The Game: Towson (1-5, 0-0 CAA) vs. Drexel (3-3, 0-0 CAA)
When: Sat., Mar. 18 – 12 p.m.
Where: Johnny Unitas® Stadium – Towson, Md.
Broadcast: FloSports
Radio Broadcast: Towsontigers.com
Series: Towson leads 47-12 (Towson has won last one)
 
TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University men's lacrosse team has come back home for the 2023 CAA opener, hosting Drexel on Saturday, March 18 at 12 p.m. at Johnny Unitas® Stadium.
 
This is Towson's Hometown Heroes game.  Towson will be wearing special uniforms to honor area first responders.  In addition, local area first responders will have vehicles on the track for fans to check out. 
 
All first responders can get $5 tickets for the game; other tickets are available for the game through the Towson Athletics Ticket Office.  For more information on tickets, interested parties can visit www.towsontigers.com, call 1-855-TU-TIGER or email dkogok@towson.edu.
 
This contest will also be broadcast online on FloSports.  Visit https://flosports.link/3PiZj24 to view the full Colonial Athletic Association schedule and sign up today.  Spiro Morekas and Glenn Smith will have the call on FloSports and the radio call on towsontigers.com live from Johnny Unitas® Stadium. 
 
This is the CAA opener for both teams.  Towson enters coming off a 19-12 road defeat to #1 Virginia on Saturday to be at 1-5 overall.  Drexel defeated then-#17 Saint Joseph's 18-16 on Saturday to enter at 3-3.
 
In a series which began in 1962, Towson leads the all-time series vs. Drexel 47-12.  Towson scored twice in the final five minutes to win 13-12 in Philadelphia on Apr. 2, 2022; Drexel had won the previous two meetings, each in 2021.
 
Drexel is receiving votes in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll but not in the USILA Coaches Poll.  Towson is not receiving votes in either poll.  This is Towson's sixth straight game against a team either ranked or receiving votes.
 
TOWSON - 2022 CAA REGULAR SEASON CO-CHAMPION
In 2022, Towson was one of three teams who earned a share of the CAA regular season title with a 3-2 league record.  The Tigers shared the regular season title with Delaware and UMass.
 
FOUR TIGERS EARN PRESEASON ALL-CAA
Four Tigers earned 2023 Preseason All-CAA recognition in the preseason coaches poll: Colby Barsz, Kyle Berkeley, Matt Constantinides and Garrett Zungailia.
 
Barsz, a First Team All-CAA LSM last season, finished with 25 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers, including three games with multiple caused turnovers.
 
Berkeley earned Second Team All-CAA last year, leading all Towson midfielders in total points with 43 off 25 goals and 18 assists, adding 19 ground balls.
 
Constantinides was the lone faceoff man on the Preseason All-CAA Team.  Earning Second Team All-CAA and CAA All-Rookie Team last year, he had 147 faceoff victories and 86 ground balls in 2022.
 
A starter the past three seasons, Zungailia led all Towson non-faceoff players with 40 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers, being tied for fourth in the CAA in total caused turnovers last year.
 
NADELEN APPROACHING 100 VICTORIES
Towson head coach Shawn Nadelen is just three wins away from his 100th at the helm of the Tigers.  Currently in his 12th season, Nadelen has a 97-78 record as Towson head coach.
 
Nadelen is looking to become the second head coach in Towson history with 100 victories.
Head Coach                Record            Years at Towson
Carl Runk                    262-191           1968-98
Tony Seaman             99-93               1999-2011
Shawn Nadelen         97-78               2012-pres.
 
TOWSON PREDICTED TO FINISH SECOND IN CAA
Towson has been predicted to finish second in the CAA preseason coaches poll.  Towson received a first-place vote and 42 points overall, only trailing Delaware, the reigning league champion, with seven first-place votes and 49 total points.
2023 CAA Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll
Team (1st)                  Points
1. Delaware (7)              49
2. Towson (1)                42
3. Drexel                        35
4. Stony Brook               32
5. Hofstra                       23
6. Fairfield                      22
7. Monmouth                  14
8. Hampton                     7
 
BATTLING IN THE NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Towson will have a difficult non-league slate this season, scheduled to play four non-CAA teams who are ranked in the top-20 of the preseason polls, including a rematch against Virginia, ranked #2 in the USILA Coaches Poll and #1 in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.  In addition, Saint Joseph's, Denver and Richmond were all in the preseason top-20 of each poll while Loyola earned a top-12 ranking after the first week of play.
 
PROGRAM APPROACHING 500TH VICTORY
Towson, which established varsity men's lacrosse in 1959, is just eight wins away from 500 as a program.  Since the establishment under coach Billy Hooper in 1959, Towson has a program record of 493-375.  The Tigers are 343-258 since beginning DI play in 1980.
 
ACTIVE SCORING STREAKS (FIVE OR LONGER)
Player                                     Games (Points)
Kyle Berkeley                             14   (19G, 18A, 37P)
--Started: March 19, 2022 vs. Duke
Austin Stewart                             6    (4G, 7A, 11P)
--Started: Feb. 11, 2023 at Mount St. Mary's
 
MCDONOUGH TO PLAY FOR TEAM AUSTRALIA
Connor McDonough will be competing for Australia in the 2023 World Lacrosse Men's Championship this summer in San Diego.  McDonough, a junior also formerly played for the U19 Australia Team.  His mother is from Perth while his grandparents still live in Perth.
 
Australia plays in the Blue Division along with Team USA, which will include Towson 2019 alum Zach Goodrich. The 2023 World Lacrosse Championship will be played from June 21 to July 1.
 
FOUR TIGERS SELECTED AS CAPTAINS
   Towson has picked four captains for the 2023 campaign.
Brandon Hund (Sr. A/M)
--Second-ever Tiger to be a three-time captain (Zach Goodrich '19)
Reagan McNemar (Sr. D)
--2022 Joseph Ferrante Memorial Scholarship recipient
Ryan Swain (Gr. M)
--2021 All-CAA First Team
Garrett Zungailia (Gr. D)
--2023 Preseason All-CAA Team
 
SIX TIGERS PLAYING AS GRADUATES
Six Tigers have their undergraduate degree entering the 2023 campaign, including five earning their degree at Towson.
Player                         Major
Kyle Berkeley            BS - Criminal Justice
John Kiracofe            BS - Communication & Media
     (degree earned at Michigan)
Alex Reid                   BS - Business Administration
Austin Stewart           BS - Communications Studies
Ryan Swain                BS - Business Administration
Garrett Zungailia       BS - Business Administration
 
As a team, Towson earned a 3.2 grade point average during the Fall 2022 semester.
 
VILLAGOMEZ - CAA ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
With a five-goal performance at Mount St. Mary's in his first-ever collegiate game, Joaquin Villagomez was selected as the CAA Rookie of the Week on Feb. 13.
 
He was the first Tiger to have a five-goal road game since April 2019, adding a pair of ground balls.
 
FROM THE HOME STATE....
Of the 52-man Towson roster, 24 players reside in the home state of Maryland.  This includes seven players from Baltimore County/City: James Azbill (Catonsville), Ray Glass (Perry Hall), Brian Hoskins (Baldwin), Andy Joerres (Reisterstown), Andrew Milani (Catonsville), Alex Reid (Baltimore) and Garrett Zungailia (Timonium).
 
....AND THE WEST COAST
Four Towson players hail from the western side of North America, connecting a coastline from the Yukon Territory to Mexico.
--Austin Ducommun - New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
--Bode Maurer - Kirkland, Washington
--Chop Gallagher - Portland, Oregon
--Nick DeMaio - San Diego, California
 
TIGERS IN THE PROS
Towson alumni have made their mark in the professional lacrosse ranks this past season.
PLL - Premier Lacrosse League (PLL)
NLL - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
MLL - Major League Lacrosse (MLL, now defunct)
--Ryan Drenner '17 - Cannons, PLL
       --2019, 2021 and 2022 PLL All-Star
--Zach Goodrich '19 - Cannons, PLL
       --2021 PLL All-Star, 2020 MLL Defensive Player of the Year
--Koby Smith '22 - Atlas, PLL | Philadelphia Wings, NLL
    --Member of Atlas Sixes Team
--Alex Woodall '19 - Cannons, PLL
       --2019 MLL Rookie of the Year, All-Star
 
FEAR THE FRESHMEN
A couple of freshmen have started the year as major contributors for the team.
 
Joaquin Villagomez is a starter on the attack line, leading the team in goals with 11 and shots on goal with 18.
 
Mikey Weisshaar, the #13 recruit by Inside Lacrosse in the class of 2022, has started the last two games on the first midfield line.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
Virginia, the 2019 and 2021 NCAA champion, has been the #1-ranked team in the country the past four weeks.
 
The team has the top-ranked scoring offense in the country at 20.4 goals per game.  Redshirt senior attack Xander Dickson has a team-best 21 goals, adding five assists.  Senior attack Payton Cormier missed Tuesday's game but still has 18 goals and six assists.
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Matthew Nunes has started all five games in goal, having a 10.91 goals allowed average and a 50.5% save rate.  At 6-foot-5, redshirt senior Cade Saustad has nine caused turnovers and 11 ground balls.
 
At the faceoff-X, graduate student Petey LaSalla wins at a 61.9% rate, having 41 ground balls and six goals.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
This is the third straight season where Towson will have its CAA opener against Drexel.
 
Junior attack Sean Donnelly is fourth in the CAA in total goals with 17, adding five assists.  Senior Jack Mulcahy quarterbacks the offense, having eight goals and nine assists.  Five Dragons have at least eight goals through six games.
 
Drexel played two goalies a game the first three contests but have since gone with one in the last three:  Senior goalkeeper Ross Blumenthal has started all six games, having a 13.33 goals allowed average and a 50.4% save rate.  Sophomore defender Collin Gucwa has tallied up 11 ground balls and seven caused turnovers.
 
An LIU graduate transfer, Justin Joseph competes at the faceoff-X, winning 53.8% and having 44 ground balls.
 
SERIES HISTORY - vs. DREXEL
Series record: Towson leads 47-12
    --Streak: Towson has won last one
    --in Towson: Towson leads 26-5
    --in Philadelphia: Towson leads 18-7
    --in Neutral Sites: Towson leads 3-0
 
First Meeting: Apr. 12, 1962
--Drexel 14-7 - Towson, Md.
 
Last 10 Meetings (latest to earliest):
Date                Location                      Result             
4/2/22              Philadelphia                W, 13-12
5/1/21              Towson, Md.               L, 11-12
3/6/21              Philadelphia                L, 10-12
5/4/19              Amherst, Mass.           W, 16-14
4/27/19            Philadelphia                W, 11-9
4/6/18              Towson, Md.               W, 17-9
5/4/17              Towson, Md.               W, 8-4
4/1/17              Philadelphia                W, 8-7
5/5/16              Towson, Md.               W, 10-6
4/2/16              Towson, Md.               W, 11-7