TOWSON MEN’S LACROSSE PAIR EARNS ALL-AMERICAN HONORS
Andrew Wascavage and Thomas DeNapoli Garner USILA Honorable Mention All-America Accolades

TOWSON, Md. - Senior Andrew Wascavage and junior Thomas DeNapoli have been selected as Honorable Mention All-Americans, the USILA announced on Thursday.

It is the first such honor for both players. They join 40 other Tigers who have earned Division I All-American honors since 1980. The pair are the Tigers first honorable mention All-Americans since midfielder Christian Pastirik earned the honor is 2010.

“I am extremely excited about Andrew and Thomas receiving All-American recognition,” said Head Coach Shawn Nadelen. “They both had terrific years and are very deserving of it. For Andrew to finish his senior year playing his best lacrosse and be considered one of the best goalies in the Division I was what allowed our team the opportunity to win the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship and earn a berth to the NCAA tournament.

“Thomas’s offensive production was extremely impressive and I expect him to have an even better senior year.  I am proud to have had the opportunity to coach these young men and to have them represent Towson Lacrosse in all they do.”

Wascavage was Towson’s starting goalkeeper in 2013. A captain and one of only four seniors, he finished the year with a 9.33 goals-against average (GAA) and a .592 save percentage. Wascavage started all 18 games this season, playing 1067:32 minutes and facing 665 shots. He scored his first career assist and point when he assisted on junior John Fennessy’s goal against St. Joseph’s on April 27. Wascavage’s .570 career save percentage is the best in Towson history and his 9.55 career GAA stands him fifth all-time at Towson. He earned Most Outstanding Performer honors at the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Tournament after posting 26 saves, a .591 save percentage and a GAA of 9.00 in two games.

“I am really happy about receiving this award,” said Wascavage. “It’s a great honor. Being an All-American is something you set a goal for when you start playing college lacrosse and I’m glad to have reached my goal.”

DeNapoli was selected first-team All-CAA by the league’s head coaches after leading Towson in goals (41), assists (19) and points (60). He also earned All-CAA Tournament honors after scoring three goals on five shots and posting three assists for six points over two games. The junior tallied the game-winning goal in the CAA championship to assure the Tigers their first league crown since 2005. He became just the sixth Tiger since 1971 to score 40 or more goals in a season and the first to do so since 2001. A starter in all 18 games, DeNapoli posted eight multi-goal games, including a career-high seven goals at UMBC and six at No. 17 Drexel. In six of those games he notched hat tricks.

“It is very special,” said DeNapoli. “A lot of players dream about being an All-American. I share this award with every single player on my team. I’m really happy for Andrew since he hasn’t received the kind of recognition this season he deserves.”

The Tigers finished their season 10-8 overall – their first 10-win season since 2005 and first winning season since 2007. Towson won the CAA Tournament title and advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Opening Face-Off
Both No. 17 Towson and No. 3 Ohio State earned their conference automatic qualifiers to the NCAA Tournament with 11-10 wins in their respective title games. The Tigers come into today’s contest on a three-game win streak, while the Buckeyes have won six straight games.

Updating the Tigers
Towson won their fourth Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) tournament trophy and first since 2005 with an 11-10 win over No. 9 Penn State on May 3. Sophomore Greg Cuccinello scored his second hat trick of the season and senior Andrew Wascavage made 12 saves. The Tigers are making their 11th appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Scouting the Buckeyes
Ohio State is the 2013 ECAC champion after running the table at the conference tournament. The Buckeyes are 4-2 at home but had a 6-1 record on the road. One of those wins came against a common opponent – Penn State (10-9 in OT). This season, OSU won its first four games before trading wins and losses over the next five games. Ohio State comes into Sunday’s contest on a six-game win streak. The Buckeyes score 11.20 goals per game and convert on 50 percent of their man-up opportunities. They also win 56.3 percent of their face-offs.

Last Time Out vs. Ohio State – March 20, 2007 (Towson 10, Ohio State
Towson jumped out to a 6-1 lead but had to turn back a furious Ohio State rally as the Tigers held on for a win in the teams’ first meeting in 40 years. Joel Dalgarno, Kevin Buchanan, and Jeff Ryan each had two goals to lead the Buckeyes. Towson’s Jonathan Engelke led all scorers with five goals.

Towson-Ohio State Series History
Ohio State owns a slim 3-2 advantage in the all-time series between the teams. Towson and OSU played four times in the 1960s; the Buckeyes won three. The last meeting between the teams occurred on March 20, 2007 when Towson claimed a 10-8 victory at home.

Towson-Ohio State By the Numbers

 
Towson in the NCAA Tournament
This year is the the Tigers’ 11th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since receiving an at-large bid in 2007. The Tigers have reached the Final Four twice – in 1991 and in 2001. In 1991, Towson played in the national championship game, falling to No. 1 North Carolina, 18-13. The Tigers are 7-10 overall in NCAA Tournament games and have a 3-1 record in first round contests. Towson has not reached a Final Four since the tournament expanded to a 16-team field.

2×2
For just the second time in Towson history, both the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams are in the NCAA Tournament in the same season. The last time the Tigers accomplished this feat was 2005. In the 2013 NCAA Tournament fields, there are just eight schools that have men’s and women’s lacrosse teams in the NCAA tournaments – Penn State, North Carolina, Maryland, Duke, Loyola, Notre Dame, Denver and Towson.

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.

Updating the Tigers
Towson finished the 2013 regular season with a 13-6 win over visiting Saint Joseph’s Saturday, April 27 at Unitas Stadium. Juniors Thomas DeNapoli and Andrew Hodgson each had two goals and three assists in the win. Junior John Fennessy scored his first career goal on a 65-yard shot off a feed from goalie Andrew Wascavage.

Towson at the CAA Tournament
The Tigers have made eight appearances in the league tournament since joining the CAA in 2002. Towson is 9-5 overall in the tournament and has won three conference tournament titles. The Tigers are 2-0 against Drexel, 3-0 against Hofstra, 1-1 versus UMass and have never played Penn State in the CAA Tournament. They are 1-1 on the road in the tournament. This season is the first time Towson has been a No. 3 seed. The Tigers’ last win in the tournament came on May 5, 2010 when the No. 1 seed Tigers defeated No. 4  seed UMass 13-6.

CAAs – Tigers vs. Dragons
Towson and Drexel have met just twice in the CAA tournament. Both times, the Tigers have come out the victors. In 2003, the No. 1-seeded Tigers handily defeated the Dragons, 17-2 in the semifinals before winning the title. In 2009, the teams played again. Towson claimed an 10-2 victory as the No. 2 seed over the No. 3 seed Drexel. Both games were in the semifinals.

A New Experience
Only 12 current Tigers have experience at a CAA Tournament game in their careers - Thomas DeNapoli,Andrew Hodgson, Matt Hughes, John Fennessy, Andrew Wascavage, JoJo Ostrander, Billy Choiniere, Rob Zoppo, Jordan Fortmann, Justin Mabus, John Paukovits, and Greg Cuccinello. Of those players, only Hughes has played in two CAA tournament games.

Towson-Drexel Series History
Towson leads the all-time series, 37-7. It began in 1962 and was contested annually until 1973 when it went on hiatus for seven years. The Tigers have separate win streaks of 23 games (1965-1997) and 10 games (1999-2007) against the Dragons.

Towson-Drexel By the Numbers

TOWSON, Md. – Junior John Fennessy, sophomore Max Siskind, and freshman Chris Vetter each scored their first career goal as Towson Lacrosse (8-7, 4-2 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)) claimed a 13-6 victory over Saint Joseph’s (5-11, 1-5 CAA) Saturday evening at Johnny Unitas® Stadium.

Sophomore Greg Cuccinello posted his first career hat trick with a career-high four goals, while juniors Thomas DeNapoli each scored a pair of goals for the Tigers. DeNapoli also dished out a career-high tying three assists in the win. Senior goalkeeper Andrew Wascavage recorded 12 saves, including 10 in the second half.

Fennessy opened the scoring at 13:14 with a 65-yard shot that bounced into an empty net after SJU’s Austin Keen left the crease. Almost three minutes later, Cuccinello scored his first goal of the game off an assist from Hodgson. Siskind scored just under a minute later, beating the Hawks’ keeper from just outside the crease. Cuccinello took advantage of a man-up opportunity off a feed from DeNapoli at 5:35 – exactly four minutes after Siskind’s tally. Hodgson gave Towson a 5-0 lead when he shot while falling to the ground and found the back of the net.

Joe McErlean finally got the Hawks on the board 12 seconds into the second quarter. Senior Matt Hughesscored for Towson at 12:59 to push the lead back to five goals before Johnny Simanski posted a goal for St. Joe’s at 3:35. Hodgson gave the Tigers a 7-2 lead with 2:24 remaining in the first half.

The third quarter was quiet offensively. DeNapoli tallied his first goal of the game off a feed from Hodgson at 6:44. The third different Hawk to score for SJU was Williams when he beat Wascavage high left at 4:58. But Cuccinello’s third goal of the game – his first career hat trick – and Vetter’s tally at 1:30 extended the Tigers’ advantage to 10-3.

The Hawks scored back-to-back goals at the start of the fourth frame when Williams added his second and Will Abbott picked up a ground ball off a SJU face-off win, took it down and scored. However, sophomore Cory Dobyns tallied his first goal back after missing two games with an injury when he buried a pass from DeNapoli at 13:00.

Saint Joseph’s continued to hang around. Williams posted a hat trick with a goal at 10:42 to inch the Hawks to within five, 11-6.

Towson next faces Drexel in the CAA Tournament semifinals at Penn State on Wednesday, May 1 at 5:30 p.m.

NOTES: Fennessy, Siskind, and Vetter each scored their first career goals … Hughes scored a goal on Senior Night … Cuccinnello posted his first hat trick …

College Men’s Lacrosse: Saint Joseph 0, Towson 0
Saint Joseph’s (5-10, 1-4 CAA)               0-2-1-0/0
Towson (7-7, 3-2 CAA)                           5-2-3-0/0

GOALS: SJU – Simanski, McErlean; TOW – Hodgson 2, Cuccinello 2, Siskind, Hughes, Fennesy. ASSISTS:SJU – Dougherty; TOW – DeNapoli 2, Hodgson, McCarty. SAVES: SJU – Keen (X, 60:00, X GA); TOW – Wascavage (X, 60:00, X GA). SHOTS: SJU – 15; TOW – 29. GROUND BALLS: SJU – 7; TOW – 11. FACE-OFFS: SJU – 5-11; TOW – 6-11. CLEARS: SJU – 6-9; TOW – 4-4. EMO: SJU – 0-2; TOW 1-1. ATT: 1739.

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.

Opening Face-Off
The Tigers come into Saturday’s contest looking to bounce back from a loss to Penn State and to pick up their first win in three tries against Drexel. The No. 17 Dragons defeated UMass 15-14 last weekend in Amherst, Mass. Today’s game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. and can be heard live on the Towson Sports Network on www.towsontigers.com with Spiro Morekas and former Tiger midfielder Hunter Lochte calling the action.

Updating the Tigers
Despite losing to first-place Penn State, Towson has secured a spot in the 2013 CAA tournament held the first week of May at the site of the highest seed in a “Final Four” format. Last weekend, Towson dropped a 10-8 decision to PSU after committing 17 turnovers. Sophomore Justin Mabus and junior Andrew Hodgson each scored two goals and an assist to lead Towson. Senior goalkeeper Andrew Wascavage made 11 saves on the day.

Last Time Out vs. Drexel – April 21, 2012 (Drexel 13, Towson 5)
Towson goalkeeper Andrew Wascavage made a career-high 21 saves, but Drexel scored the final six goals of the game to upend the Tigers, 13-5, at Johnny Unitas® Stadium. Drexel outshot Towson 49-16 and outscored the Tigers 7-1 in the second half. Drexel’sBrendan Glynn recorded a hat trick for the Dragons, and Matt Lamon led the Tigers with two goals.

Towson-Drexel Series History
Towson leads the all-time series, 37-6. It began in 1962 and was contested annually until 1973 when it went on hiatus for seven years. The Tigers have separate win streaks of 23 games (1965-1997) and 10 games (1999-2007).

Towson-Drexel By the Numbers

University Park, Pa. - Three Tigers scored two goals each, but No. 11 Penn State (9-3, 4-0 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)) took home a 10-8 victory over Towson (7-6, 3-1 CAA) Saturday afternoon at Penn State Lacrosse Field.

Junior Andrew Hodgson and sophomores Justin Mabus and Greg Cuccinello all had two-goal games for Towson. Hodgson and Mabus each added an assist as well. Senior goalie Andrew Wascavage made 11 saves for the Tigers. TJ Sanders posted his third five-goal game of the year for Penn State.

Towson and Penn State were evenly matched. The teams split the face-offs, 10-10, and each took 33 shots. Both teams were 2-3 on extra man opportunities. But the Tigers couldn’t overcome 17 turnovers, including five in the first quarter. Penn State scored two goals directly off Towson turnovers.

Sanders got Penn State on the board first at 13:00 in the first quarter before Brian Bolewicki and Cuccinello scored back-to-back goals to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead with 4:55 in the first frame. Sanders and Hodgson traded goals to start the second quarter before the Nittany Lions reeled off four unanswered goals to take a 6-3 lead at 8:34 in the third quarter. PSU held a four-goal lead, 8-4, at 2:10 in the same frame.

Towson cut the advantage to two goals three times, 8-6 at 11:52 in the fourth on an EMO goal from Mabus, 9-7 after junior Thomas DeNapoli scored unassisted at 10:07 in the fourth and the final 10-8 after a Hodgson goal.

The Tigers return to action Saturday, April 20 at Drexel at 4 p.m.

TOWSON, Md. - Junior Devin Grimaldi posted his first career hat trick, and senior Andrew Wascavage added a season-high 20 saves as Towson (7-5, 3-0 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA)) defeated UMass (5-6, 0-3 CAA), 9-5, on Saturday afternoon at Unitas Stadium.

After a first quarter where neither team scored, Towson ran out to a 6-1 lead with three minutes left in the third quarter on goals from six different players. Grimaldi tallied two of his three goals early in the fourth quarter – insurance Towson needed later when UMass closed the game on a furious three-goal run.

Sophomore Greg Cuccinello tied his career high with two goals. Sophomores Rob Zoppo, Cory Dobyns and Ben McCarty and junior Thomas DeNapoli each posted a goal for the Tigers. Wascavage’s 20 saves are a season high and fell one short of his career high. UMass had five different players - Kyle Smith, Matt Whippen, Connor Mooney, Colin Fleming and Will Manny - score goals. Zach Oliveri made 10 saves in net for the Minutemen.

For just the third time all season, Towson got on the board first. Dobyns took a behind the head shot off a pass from Grimaldi at 12:40 in the second quarter. Smith took advantage of an extra-man opportunity at 6:02 in the second when the Tigers were called for a 30-second hold, but Towson then scored five unanswered goals to take its 6-1 lead.

Whippen stopped the Tigers’ run with an unassisted goal at 1:38. However, Grimaldi scored back-to-back and Cuccinello added his second when he ripped a shot past Oliveri, beating the goal high left. UMass began its comeback with 5:03 left in the game on a goal from Manny. Mooney and Fleming added their tallies at 4:21 and 3:30 in the fourth, respectively, but the effort fell short.

The Tigers return to action on Saturday, April 13 when they travel to University Park to face No. 13 Penn State.

NOTES: Grimaldi’s hat trick was the first of his career … his four points on the day were a career high … Towson is 3-0 when scoring first this season … the last time the Tigers were 3-0 in the CAA was 2010 … Towson’s win snaps UMass’ three-game win streak in the series … this is the fourth straight game the Tigers have limited their opponent to less than nine goals and fifth time in the last six games … Juniors Thomas DeNapoli and Andrew Hodgson and senior Andrew Wascavage continued streaks – DeNapoli and Hodgson each have a point in 13 consecutive games, while Wascavage has made 10+ saves in 13 straight contests.

College Men’s Lacrosse: Towson 9, UMass 5
UMass (5-6, 0-3 CAA) 0-1-1-3/5
Towson (7-5, 3-0 CAA) 0-2-4-3/9

GOALS: UMASS – Smith, Whippen, Mooney, Fleming, Manny; TOW – Grimaldi 3, Cuccinello 2, Zoppo, DeNapoli, Dobyns, McCarty. ASSISTS: UMASS – Smith, Sokol; TOW – Zoppo 2, Grimaldi, Hodgson. SAVES: UMASS – Oliveri (10, 60:00, 9 GA); TOW – Wascavage (20, 60:00, 5 GA). SHOTS: UMASS – 40, TOW – 35. GROUND BALLS: UMASS – 25, TOW – 20. FACE-OFFS: UMASS – 13-18; TOW – 5-18. CLEARS: UMASS – 12-12; TOW – 22-25. EMO: UMASS – 2-3; TOW – 0-2. ATT: 1027.

Opening Face-Off
Both teams are coming off a 7-6 decision last week. Towson defeated then-No. 15 Hofstra at home on Saturday, while UMass fell at St. Joseph’s. The game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. and can be heard live on the Towson Sports Network on www.towsontigers.com with Spiro Morekas and former Tiger midfielder Hunter Lochte calling the action. 

Updating the Tigers
Towson won its third-straight game on Saturday with the 7-6 victory over Hofstra. Senior Andrew Wascavage made a season-best 19 saves and junior Andrew Hodgson and sophomore Justin Mabus each scored four points in the win. Thomas DeNapoli leads the CAA in goals per game (2.55) and is third in points per game (3.45). Wascavage’s 13.82 saves per game rank first in the league and his .608 save percentage is third. 

Last Time Out vs. UMass – May 2, 2012 (No. 1 UMass 10, Towson 3)
Towson finished its season in the CAA semifinals against then- No. 1 UMass with a 10-3 loss. The Minutemen kept the Tigers off the board until 2:50 in the third quarter, scoring six goals themselves. Sean Maguire, Matt Lamon and Andrew Hodgson each scored a goal for Towson. Justin Mabus led the Tigers with two assists. Art Kell (3) and Colin Fleming (4) had hat tricks for UMass, and Will Manny totaled five assists. Andrew Wascavage made 11 saves for Towson, while Tim McCormack stopped eight shots for UMass.
Towson-UMass Series History
Although this series began in 1963, it is a short one. After UMass claimed a 7-3 win on March 28, 1963, the Minutemen and the Tigers did not play again until 2010. Towson won both games played that season, but UMass has won the last three consecutive meetings by a combined score of 33-14.

Towson-UMass By the Numbers