University Park, Pa. – The Towson men’s lacrosse team (10-7) withstood a late rally from No. 9 Penn State (12-4) to defeat the Nittany Lions, 11-10, and claim its first Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title since 2005 Friday afternoon at PSU Lacrosse Field.

PSU outscored Towson 4-3 in the fourth quarter to try and rally from an 8-6 deficit at the end of the third. The game was tightly contested until late in the second quarter and into the third when the Tigers broke it open with a five-goal run.

Towson was making its first appearance in a CAA final since 2010, when the Tigers fell to Delaware, 12-9 on May 8. Today’s championship is Towson’s fourth title in its ninth appearance at the CAA Tournament. Towson’s Thomas DeNapoli, Jordan Fortmann and Ben McCarty were named to the All-Tournament team. Senior goalkeeper Andrew Wascavage received Most Outstanding Player. It is Head Coach Shawn Nadelen’s first CAA championship.

Sophomore Greg Cuccinello’s second hat trick of the season led the Tigers. He also had one assist. DeNapoli added two goals and two assists, while senior Matt Hughes scored his fourth and fifth goals in four games.

TJ Sanders’s three goals led the Nittany Lions. Jack Forster and Shane Sturgis each posted two goals. Goalie Austin Kaut made six saves.

McCarty opened the game’s scoring with his seventh goal in two games off a pass from DeNapoli at 11:10 in the first quarter. The Tigers took a 2-0 lead at 10:25 when sophomore Cuccinello beat PSU’s Kaut middle right.

Penn State struck back with a three-goal run starting at 9:28, getting scores from Forster, Kyle VanThof and Steven Bogert. But DeNapoli cut short the rally with his 40th goal of the season at 2:05. Hughes caused a Penn State turnover, picked up the ground ball and fed it to DeNapoli for the score. Hughes capped the quarter with his seventh goal of the year and, fourth in four games, with one second left.

The Nittany Lions started the second quarter on another three-goal rally when Forster connected with Tom LaCrosse on a fast break at 13:53. Sanders scored at 11:11 and Gavin Ahern followed at 10:18 to give PSU a 6-4 lead.

Junior Andrew Hodgson notched a goal for Towson at 6:59 when Towson worked the ball around the back of the net to Cuccinello who fed Hodgson. He dodged a defender and beat Kaut high to low from 12 yards out. His goal inched Towson to within one, 6-5, and Mabus’ tally at 4:28 pulled the Tigers even, 6-6.

Cuccinello started the third quarter with a bullet at 12:30 to put Towson up, 7-6, before Hodgson scored just over eight minutes later to give the Tigers an 8-6 advantage they carried into the fourth quarter.

The final frame was a wild one, seeing a total of seven goals – four in the final four minutes. Cuccinello posted his final goal of the game at 13:19 from 13 yards out, but the Lions showed they still had some fight when Sanders scored his 41st of the season 45 seconds later. Hughes answered with his second of the game when freshman Dan Livingston cleared the ball and passed to a waiting Hughes right in front of the goal at 6:51. That put Towson up three,10-7.

Towson was whistled for a slash at 4:54 and Penn State capitalized just 24 seconds into the penalty with a Sturgis goal at 4:31 to make it 10-8. DeNapoli posted his 41st of the year at 2:33, unassisted to increase the Tigers’ lead to 11-8. It gave Towson just enough breathing room to withstand Penn State goals from Sturgis and Sanders, at 2:14 and 1:42 respectively.

With the win, the Tigers earned the CAA’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. They will find out their opponent during the NCAA selection show on Sunday, May 5.

College Men’s Lacrosse: Towson 11, No. 9 Penn State 10
Towson (10-7)               4-2-2-3/11
Penn State (12-4)           3-3-0-4/10

GOALS: TOW – Cuccinello 3, DeNapoli 2, Hodgson 2, Hughes, 2, Mabus, McCarty; PSU – Sanders 3, Forster 2, Sturgis 2, Ahern, VanThof, Bogert. ASSISTS: TOW – DeNapoli 2, Cuccinello, Livingston, Mabus; PSU – Ahern 2, Manley 2, LaCrosse, Zittel. SAVES: TOW – Wascavage (12, 60:00, 10 GA); PSU – Kaut (6, 60:00,11 GA). SHOTS: TOW – 32; PSU – 35. GROUND BALLS: TOW – 21; PSU – 33. FACE-OFFS: TOW –5-24; PSU – 19-24. CLEARS: TOW – 22-24; PSU – 19-23. EMO: TOW – 0-2; PSU 2-2. ATT: 796.

PHILADELPHIA – The Towson men’s lacrosse (7-7, 3-2 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)) team scored six straight goals in the second half but the Tigers’ comeback fell short as No. 17 Drexel (10-3, 5-1 CAA) claimed a 14-11 victory on a windy Saturday afternoon at Vidas Field.

Junior Thomas DeNapoli recorded his sixth hat trick and second five-plus goal game of the season with six goals. Sophomore Greg Cuccinello added a pair of goals for Towson. Robert Church and Ryan Belka led Drexel with four goals.

“Drexel played very well offensively and took advantage of our mistakes on the defensive end,” said Head Coach Shawn Nadelen. “We had a decent first half and gave them a couple opportunities to get back in it with costly penalties. They came out firing in the third quarter, and we couldn’t earn a possession, which allowed for their run.  I was proud of how our guys battled back from down eight goals to get within three, but we just couldn’t erase such a big deficit with the way we played earlier.”

DeNapoli opened the scoring just 44 seconds into the game, when he rolled right about 15 yards out and beat Drexel’s Cal Winkelman low. He posted the game’s second goal, again unassisted, at 12:07 and netted a hat trick at 4:18 in the first quarter when he ripped a shot while curling right around the goal. Drexel got on the board with a minute left in the first frame on a goal from Church.

DeNapoli picked up where he left off at 4:37 in the second off a Brian Bolewicki pass, but the Dragons answered with three straight goals from Belka (two goals) and McIntosh to even the score at 4-4 at 1:58. The Tigers briefly retook the lead, 5-4, with 43 seconds left in the first half when senior Matt Hughes buried a shot from junior Andrew Hodgson. But the Dragons knotted it the score again with 9.5 second left on Belka’s third goal of the day.

Drexel had an explosive third quarter, scoring eight goals to take a 13-5 lead at 4:32. The Dragons held the Tigers scoreless for 12:05 before Hodgson snapped the Dragons’ rally with a goal off a feed from DeNapoli. The junior’s tally started a six-goal Towson run that continued into the fourth quarter and featured goals from DeNapoli (two goals), Cuccinello (two goals) and sophomore Justin Mabus. The run helped Towson cut Drexel’s advantage to 13-11 with 6:57 remaining in the game.

On Saturday, April 20, the Tigers host Saint Joseph’s on Senior Day at 7 p.m. at Unitas Stadium to wrap up the regular season.

NOTES: DeNapoli posted his sixth hat trick of the season … DeNapoli and Hodgson stretched points streaks to 15 games … Wascavage stretched a 10-plus saves game streak to 15 games … This was the second time in 2013 DeNapoli has scored six or more goals in a game … Drexel went on a nine-goal run over the second and third quarters while Towson scored six straight over the third and fourth quarters.

College Men’s Lacrosse: Towson 11, No. 17 Drexel 14
Towson (7-7, 3-2 CAA)               3-2-3-3/11
No. 17 Drexel (10-3, 5-1 CAA)    1-4-8-1/14

GOALS: TOW – DeNapoli 6, Cuccinello 2, Hodgson, Mabus, Hughes; DRE – Belka 4, Church 4, McIntosh 2, Saputo, Frederick, Brown, Prosser. ASSISTS: TOW – Bolewicki, Hodgson, DeNapoli; DRE – Church 3, McIntosh 2, Saputo. SAVES: TOW – Wascavage (12, 40:28, 13 GA), Graves (2, 19:32, 1 GA); DRE – Winkelman (11, 60:00, 11 GA). SHOTS: TOW – 46; DRE – 42. GROUND BALLS: TOW – 27; DRE – 35. FACE-OFFS: TOW – 12-29; DRE – 17-29. CLEARS: TOW – 13-14; DRE – 13-17. EMO: TOW – 0-1; DRE – 1-3. ATT: 953.

TOWSON, Md. - Senior goalkeeper Andrew Wascavage made a season-high 19 saves and sophomore Justin Mabus and junior Andrew Hodgson each scored four points as Towson men’s lacrosse (6-5, 2-0 CAA) claimed a 7-6 victory over No. 15 Hofstra (6-4, 1-2 CAA) on Saturday night at Unitas Stadium.

It was Towson’s first win over a ranked team this season and first at home since a 9-8 victory over then-No. 5 Brook on March 19, 2011. The Tigers have now won three straight games this season for the first time and two in a row against the Pride, dating back to the 10-9 double overtime win in Hempstead on March 31, 2012.

Wascavage faced 42 Hofstra shots on the evening, withstanding a late Pride charge and turning away eight shots in the final period. Hodgson and Mabus each had two goals and two assists for the Tigers, who took a sizable 7-4 lead with 6:43 remaining in the game on Mabus’ second tally of the evening. Hodgson’s four points were a career best, while Mabus also notched a personal best with two goals.

Adrian Sorichetti had a goal and an assist to lead the Pride. Five other players had a single goal each for Hofstra. The Pride outshot Towson 42-26 and picked up three more ground balls, 19-16. Hofstra also won at the “X,” claiming 11 of 16 face-offs.

“Darn glad double zeros came quick there in the fourth quarter,” noted head coach Shawn Nadelen. “At the end of the game, things got a little crazy, but I thought our guys, for the most part, executed our game plan pretty efficiently. Defensively we were very sound and offensively we moved the ball and were patient at times.”

Hofstra scored the first two goals of the game before Towson took a 3-2 lead at the start of the second quarter when Mabus and Hodgson connected at 13:22 on Mabus’ first goal of the game. The Tigers never trailed again. Mabus scored the game-winning goal at Hofstra last season.

Tyler Johnston posted a goal at 5:31 in the second quarter to tie the game at three apiece before the Pride went cold on offense for the next 20:48. Tyler Begley‘s man-up goal at 10:43 in the fourth was the first of three tallies posted by the Pride in the quarter. Lance Yapor beat Wascavage with 12 seconds left, but Towson won the ensuing face-off and held on for the win.

The Tigers return to action on Saturday, April 6 at home against UMass at 1 p.m.

NOTES: Andrew Wascavage has now made double-digit saves (19) in every game this season and has a 12-game streak dating back to May 2, 2012 … Andrew Hodgson and Thomas DeNapoli each continued their point streaks which also stand at 12 games and date back to May 2, 2012 … The win marked Towson’s 58^th program win over a ranked team and first this season … This game was Towson’s second straight 7-6 decision – both victories.

College Men’s Lacrosse: No. 15 Hofstra 6, Towson 7
Hofstra (6-4, 1-2 CAA)   2-1-0-3/6
Towson (6-5, 2-0 CAA)   2-1-3-1/7

GOALS: TOW – Hodgson 2, Mabus 2, DeNapoli, McCarty, Bolewicki; HOF – Sorichetti, Llinares, Begley, Yapor, Johnston, von Bargen. ASSISTS: TOW – DeNapoli 2, Hodgson 2, Mabus 2; HOF – Malave, Sorichetti. SAVES:TOW – Wascavage (19, 60:00, 6 GA); HOF – Selva (11, 60:00, 7 GA). SHOTS: TOW – 26; HOF – 42. GROUND BALLS: TOW – 16; HOF – 19. FACE-OFFS: TOW – 5-16; HOF – 11-16. CLEARS: TOW – 14-16; HOF – 13-15.EMO: TOW – 1-4; HOF – 2-5. ATT: 1429.

BALTIMORE, Md. - Junior Andrew Hodgson and sophomore Ben McCarty teamed up on the game-winning goal in overtime as Towson men’s lacrosse (5-5, 1-0 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)) defeated Delaware (2-7, 0-2 CAA), 7-6, Friday evening at Delaware Stadium.

For just the second time all season, Towson scored first and took a 2-1 lead into the second quarter. However Delaware scored five straight goals to take a 6-3 lead midway through the third quarter. The Tigers scored back-to-back goals in the fourth to trim the Hens’ lead to 6-5 with 8:09 remaining in the game and got last-minute heroics from sophomore Greg Cuccinello, who scored with 2.6 seconds left in regulation on a dribbler to send the game into overtime. Hodgson buried a high-low shot past the Delaware keeper from 13 yards out for the game winner with 1:45 showing on the clock in overtime.

Towson is now 4-2 in CAA season openers against the Blue Hens.

“Our team played tough all night but missed some good opportunities in the first half,” said head coach Shawn Nadelen. “I was proud of the way we dug in during the fourth quarter and overtime to earn the win against a strong Delaware team.”

Sophomore Cory Dobyns and Hodgson led the Tigers with two goals. Sophomores Justin Mabus and Cuccinello and junior Thomas DeNapoli each scored a goal for Towson. Redshirt sophomore Rob Zoppo, Hodgson, DeNapoli and McCarty each added an assist. Senior Andrew Wascavage made 13 saves in net for TU. Ian Robertson and Nick Diachenko each posted two goals for Delaware. Connor Peaks made 11 saves for UD.

Towson and Delaware split the face-offs eight apiece, and the Tigers outshot the Blue Hens 42-27 and picked up 29 ground balls to UD’s 27.

Dobyns scored his 16th of the year just outside the crease off a feed from Zoppo at 8:40 in the first. Mabus notched his second goal in two games when he scored unassisted just over two minutes later. Diachenko followed with the Blue Hens’ first of the game at 4:14. DeNapoli extended his points streak to 11 games when he notched the Tigers’ third goal of the half at 12:31 in the second for a 3-1 Towson lead.

But Delaware scored the next three straight goals to lead at the break. The Hens continued to generate offense at the start of the third. Robertson scored his second of the game after a failed Towson clear to give UD a 5-3 lead at 10:38 then assisted on Beau M. Jones’ goal at 6:05.

The Blue Hens extended their lead to three goals when Jones and Robertson teamed up to beat Wascavage high left. Dobyns ended a 29:54 scoring drought for the Tigers with an EMO tally at 12:37 in the fourth. Hodgson’s unassisted goal with 8:09 to go in the game inched Towson within one, 6-5.

Cuccinello’s ninth goal of the year forced overtime, and the Tigers won the opening face-off in the extra period. McCarty rifled a pass to Hodgson who was waiting 13 yards out and ripped his shot past Peaks for the winner.

Towson returns home to Johnny Unitas® Stadium to host CAA foe No. 10 Hofstra on Saturday, March 30 at 7:30 p.m.

NOTES: Towson and Delaware met in the Tigers’ CAA opener for the sixth time and fourth straight … Towson is 4-2 in those games … Thomas DeNapoli extended his points streak to 11 games with his goal in the first quarter … After not scoring in the first eight games, Justin Mabus has now posted a goal in back-to-back games … Towson scored first for just the second time in 2013 … The Tigers suffered through a 29:54 scoring drought in the middle of the game … Cory Dobyns scored his team-leading seventh EMO goal … He came into the week ranked tied for second in the nation in EMO goals … This was the third time this season Towson required overtime … The Tigers are now 2-1 in overtime this season.

College Men’s Lacrosse: Towson 7, Delaware 6

Towson (5-5, 1-0)     2-1-0-3-1/7

Delaware (2-7, 0-2)       1-3-2-0-0/6

GOALS: TOW – Dobyns 2, Hodgson 2, DeNapoli, Mabus, Cuccinello; UD – Diachenko 2, Robertson 2, Fitzgerald, Jones. ASSISTS: TOW – Zoppo, DeNapoli, Hodgson, McCarty; UD – Jones, Robertson. SAVES: TOW – Wascavage (13, 62:15, 6 goals allowed); UD – Peaks (11, 62:15, 7 goals allowed). SHOTS: TOW – 42; UD – 27.GROUND BALLS: TOW – 29; UD – 27. FACE-OFFS: TOW – 8-16; UD – 8-16. CLEARS: TOW – 13-16; UD – 12-15.EMO: TOW – 1-4; UD – 0-4. ATT: 325

ANNAPOLIS - Behind a five-goal second quarter, Towson men’s lacrosse (3-4) powered through to defeat Navy (3-4), 8-7, on Tuesday evening at Navy-Marine Corps Stadium.

Towson got off to a slow start, allowing Navy to take a 3-0 lead. Senior Andrew Wascavage made six stand-up saves that frame for Towson. Sophomore Cory Dobynsbroke the ice for the Tigers at 10:38 in the second, scoring off a Rob Zoppo pass. His goal kicked off a scoring run where Towson posted five of the next seven goals to finish the half tied at five. Junior Thomas DeNapoli, Zoppo, and Hodgson each tallied an unassisted goal from about 12 yards out over a span of 1:33 to knot the score at 4-4 with 3:38 left in the half. Dobyns and Zoppo paired up again just before the half to tie the game again, 5-5, with 16 seconds showing on the clock.

Dobyns and junior Andrew Hodgson each had a pair of goals for Towson. Navy’s Bryce Dabbs led the Mids with two goals. Wascavage made 14 saves in net for the Tigers, while Nolan Hickey stopped seven shots for Navy. The win marked the first time Towson has defeated the Naval Academy in Annapolis.

“Against a great team like Navy, you’re obviously fortunate to come away with a win,” said head coach Shawn Nadelen. “It was a big win for our guys, rebounding from a tough overtime loss to Marist. It gives us confidence and really shows the coaching staff what we can do.”

Navy scored two quick, tough goals to start the second half and go up 7-5 with 7:17 remaining in the third quarter. Junior Andrew Hodgson posted his first man-up goal since his freshman year at 4:10 off an assist from Dobyns (7-6).The Tigers evened it at 7-7 on junior Devin Grimaldi’s second career goal assisted by senior Neil Hutchinson and took their first lead of the game on an unassisted tally, and eventual game winner, from sophomore Greg Cuccinello at 10:28 in the fourth quarter.

Next up, Towson travels to No. 17 Duke on Saturday, March 16 for a 1 p.m. contest with the Blue Devils.

NOTES: Towson fared well from 10-15 yards out, scoring four goals from that distance … junior Devin Grimaldiscored his second career goal … junior Andrew Hodgson scored his first man-up goal since 2011 … the win marked the first time Towson has beaten Navy in Annapolis … Towson was not called for any penalties and went 1-3 on EMO.

College Men’s Lacrosse: Towson 8, Navy 7
Towson (3-4)     0-5-1-2/8
Navy (3-4)         3-2-2-0/7

GOALS: TOW – Dobyns 2, Hodgson 2, Cuccinello, DeNapoli, Grimaldi, Zoppo; NAVY – Dabbs 2, Voumard, Jones, Durkin, Heneveld, Hull. ASSISTS: TOW – Zoppo 2, Bolewicki, Dobyns, Hutchinson; NAVY – Voumard, Hull, Jones. SAVES: TOW – Wascavage (14, 60:00, 7 goals allowed); NAVY – Hickey (7, 60:00, 8 goals allowed).SHOTS: TOW – 28; NAVY – 35. GROUND BALLS: TOW – 29; NAVY – 30. FACE-OFFS: TOW – 7-19; NAVY – 12-19. CLEARS: TOW – 20-25; NAVY – 17-20. EMO: TOW – 1-3; NAVY – 0-0. ATTENDANCE: 824.

Opening Face-Off
Towson lost a tough one against Marist at home on Friday, 10-9 in overtime. Navy is coming off a narrow 12-11 win over Lafayette at home on Saturday. Today’s game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and can be heard live on the Towson Sports Network on www.towsontigers.com with Spiro Morekas and Hunter Lochte calling the action.

Updating the Tigers
Junior Thomas DeNapoli’s career-high five goals (and fourth-straight hat trick) led the Tigers in the OT loss to Marist. The Red Foxes scored five of the last seven goals in the game to seal the win. DeNapoli’s 18 goals and 21 points lead Towson. Senior Andrew Wascavage has a 9.48 goals-against-average and a save percentage of .540 in net for the Tigers.

Scouting the Midshipmen
Navy is 3-3 on the season after squeaking out a 12-11 win in Annapolis last weekend.. The win snapped a three-game losing streak. Navy had won the first two games of the season. The Midshipmen have outscored opponents 62-56 so far and hold edges in ground balls (217-202), caused turnovers (70-61) and shots (223-216). Sam Jones leads Navy with 11 goals. He is followed closely behind by Gabe Voumard’s 10 goals. The goalie of record is Nolan Hickey. He has a goals-against-average of 9.11 and a save percentage of .584.

Towson-Navy Series History
Navy leads the all-time series 7-4. The Midshipmen have won the last two games contested. The series began in 1975 with Navy winning the opening salvo, 13-9. The teams did not play again until 1991 when the Tigers won at home, 15-8. Navy and Towson played regularly throughout the ‘90s before the series went on a 13-year hiatus. It resumed in 2010. Towson has never won at Navy.

Towson-Navy By the Numbers

TOWSON, Md. - Despite a career-high five goals from junior co-captain Thomas DeNapoli, Towson men’s lacrosse (2-4) fell, 10-9 in overtime, to Marist (4-0) when the Red Foxes’Jack Doherty scored with one second left in overtime Friday night at Unitas Stadium.

DeNapoli finished the night with his fourth-straight hat trick. Classmate and co-captain Rob Zoppo tied his career high with a pair of goals, while junior Andrew Hodgson and sophomore Greg Cuccinello each had one tally apiece. Doherty led Marist with four goals, and Drew Nesmithadded three scores in the win.

“Obviously any overtime game you lose is frustrating,” said head coach Shawn Nadelen. “I’m very, very upset…I feel really bad for the guys. I thought we played pretty hard but got careless in the second half, especially offensively. The third quarter really allowed them to get some momentum and really get back into it.”

Marist got on the board quickly with a Nesmith goal just 30 seconds into the first quarter. However, Zoppo and DeNapoli teamed up to give Towson the lead, 2-1, by the 11-minute mark in the first. The Red Foxes bounced back with two of their own tallies before the Tigers ran out to a 5-3 advantage at the start of the second quarter with goals from DeNapoli, Zoppo and Hodgson.

Towson remained in front, never by more than two goals, until Nesmith scored on an extra-man opportunity when the Tigers were called for slashing. The Red Foxes were 1-for-3 in EMO chances on Friday. Starting with Nesmith’s man-up goal, the Red Foxes scored five of the next seven goals for the win. DeNapoli tallied the Tigers’ two goals in the third quarter, scoring just 11 seconds apart to put Towson back in front, 9-8, with 6:33 left in regulation.

Senior goalkeeper Andrew Wascavage made a season-high 15 stops for Towson. Marist’s Dave Scarcelloposted a 12-save game.

Towson returns to action on Tuesday, March 12 at Navy at 7 p.m.

NOTES: DeNapoli’s five goals were the most by a Towson player at home since Blake Best and Tim Strattoneach tallied five goals in an 18-12 win over Penn on April 26, 2008 … they  were the most goals by a Tiger regardless of location since Will Harrington posted five goals at Stony Brook on March 6, 2010.

College Men’s Lacrosse: Marist 10, Towson 9 (ot)
Marist (4-0)        3-3-3-0-1/10
Towson (2-4)     4-3-2-0-0/9

GOALS: TOW - Thomas DeNapoli 5; Rob Zoppo 2; Andrew Hodgson 1; Greg Cuccinello 1; MAR – Jack Doherty 4; Drew Neswmith 3; Joseph Radin 1; Mike Begley 1; Patrick Eaker 1. ASSISTS: TOW – Hodgson 2; Cuccinello 1; Neil Hutchinson 1; MAR – Nesmith 2; Aedan Herman 1; Jim Marks 1; Radin 1; Connor Rice 1. SAVES: TOW – Wascavage (15, 63:59, 5 goals allowed); MAR -Scarcello (12, 63:59, 9 goals allowed). SHOTS: TOW – 39; MAR – 40. GROUND BALLS: TOW – 35; MAR – 35. FACE-OFFS: TOW – 10-23; MAR – 13-23. CLEARS: TOW – 18-20; MAR – 19-23. EMO: TOW – 0-3; MAR – 1-3. ATTENDANCE: 679.