The Game: No. 17 Towson (0-1, 0-0 CAA) @ No. 2 Syracuse (2-0, 0-0 ACC)
When: Mon., Feb. 10 – 5 p.m.
Where: JMA Wireless Dome - Syracuse, N.Y.
Online Broadcast: ACC Network Extra ($)
----Broadcasters: Tyler Aitken (PxP), Stephen Rehfuss (analyst), Sean Dorcellus (sideline)
Audio Broadcast: Towsontigers.com
----Broadcaster: Spiro Morekas (PxP)
 
TOWSON, Md. – The No. 17 Towson University men's lacrosse team continues its non-conference schedule with another 2024 NCAA Tournament quarterfinal participant, rematching against No. 2 Syracuse on Monday, Feb. 10 at 5 p.m. in New York.
 
The game will be broadcast online on ACC Network Extra, with Tyler Aitken, Stephen Rehfuss and Sean Dorcellus on the call.  In addition, Spiro Morekas will have the call on towsontigers.com live from the JMA Wireless Dome.
 
These two met in the JMA Wireless Dome in last year's NCAA Tournament First Round, with Towson leading 9-8 at the half but Syracuse coming back to win 20-15.
 
Towson, the defending CAA champion, fell in its season opener vs. #8 Johns Hopkins 11-10 on Tuesday.  Syracuse has won its first two games of thr year, each at home, the last a 13-5 win vs. Vermont on Friday.
 
Towson enters 2025 being ranked at No. 17 in each the USILA Coaches Poll and Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.  Syracuse is at No. 2 in each poll.
 
This is the first regular season meeting between Towson and Syracuse since Mar. 25, 2000, and the first regular season meeting in Syracuse since Mar. 21, 1998.  Syracuse leads the all-time series 10-3.
 
TOWSON - 2024 CAA TOURNAMENT CHAMPION
With one of the most dominant performances in league history, Towson won its ninth CAA Tournament title to earn a spot into the NCAA Tournament in 2024.
 
Towson earned the title at home with an 18-8 semifinal win vs. Drexel and a 15-6 title game victory vs. Delaware.  Towson's 33 goals was just one shy of the school record for goals in a CAA Tournament, having 34 in 2019.
 
Towson also was the CAA regular season champion, going 7-0 in league play. It is the first time Towson has earned an undefeated CAA season since 2004 when the Tigers finished 5-0.  Towson notched the first undefeated CAA regular season since UMass was 6-0 in 2018.
 
WEISSHAAR - USA LACROSSE PRESEASON MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR
Mikey Weisshaar was honored as the USA Lacrosse Preseason Midfielder of the Year.  He adds this honor along with being named a Preseason First Team All-American by each USA Lacrosse and Inside Lacrosse.
 
The junior midfielder was Towson's leading goal-scorer last year with 42, adding 19 assists.  He earned at least a hat trick in eight games in 2024.
 
TOWSON - NATIONALLY RANKED
Towson stands at No. 17 in the USILA Coaches Poll and No. 17 in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.  Towson was ranked for six straight weeks last year to close out the year, finishing No. 12 nationally.
 
Towson is the only preseason ranked CAA team in the top-20.  The Tigers are set to play three teams ranked in the preseason top-10: Johns Hopkins, Syracuse and Virginia.
 
ACTIVE POINT STREAKS (10 GAMES OR LONGER)
Player                         Games (Points)
Mikey Weisshaar        25 (81P - 55G, 26A)
--Started: Mar. 25, 2023 vs. Fairfield
Chop Gallagher           19 (46P - 22G, 24A)
--Started: Mar. 18, 2023 vs. Drexel
            (note: did not play April/May 2023)
Bode Maurer               10 (32P - 25G, 7A)
--Started: Mar. 23, 2024 vs. Fairfield
 
TOWSON PREDICTED TO FINISH FIRST IN CAA IN 2025
In the preseason coaches poll, Towson has been predicted to finish first in the CAA in 2025.  Towson received six first-place votes for 48 points, followed by Delaware with two first-place votes and 44 points. 
2025 CAA Preseason Predicted Order of Finish
1. Towson (6 first-place votes), 48 points
2. Delaware (2), 44
3. Fairfield, 36
4. Drexel, 27
5. Stony Brook, 25
6. Hofstra, 23
7. Monmouth, 14
8. Hampton, 7
 
SEVEN TIGERS EARN PRESEASON ALL-CAA
Nominated and voted on by the league head coaches, the 2025 Preseason All-CAA teams and honorable mentions included seven Tigers, the most for any league team.
 
In addition, Mikey Weisshaar was named the CAA Preseason Player of the Year.
 
Preseason All-CAA Player - 2024 Stats
Mikey Weisshaar (M) - 42 G, 19 A
Joaquin Villagomez (A) - 33 G, 12 A, 24 GB
Matt Constantinides (FO) - 57.3% FO win rate, 97 GB
Sam Morin (LSM) - 51 GB, 15 CT
Conor Spagnolli (A) - 34 GB, 16 CT
Bode Maurer (A, HM) - 36 G
Luke Downs (GK, HM) - 9.40 GAA, 52.8% save rate
 
CONSTANTINIDES APPROACHES TOWSON ALL-TIME FACEOFF LEAD
Towson's primary faceoff man his first three years, junior Matt Constantinides stands second in program history with 564 faceoff wins.  This includes two seasons with at least 200 faceoff victories: 207 in 2023 and 205 in 2024.
 
Constantinides needs 19 faceoff wins to tie for first in program history with Alex Woodall, who had 583 wins from 2017-19.
 
He is also third in Towson history in ground balls, currently standing with 301.  He issix away from tying for second all-time with Matt Eckerl, who had 307 ground balls from 2004-07.  Woodall is the Towson all-time leader in ground balls with 351.
 
CARL RUNK (1936-2024)
Legendary Towson men's lacrosse head coach Carl Runk passed away on Nov. 24, 2024 at the age of 88. 
 
The leader of Towson men's lacrosse for 31 years from 1962-1992, he led the Tigers to 262 victories, the 1974 NCAA Division II National Championship and the 1991 Division I national title game. 
 
He is a member of several Halls of Fame: the Towson Athletics Hall of Fame (2007), the University of Arizona Men's Lacrosse Hall of Fame (2019), the Intercollegiate Men's Lacrosse Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2018 and the Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame (2022).
 
(information by Pete Schlehr, Towson SID Emeritus)
 
FROM THE HOME STATE....
Of the 53-man Towson roster, 20 players reside in the home state of Maryland.  This includes five players from Baltimore County: James Azbill (Catonsville), Matt Burnam (Nottingham), Ben Ellis (Towson), Ray Glass (Perry Hall), and Owen Scott (Sparks).
 
....AND FROM DIFFERENT TIME ZONES
Towson players are represented in all time zones of the contiguous United States.  Including Maryland, Towson has representatives from 17 different states and Canada.
--Central Time Zone: Elijah Smith (Nebraska), Conor Spagnolli (Texas)
--Mountain Time Zone: Ethan Pearson (Colorado)
--Pacific Time Zone: Chop Gallagher (Oregon), Bode Maurer (Washington)
 
TIGERS IN THE PROS/NATIONAL TEAMS
            Towson alumni have made their mark in the professional/national lacrosse ranks this past year.
NLL - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
PLL - Premier Lacrosse League (PLL)
--Colby Barsz '24 - Utah Archers, PLL
            --2024 PLL champion, 24th overall pick
--Jean-Luc Chetner '18 - Team Israel
            --Competed in 2024 World Lacrosse Box Championship
--Ryan Drenner '17 - Boston Cannons, PLL
       --2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 PLL All-Star
               --U.S. Men's Sixes Training Camp roster
--Austin Ducommun '24 - Calgary Roughnecks, NLL
            --48th overall pick in 2024 NLL Draft
--Zach Goodrich '19 - Boston Cannons, PLL/Team USA
               --2021 and 2023 PLL All-Star
               --Gold medal in 2023 World Championship w/ team USA
               --2020 MLL Defensive Player of the Year
--Brandon Hund '23 - Philadelphia Wings, NLL
            --Signed as free agent for 2025 season
--Koby Smith '22 - Atlas, PLL
            --Member of Atlas Sixes Team
--Ethan Ticehurst '21 - Calgary Roughnecks, NLL
            --Three-year veteran for Calgary
 
FOUR TIGERS SELECTED AS CAPTAINS
Towson has picked four captains for the 2024 season.
Chop Gallagher (M) - 1st Year
--45 points off 23 goals and 22 assists in 2024
Ray Glass (Gr. SSDM) - 2nd Year
--2023 Joseph Ferrante Memorial Scholarship recipient
Conor Spagnolli (D) - 1st Year
--2025 Preseason All-CAA
Josh Webber (Gr. M) - 2nd Year
--2023 All-CAA Second Team midfielder
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
Through two games, Syracuse has scored 37 goals and allowed 10.
 
2023 and 2024 USILA All-American junior attack Joey Spallina leads the team with eight goals and seven assists.  He is flanked by two-time USILA All-American redshirt senior attack Owen Hiltz, who has four goals and four assists.  In the midfield is 2024 USILA All-American junior Michael Leo with four goals.
 
Junior Jimmy McCool is the new goalkeeper for Syracuse, saving 74.1% and having a 4.22 goals allowed average in the young season.  Junior Riley Figueiras starts on defense, so far having three caused turnovers and three ground balls.
 
On the faceoff-X is sophomore John Mullen, who has won 57.9% and has 17 ground balls from 22 faceoff victories.
 
SERIES HISTORY - vs. SYRACUSE
Series record: Syracuse leads 10-3
            --Streak: Syracuse has won last one
            --in Towson: Syracuse leads 5-2
            --in Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse leads 4-0
            --Neutral Sites: Tied 1-1
 
First Meeting: March 27, 1972 - Towson, Md.
--Syracuse 17-9
 
Last 10 Meetings (latest to earliest):
Date                Location                     Result            
5/12/24            Syracuse, N.Y.            L, 15-20
5/21/17            Newark, Del.               W, 10-7
3/25/00            Towson, Md.               L, 3-10
3/27/99            Towson, Md.               L, 9-12
3/21/98            Syracuse, N.Y.           L, 12-18
3/22/97            Towson, Md.               L, 11-14
3/23/96            Syracuse, N.Y.           L, 18-21
3/25/95            Towson, Md.               L, 10-16
3/26/94            Towson, Md.               L, 16-17 (OT)
3/27/93            Syracuse, N.Y.           L, 8-15
 
NADELEN NAMED HEAD COACH OF U20 MEN'S NATIONAL TEAM
Towson head coach Shawn Nadelen has been selected as the head coach of the United States Men's U20 National Team.  Nadelen will prepare the U.S. U20 Team for the upcoming 2025 World Lacrosse Men's U20 Championship in South Korea.
 
He was part of the U.S. Senior National Team which won the gold medal in the 2010 FIL World Lacrosse Championships in England with a 12-10 victory over Canada in the title game.
 
Nadelen becomes the second Towson men's lacrosse head coach to lead one of the U.S. National Teams.  Tony Seaman, Towson head coach from 1999 to 2011, was the head coach of the U.S. Men's Senior National Team for the 1994 World Lacrosse Championship.
 
TOWSON - CAA REGULAR SEASON CHAMPION
Going undefeated in league play at 7-0 last year, Towson was the 2024 CAA regular season champion.  Towson earned the program's 10th CAA regular season title since 2004 and fifth under head coach Shawn Nadelen, who earned his third CAA Coach of the Year honor in 2024.
 
    It is the first time Towson earned an undefeated CAA season since 2004 when the Tigers finished 5-0.  Towson notched the first undefeated CAA regular season since UMass was 6-0 in 2018.
 
SAME STARTERS
Towson has remained consistent with its starting lineup during the season, having the same 10 starters in 14 of its 16 games in 2024.  The two exceptions:
--Matt Nilan started ahead of Luke Downs in goal in Towson's win at Fairfield on March 23.
--Alex Roussel started at attack for the injured Joaquin Villagomez in the NCAA Tournament game at Syracuse, finishing with four goals and three assists.
 
TV TIME
Four Towson home games will be on Monumental Sports Network this season.  The home of the Washington Capitals, Mystics and Wizards, Monumental Sports Network is based out of Bethesda and is aired across the DMV, spanning from Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia and North Carolina.
Feb. 22 – vs. St. Joseph's - 12 p.m.
Mar. 15 – vs. Delaware - 12 p.m.
Mar. 22 – vs. Stony Brook - 12 p.m.
Apr. 12 – vs. Hampton - 12 p.m.