Opening Faceoff 5/11/16 4:00 p.m. ET
The Tigers are back in the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship field for the 13th time in the program’s Division I history (1980) by way of the CAA’s automatic qualifying bid. Towson took down second-seeded Fairfield 4-2 in a defensive showcase at Unitas Stadium last week.
In The National Rankings
Towson moved back into the Top 10 in two of the polls this week, sitting 10th in both the Nike Lacrosse/USILA Coaches’ Poll and the Cascade/Maverik Inside Lacrosse Media Poll. The Tigers are ranked 11th in this week’s Nike Lacrosse/Lacrosse Magazine Top 20, falling back one spot.
Updating the CAA Champion Tigers
Despite scoring just four goals on Saturday, the Tigers’ offense still ranks among the best in the country, scoring 10.69 goals per game. CAA Co-Player of the Year Ryan Drenner (26g, 21a) sets the pace for Towson with 47 points, while Joe Seider (31g, 4a) extended his goal streak to 21 games, dating back to last season. Spencer Parks (21g, 17a) had the last two goals of the game against Fairfield and is third on the team points. Towson’s defense has been stifling all season long as the Tigers held their second opponent of the season (Mercer, Fairfield) to just two goals. The defense is ranked second in Division I, allowing 7.12 goals per game. Close defenseman Mike Lowe
was named the CAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, while defenseman Nick Gorman and keeper Tyler White earned All-Tournament honors. Parks was also named All-Tournament. Alec Burckley is winning his faceoffs at a 52.3 percent clip, emerging victorious in 125 of his 239 chances. Towson’s man-down defense seldom goes to work, as Towson is seventh nationally in opponent EMO chances (32).
Scouting The NEC Champion Statesmen
Hobart earned its way to the Championship field through the Northeast Conference’s AQ, besting host Saint Joseph’s 11-7 on Saturday. The Statesmen offense is led by Frank Brown (34g, 9a) and his 43 points. Chris Aslanian (23g, 12a) is second in points and assists, with Sean Donnelly (14g, 13a) leading in helpers. Hobart has won 55.8 percent (203-364) of its faceoffs this season, aided by J Andrew Spallanzani’s 57.5 percent (146-254). Matthew Pedicine has been a solid backup at 52.3 percent (57-109). Hobart has the country’s best man-down defense, which kills off penalties at a 79.6 percent rate, but the Statesmen rank in the bottom third of opponent extra-man chances (49).
Towson-Hobart History
While the Tigers and Statesmen will be meeting for just the third time as Division I opponents, the series first began in 1968 in the College/Division II days. Wednesday’s game will be the 15th meeting and fourth in the postseason. Hobart is 10-4 all-time against the Tigers, but Towson has won two straight against the Statesmen, including a 9-6 win at Unitas Stadium last season. The teams meet for the first time in the postseason since 1976, with Hobart leading the postseason meetings at 2-1. However, Towson claimed the 1974 Division II National Championship over Hobart with an 18-17 overtime victory at home.
Towson-Hobart By the Numbers
All-Time Series Record Hobart 10-4
at Towson Hobart 5-2
at Hobart Hobart 3-1
at Neutral Sites n/a
at Unknown Sites Hobart 2-1
First Meeting 1968
Towson 6, Hobart 8
Last Meeting March 14, 2015
Towson 9, Hobart 6
Streak Towson +2
Last Time Out vs. Hobart
Towson and Hobart clashed at Unitas Stadium last season, ending in a 9-6 victory for the No. 17 Tigers. Current attackmen Spencer Parks and Ryan Drenner netter two goals each, while the graduated Andrew Hodgson scored twice from the midfield. Drenner and Hodgson each added an assist for a three-point day. Joe Seider, Tyler Konen and faceoff man Alec Burckley potted one goal apiece. Tyler White made 10 saves en route to the victory.
Taylor Vanderbeek was the only Statesman with two goals while four other Hobart players scored. Jackson Brown played in 57 and a half minutes, making six saves before he was pulled in favor of Chre Teitelbaum, who stopped one Towson attempt.
With a Win Wednesday
– Towson would advance to the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship First Round, traveling to second-seeded Denver for a Sunday matchup. Opening faceoff in Denver is set for 3 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on ESPNU.
– A new single-season wins record for the program would be set at 15 victories. Towson is currently tied for the most wins in a single season at 14, a mark equaled in 2001 (14-4) and 1974 (14-1).
– The Tigers would win their second-straight First Four game at home after besting High Point 10-8 last season.
– Towson would have back-to-back NCAA Tournament wins at home for the first time as a Division I program. Towson last won back-to-back NCAA Tournament games as a Division II program, beating New Haven 24-5 in 1978 and Salisbury 17-4 in 1979.
– The Tigers would improve to 2-2 in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Shawn Nadelen (2012). Towson dropped its first postseason game at Ohio State under Nadelen in 2013, but bounced back with the First Four win last year.
– Towson would claim victory in its final home appearance for a second-straight season. It would also be the team’s 11th home victory of the season, improving on its Division I program record for most home victories in a single season.
– Head coach Nadelen would improve to 52-31 since taking over the program for the 2012 season. A win would improve his career-best single-season wins record, which previously was 12, set last season with a 12-6 overall mark.
A Defensive Slugfest for the Title
Last Saturday, the Tigers bested second-seeded Fairfield 4-2 in the 2016 CAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship game. It was the lowest-scoring CAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship game since the league began a Tournament in 2001. There was no tournament in 2002. Previously, the fewest goals scored in a CAA Championship game was No. 4 Delaware’s 2011 9-7 win over No. 3 UMass in Amherst, Massachusetts. After a poll of the nation’s Division I men’s lacrosse sports information directors, it is believed to be the lowest-scoring conference championship game ever played.
All-Tournament Selections
After winning the program’s sixth CAA Championship on Saturday, Towson had three players named to the league’s All-Tournament Team. Defenseman Nick Gorman and goalie Tyler White anchored a defense that surrendered just eight goals in the CAA Championships, holding No. 2 Fairfield to just two and the fourth-seeded Drexel Dragons to six. Spencer Parks was selected after scoring the final two goals of the Championship game, securing Towson’s 13th Division NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship appearance.
Senior close defenseman Mike Lowe was selected as the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, finishing with three caused turnovers, while holding Co-Player and Rookie of the Year Colin Burke without a goal in the title tilt. Lowe is just the second-ever close defenseman to be named as the CAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, joining former Tiger Adam Baxter, who was the 2003 MOP in the Tigers’ first CAA Championship. Lowe is the sixth defensive player to win MOP honors, with the other four being goalies. Towson goalie Andrew Wascavage was the 2013 Most Outstanding Player, the last defensive Tiger to win the honor.
Defense Wins Championships
Towson claimed its sixth CAA Championship with the 4-2 win over Fairfield on Saturday. Towson has won twice as many CAA titles as the remainder of the conference. Delaware is second with three. Entering Wednesday’s game, the 2016 Tigers are ranked second in the country in scoring defense (7.13) while the 2015 CAA Champion Tigers allowed just 7.72 goals per game, sixth-fewest in the country. After the program won the first CAA title under head coach Shawn Nadelen, Towson was ranked 16th in the country in scoring defense (8.88) in the May 5, 2013 statistical rankings. In the two seasons Towson has not won the title under Nadelen (2012, 2014), the Tigers ranked 37th (9.93) and 29th (9.73), respectively.
Repeating as Conference Champions
The Tigers claimed their second-straight CAA crown with their defensive stand over Fairfield in a 4-2 victory at Johnny Unitas Stadium on Saturday. Towson became the first CAA team to repeat as league champions since Delaware won the Tournament in 2010 and 2011. Only three CAA programs have ever repeated as champions: Loyola (2001, 2002), Delaware (2010, 2011) and the Tigers on two occasions, winning three straight from 2003-2005 and most recently in 2015 and 2016.
As the 2016 NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship field was set, only three of the 10 conferences with an automatic qualifying bid repeated as league champions: Towson (CAA), Syracuse (ACC) and Yale (Ivy League). The other seven AQs were claimed by a different team in 2016 than in 2015.
Gimme Who Ya Got
As top-seeded Towson claimed its sixth CAA Championship, it did so in unique fashion. Not only was it the lowest-scoring CAA Championship game, a 4-2 Towson victory over No. 2 Fairfield, but it was the first time the No. 1 seed won the Tournament since Massachusetts did it in 2012. Only five No. 1 seeds have won the CAA crown in the league’s 15 Tournaments: Towson (2003, 2004, 2016), Hofstra (2006), UMass (2012).
Even more unique than winning it as the top seed was in who Towson played. The Stags of Fairfield made their first-ever CAA Championship game in their second season in the league. The Tigers have won all six of their league titles against different opponents: 2003 vs. Hofstra, 2004 vs. Villanova, 2005 vs. Delaware, 2013 vs. Penn State, 2015 vs. UMass and 2016 vs. Fairfield.
Golden PAWS Awards
Held annually, the Towson Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) handed out its annual awards. The men’s lacrosse team was well represented at the May 9 event held at SECU Arena. Below is a list of the awards Towson men’s lacrosse won.
Jack Adams – Male Athlete of the Year
Brian Bolewicki – Male Comeback Player of the Year
Alec Burckley – Best Male Athlete in a Supporting Role
Dan Carder – Male Strength & Conditioning Award
Ian Kirby – Male Best Moment (Overtime game-winning goal at Ohio State)
Tyler White – Male Senior Career Achievements
Team – Bobbie Madison Award (highest increase in GPA from Fall 2014-Fall 2015.
50 Nifty Wins of Nadelen’s Career
Towson head coach Shawn Nadelen won the 50th game of his career with the Tigers’ 10-6 CAA Semifinal victory over Drexel. He becomes the third head coach in program history with at least 50 wins and is chasing his former boss, Tony Seaman, who won 99 games at the helm of the Black & Gold. Nadelen’s first career win came in his first career game, a 12-10 victory on the road at Jacksonville on Feb. 11, 2012. His 25th victory was a 6-5 affair at UMass on April 5, 2014. He has doubled his career wins total in the last two seasons.
Home, Sweet Home – Updated May 9
Towson’s 4-2 win over Fairfield on Saturday was the team’s 10th from the friendly confines of Unitas Stadium this season. That mark represents the most home wins in a single season in the program’s Division I Era (1980) and the first-ever double-digit home win season in Division I era. The previous best was eight home victories in 2004.
CAA Dominance – Updated May 9
No team has left its mark on the Colonial Athletic Association like the Tigers have. Since joining the league for the 2002 campaign, Towson has picked up 55 conference victories, more than any other program in the league. Hofstra is second with 54. The Tigers have won six CAA Tournaments. Delaware is second with three titles. No program has appeared in more CAA Championship games than Towson, which made its ninth title game showing since 2002.
All-Conference Nods
The Tigers did well in the 2016 CAA Men’s Lacrosse postseason awards. Towson saw junior Ryan Drenner earn Co-Player of the Year honors, while head coach Shawn Nadelen was the league’s Coach of the Year. Drenner became the first Tiger to win a share of Player of the Year since Ben DeFelice was also a Co-Player of the Year in 2004. Nadelen is the first Tiger head man to earn Coach of the Year honors since Tony Seaman won the award in 2010.
Joining Drenner on the First Team All-CAA list were juniors Jack Adams (SSDM) and Tyler Mayes (LSM). Four Towson standouts, Joe Seider (A), Mike Lynch (M), Mike Lowe (D) and Tyler White (GK) earned Second Team All-CAA plaudits. Freshmen Zach Goodrich (M) and Jon Mazza (M) were tabbed All-Rookie. Drenner was also the Tigers’ selection for the All-Academic Team.
The Century Mark
Towson’s starting attack line boasts two 100-point scorers. Junior Ryan Drenner notched his 100th point at 13:46 of the third quarter with a goal at Hofstra, while linemate Joe Seider utilized a hat trick to move to 101 career points, hitting the century mark at 11:56 of the third period.
Bouncing Back
During Shawn Nadelen’s tenure at Towson, the Tigers have allowed double-digit goals in just 27 of his 79 career games coached, including Towson’s 18-11 win in the regular season contest over Fairfield. Towson is 14-12 since 2012 following a game when it allows opponents double-digit markers. After allowing double digits, the defense has buckled down in the ensuing game; Towson has allowed opponents double digits just 10 times after allowing 10 or more in the previous game. Since taking over the program in 2012, Nadelen holds a 17-14 mark following a loss. Towson beat Fairfield 18-11 at home following a 10-7 setback against Delaware the week before.
Got That 34th Win – Updated May 9
Redshirt senior goalie Tyler White logged his 30th career win on April 9 in an 11-8 victory over CAA rival UMass. He now has the most for a Tiger keeper in the CAA Era.
White holds the top spot in the CAA in all-time wins since the conference first sponsored men’s lacrosse in 2002. His 34 wins stand alone for the most in the CAA, passing UMass’s Tim McCormack’s and Drexel’s Bruce Bickford, who each had 33.
30+ Career Wins for Current CAA Teams
Tyler White (Towson) – 34 (2013-Present)
Mark Manos (Drexel) – 33 (2009-12)
Tim McCormack (UMass) – 33 (2010-12)
Bruce Bickford (Drexel) – 31 (2006-08)
White Named Senior CLASS Award Finalist
Redshirt senior goalie Tyler White was one of 10 NCAA Division I student-athletes to be named as a Senior CLASS Award Finalist, announced March 30. White is the only CAA student-athlete to make the finalist list.
The Fan Vote counts for one-third of the final total, with the remaining two-thirds decided by NCAA Division I coaches and national media members.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. CLASS is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®.
Bring Your Green Hat – Updated May 9
Junior attackman Joe Seider has been on an offensive terror lately, scoring at least one goal in his last 21 appearances. The streak began on April 25, 2015 in the regular season match up at Drexel. Since then, Seider has racked up 39 goals, averaging nearly two per contest during the run. That scoring sreak is the third-longest in the country. During that span, Seider has added six assists and is one of 23 active players with a point streak of 20+ games.
Tigers Among the Division I Active Leaders – Updated May 9
Redshirt senior goalie Tyler White is among one of the top active goalies in the country. As of the May 8, 2016 statistical rankings, White was ranked 10th among Division I goalies in career saves, turning aside 452 opponent attempts.
Junior faceoff specialist Alec Burckley is currently ranked 29th in the active career groundball list, raking in 163. Wingman Pat Conroy is 50th on the active list with 130. Burckley is also 22nd in active faceoffs won (314) and in faceoff attempts (606).
Seider in the Towson Career Top 10 – Updated May 9
Junior attackman Joe Seider has ripped off 339 career shots in his time with the program. Seider is now alone in second-place all-time with shot attempts, passing the 327 attempts by Kevin Sturm (1995-97, 1999). Glenn Smith sits atop the leader board with 458 shots from 1988-91. The Hereford, Maryland native has 88 career goals and needs just one more goals to pass the 89 markers from Bobby Griebe (2004-07) and Tom Wagner (1976-79).
Burckley in the Towson Career Top 10 – Updated May 9
With his sixth faceoff win against Johns Hopkins University on March 12, junior faceoff man Alec Burckley moved into the program’s top-10 career list for faceoff wins. Burckley has 314 career wins, and is sole possession of eighth place all-time. Next on the list is Tim Lucky (1992-95), who won 323 draws from 1990-93. Burckley is now the eighth player in program history to win 300 or more draws. Towson Hall of Famer Justin Berry holds the career record at 507 from 1998-2001 and is the only player in program history to win more than 500 faceoffs.
Tyler White’s Career Numbers – Updated May 9
It’s no secret that Towson’s starting goalie, Tewaaraton Watch Lister Tyler White, is one of the best backstops in the country. White has the best goals against average (6.77) in the nation, a mark that would better his own single-season record of 7.57 from the 2015 campaign. Over the course of his career, White has built a 34-15 overall record. White’s win over UMass was the 30th of his career, passing Reed Sothoron, who won 29 from 2002-2005. White’s winning percentage is better at 69.3, edging Sothoron’s 64.4 percent (29-16). With goalie minutes available from 1997 to the present, White is among seven goalies with 1,000+ minutes in the rack, logging 2,874. Sothoron played in the most in that span at 2,976, while John Horrigan logged 2,660 from 1998-2001.
In it for the Long Haul – Updated May 2
The Tigers’ game at Ohio State was the farthest the Tigers will travel in the 2016 regular season. Towson flew out that Monday for Columbus and returned to Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on Wednesday. Johnny Unitas Stadium, home of the Tigers, sits roughly 415 miles from Ohio Stadium, the site of the March 15 contest. The trip was roughly 830 round-trip miles. On April 9, Towson traveled 356 miles to Amherst, Massachusetts to take on the Minutemen at Garber Field. The Tigers rounded out the regular season on April 30 at Shuart Stadium, home of the Hofstra Pride, a trip of 215 miles. Those two April games were the only CAA road trips for Towson this season.
Lowe Named CAA Player of the Week (5/2)
Lowe played an outstanding defensive game to help the No. 12 Tigers close out the regular season with an 8-7 victory over Hofstra. It was Towson’s first win at James M. Shuart Stadium since the 2012 season. Lowe anchored a defense that held its 11th opponent of the season to single digits. In addition, Lowe marked Hofstra’s second-leading point getter, Sam Llinares, keeping then-reigning CAA Player of the Year without a point and limiting Llinares to just one shot. Lowe forced three turnovers in the game and recorded seven groundballs.
Seider Added to Tewaaraton Watch List – Updated May 9
Junior attackman Joe Seider was added to the coveted Tewaaraton Trophy, Presented by Under Armour, Watch List, announced by the Tewaaraton Foundation. Seider is the only CAA player to be added to the list this round and joins teammate and redshirt senior goalie Tyler White on the Watch List.
Seider is third on the team in points (25) and leads the Tigers with 31 goals. He is riding a 21-game scoring streak dating back to the 2015 regular season. The Sparks, Maryland native has started in all 16 games for the No. 10/No. 10 Tigers and has taken a team-best 122 shots. He has two game-winning goals to his credit while scoring six extra-man goals.
Defense + Offense = Success – Updated May 9
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 31-5 in games when Towson scores double digits. When Towson’s defense limits opponents to single digits, the Tigers are a whopping 47-8 in that same time, including Satuday’s 4-2 win over Fairfield in the CAA Championship. On 28 occasions, the Tigers have scored in double figures while holding opponents to single digits, obviously a 28-0 record.