The Game: Towson (2-7, 1-2 CAA) @ Hofstra (3-7, 1-2 CAA)
When: Sat., Apr. 8 – 3 p.m.
Where: James M. Stuart Stadium – Hempstead, N.Y.
Broadcast: FloSports
Radio Broadcast: Towsontigers.com
Series: Hofstra leads 29-24 (Hofstra has won last one)
 
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – For the second time in as many weekends, the Towson University men's lacrosse team has a trip to Long Island, this time playing at Hofstra on Saturday, April 8th at 3 p.m.
 
This contest will be broadcast online on FloSports.  Visit https://flosports.link/3PiZj24 to view the full Colonial Athletic Association schedule and sign up today.  Spiro Morekas will have the radio call on towsontigers.com live from James M. Stuart Stadium. 
 
Towson is coming off its second one-goal defeat in league play, a 13-12 road loss to Stony Brook, to be at 2-7 overall and 1-2 in the CAA.  Hofstra got its first CAA win last Saturday with a 12-6 road win over Monmouth to stand 3-7 overall and 1-2 in the league.
 
This is the 56th all-time meeting between Towson and Hofstra.  Hofstra leads the all-time series 29-24, including winning 15-14 in Towson on Apr. 30, 2022.  The last four games, and six of the last seven, have been determined by one or two goals.
 
The winner of this game will have at least a share of fourth place in the CAA with three league weekends to go.
 
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 98-80 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         98-80               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 494-377.  The Tigers are 344-260 since beginning DI play in 1980.
 
TOWSON DUO NOTCHES CAA WEEKLY AWARDS
Two Towson players earned CAA weekly honors after the team's 11-7 victory vs. Fairfield on March 25.
 
Goalkeeper Evan Long was the CAA Defensive Player of the Week, notching 15 saves with just seven goals allowed.
 
Attack Joaquin Villagomez earned his second CAA Rookie of the Week award after tallying up three goals, an assist and three ground balls.
 
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.
 
MORIN - USILA DI TEAM OF THE WEEK
LSM Sam Morin helped Towson nearly complete a big comeback vs. Drexel, scoring the final two goals in the final minute of regulation to complete a hat trick, adding two caused turnovers in the game on March 18.
 
His performance earned him as one of 10 players on the USILA DI Team of the Week.
 
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
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
Hofstra, which snapped a four-game losing streak last Saturday, will be honoring its senior class in a pregame ceremony.
 
Three Hofstra players stand with at least 15 goals on the year, including sophomore attack Gerard Kane, who has tallied 15 goals and 11 assists.  Classmate John Madsen is the team leader in goals with 16, adding nine assists.
 
Senior Mac Gates has played all 600 minutes in goal for the Pride, having a 49.4% save rate and 11.70 goals allowed average.  Tom Ford, a graduate and five-year Hofstra player, stands with 17 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers.
 
Ranking first in the CAA and 15th in DI with a 60.6% faceoff rate, senior Chase Patterson also has 95 ground balls.
 
SERIES HISTORY - vs. HOFSTRA
Series record: Hofstra leads 29-24
    --Streak: Hofstra has won last one
    --in Towson: Towson leads 16-10
    --in Hempstead, N.Y.: Hofstra leads 18-8
    --in Neutral Sites: Hofstra leads 1-0
 
First Meeting: May 10, 1961
--Hofstra 14-2 - Towson, Md.
 
Last Three Meetings (latest to earliest):
Date                Location                      Result             
4/30/22            Towson, Md.               L, 14-15
4/13/21            Towson, Md.               W, 10-8
4/3/21              Hempstead, N.Y.        L, 7-8
3/30/19            Towson, Md.               W, 10-9
3/31/18            Hempstead, N.Y.        L, 3-9
4/29/17            Towson, Md.               W, 10-8
4/30/16            Hempstead, N.Y.        W, 8-7
4/18/15            Towson, Md.               L, 2-9
3/29/14            Hempstead, N.Y.        L, 7-9
3/30/13            Towson, Md.               W, 7-6