including the 10-8 win in 2016.
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.
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 95 career wins and is nearing the century mark.
- Nadelen is third on Towson's all-time wins list: Carl Runk (262), Tony Seaman (99).
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 73 total wins in the CAA; Hofstra is the next-closest team. 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: 73 (8, 2019) | Hofstra: 66 (2, 2008) | Drexel: 58 (2, 2021) | Delaware: 46 (3, 2011) | UMass: 35 (2, 2018) | Fairfield: 13 (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 23, 2022)
Towson: 49-29 | Hofstra: 48-35 | UMass: 46-27 | Drexel: 43-22 | Fairfield: 40-34 | Delaware: 37-34
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 61-8 in games when Towson scores double digits.
- When Towson's defense limits opponents to single digits, the Tigers are a whopping 79-12 in that same time after topping Fairfield 12-8 on the road on April 23, 2022.
- On 51 occasions, the Tigers have scored in double figures while holding opponents to single digits, obviously a 51-0 record.
