TIGERS CAPTURE CAA TITLE WITH 9-4 WIN OVER HOF

Strong Second Half Leads Towson to Second Straight CAA Title 

TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University women’s lacrosse team used a 5-0 run to close out the game and claim a 9-4 victory over Hofstra University in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Championship game Sunday afternoon. The Tigers (10-8) claimed their second straight CAA title and fifth since 2005 with the victory.

Junior defender Kaitlin Sheridan was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Sheridan was joined on the all-tournament team by graduate attacker Jackie LaMonica, redshirt junior attacker Ashleigh Rohrback and sophomore goalkeeper Kelsea Donnelly.

“A fantastic performance from our team today and they played great lacrosse and really played as a unit,” said Towson coach Sonia LaMonica. “We said at the beginning of the year we wanted to compete in each game and we really did that today.”

Towson opened the game by scoring the first two goals. LaMonica and senior midfielder Sarah Hogan scored as the Tigers held an early lead with 22:02 to play in the half. The final 20 minutes of the first half proved to be a back and forth affair as the Tigers and Pride (11-8) traded goals. LaMonica’s second goal of the game gave Towson a 4-2 lead with 12:33 remaining in the half. However, Hofstra answered with a Brittain Altomare goal with 9:40 left, which made it a 4-3 game. Towson took that 4-3 lead into the intermission.

Hofstra outshot the Tigers 8-7 in the first 30 minutes of action as each team won four draw controls.

The Pride started the second half the same way they ended the first half with a goal from Altomare. Altomare’s goal made it a 4-4 game with 26:55 to play.

The Tigers regained their lead in the 25^th minute. Junior midfielder Rhiannon Coogle forced a Hofstra turnover on a clear attempt and scored on the play. That goal gave the Tigers a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way.

Just 3:33 later, the Tigers added to their lead as sophomore attacker Paige Duncan scored off an assist from Rohrback. Senior attacker Olivia Turner scored three times in the final 16 and a half minutes for the Tigers, which gave the home tea a 9-4 advantage. Turner’s hat trick was her third of the year as all three goals were assisted by Rohrback.

Hofstra had one last shot at a goal with 1:06 to play but Donnelly was able to come up with the save and the Tigers ran the clock out.

Donnelly made seven saves to earn the win in goal for the Tigers. Kelsey Gregerson made three saves in the loss for Hofstra.

The Tigers outshot the Pride 9-7 in the second half and finished the game with a 16-15 advantage. Towson controlled four of the seven draw controls in the second half and finished the game with an 8-7 edge.

Turner led the Tigers with three goals while LaMonica added two goals. Rohrback had a goal and matched her career-high with four assists.

Altomare finished with two goals to lead the Pride.

The Tigers receive the CAA’s automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Tournament with the win. The NCAA field will be announced at 9 p.m. tonight.

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — On the day when the Ravens were wrapping up their mandatory rookie minicamp, coach John Harbaugh answered questions about the return of his starting left tackle and oldest player on the roster.

After agreeing to a two-year deal worth a maximum of $7 million to remain in Baltimore on Thursday, Bryant McKinnie, 33, is expected to come to town this week to finalize the contract and begin offseason workouts. His return means the Ravens have now retained four of five starters from their Super Bowl XLVII offensive line, with only 15-year veteran Matt Birk departing due to retirement.

The Ravens had publicly entertained thoughts of moving second-year lineman Kelechi Osemele to left tackle, but a new contract for McKinnie means Baltimore can keep Osemele at left guard, solidifying another position that would have been a question mark had the 2012 second-round pick made the position change.

“Having Bryant back is a big plus for us. We were hoping that would be the case,” Harbaugh said. “I’m looking forward to seeing him next week and getting him in here and going to work. We want our line to be as strong as it can possibly be and that makes us stronger.”

Harbaugh, run-game coordinator Juan Castillo, and other members of the organization kept in touch with McKinnie throughout the offseason, even when it appeared they had little interest in bringing back the 2002 first-round pick. The Ravens’ involvement in negotiating with McKinnie spiked after they were unable to come away with a left tackle of the future in last weekend’s draft and saw San Diego and Miami make contract offers to his agent Michael George.

Asked if he’s been pleased with what McKinnie has told him in terms of his activity and conditioning level this offseason, Harbaugh spoke in generic terms since he hasn’t seen the left tackle since the end of last season. Specific details of McKinnie’s deal hadn’t been reported as of Sunday afternoon, but it’s believed there will be some incentives related to workouts and playing time.

There was plenty of speculation that McKinnie found his way into Harbaugh’s doghouse last season as he didn’t start a game until the playoffs, but the Baltimore coach reached out to the 354-pound lineman earlier this offseason to make it known that he wanted McKinnie to stay with the Ravens in 2013.

“I’m always pleased with conversations with Bryant McKinnie,” Harbaugh said. “I enjoy talking to Bryant. He’s one of my favorite guys. He’s a sterling conversationalist. We talk a lot about stuff, a lot of different things — a broad range of topics. I always enjoy that. I think he does as well.”

Spagnuolo’s role a work in progress

Sunday marked the first time Harbaugh commented publicly on the hiring of former St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo as a senior defensive assistant, and it appears his role will remain fluid as the offseason moves into training camp and the start of the regular season.

The pair spent seven seasons working together as assistants for the Philadelphia Eagles before Spagnuolo moved on to become the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants and ultimately the head coach in St. Louis from 2009 through 2011. Spagnuolo spent last season as the defensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints but was fired after his unit finished last in yards allowed and 31st in points surrendered.

“His accomplishments speak for themselves. I think it adds to an already very strong staff and just makes us that much better,” Harbaugh said. “The more great coaches and great players that we can build into what we’re doing, the better we’re going to be. He’ll build into the defensive side, he’ll assist where needed, and I think we’ll build that in as we go. He can really work with any position, so it’s a big plus for us.”

Given the 53-year-old Spagnuolo’s impressive resume aside from working with an overmatched New Orleans defense a year ago, it will be interesting to see how closely he works with defensive coordinator Dean Pees and whether his longstanding relationship with Harbaugh may put him in line to be the eventual replacement for the 63-year-old.

Elam impresses early

Sunday offered the media’s first glimpse at first-round safety Matt Elam in a Ravens uniform and the University of Florida product didn’t disappoint, showing good speed and nearly picking off a pass during 11-on-11 drills.

Harbaugh even pointed to some of the leadership traits Elam exuded with the Gators that already were carrying over to the practice field in Owings Mills this weekend.

“Matt really picked things up quickly. He really did a nice job of communicating in the back end, which is not usual for a rookie,” Harbaugh said. “Most rookie defensive backs — even all defensive players — have a tough time with the communication part of it because they’re not confident enough to make the calls. He’s smart. He picked it up quickly, he jumped right back there and made the calls with force and played fast. He looked good.”

Odds & ends

Sunday featured an impressive moment for the Towson Tigers football program as quarterback Grant Enders — invited to try out this weekend — connected with wide receiver Gerrard Sheppard on the final play of Sunday’s practice. However, Enders was also the quarterback nearly picked off by Elam in 11-on-11 drills. “Enders and Sheppard looked really good in this camp,” Harbaugh said. “They are NFL-quality guys.” … Former Maryland tight end Matt Furstenburg caught a touchdown from University of Pittsburgh quarterback Tino Sunseri, who also tried out this weekend. … Second-round linebacker Arthur Brown of Kansas State showed impressive quickness dropping into coverage and blanketed running backs and tight ends running routes on a handful of plays. … Harbaugh said the Ravens are interested in bringing in another kicker who can handle punting and placekicking duties to share reps with kicker Justin Tucker and punter Sam Koch during training camp.

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.

University Park, Pa. – Sophomore Ben McCarty scored a career-best six goals to lead Towson men’s lacrosse (9-7) over Drexel (11-4), 11-8, and into the CAA Finals Wednesday evening at PSU Lacrosse Field.

McCarty’s six goals led all scorers. Junior Andrew Hodgson contributed two goals, while sophomore Justin Mabus had three assists. Senior Andrew Wascavage made 14 saves for Towson. Robert Church led Drexel with five points (3g, 2a).

The Tigers advance to the CAA Finals for the first time since 2010 when they defeated UMass in the semifinals before falling to Delaware in the championship game.

Towson’s McCarty opened the scoring with an unassisted goal at 11:27 when he beat Drexel’s Cal Winkelman top left. Drexel quickly equalized at 10:41 when McIntosh received a feed from behind the goal and snuck a shot past Wascavage high left.

But the Tigers reeled off two quick scores to take a 3-1 lead at 8:26 when DeNapoli notched his 39^th of the season at 9:38 and McCarty found the back of the net again. Drexel’s Hank Brown kept the Dragons in it with a tally at 7:51. Sophomore Rob Zoppo added a goal for Towson at 3:18 off a pass from classmate Cory Dobyns to increase the Tigers’ lead to two, 4-2.

Towson opened the second quarter with an EMO goal from Hodgson, assist to sophomore Mabus, after Drexel was called for delay of game – a 30-second penalty. Senior Matt Hughes extended the advantage to 6-2 with his sixth goal of the year at 11:52 when he scored from just outside the crease.

McCarty notched his first career hat trick at 5:38 in the second to give the Tigers a five-goal lead, 7-2, and continued his offensive explosion at 1:14 when an extra-man goal from just outside the crease off a dish from Mabus.

The Tigers kept rolling to start the third quarter when Hodgson took a pass from DeNapoli and fired a shot from distance past Winkelman to put Towson up 9-3 at 12:36. However, Drexel mounted a comeback over the next four minutes. The Dragons’ fourth goal came off an odd play. Drexel committed a turnover but the ball was checked out of a Tiger defender’s stick and rolled in the goal. It was credited to Church at 11:25. He scored two more times – at 8:50 when his bounce shot skidded in and then again six seconds later off a face-off.

But McCarty stopped the Dragons’ rally with his fifth goal at 8:00 to keep Towson in front, 10-6. The Dragons didn’t go away. After Towson was called for off-sides, Chris Frederick caught a pass just outside the crease and scored. McIntosh scored his second at 3:05 in the third on an EMO chance to inch the Dragons to within two, 10-8.

McCarty equaled his season goal total (6) when he scored on a man-up opportunity at 10:37 in the fourth off a Mabus pass to give Towson some more breathing room, 11-8. The Tigers’ defense held Drexel scoreless in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

The Tigers will face No. 1 Penn State in the 2013 CAA Tournament final on Friday, May 3 at 3 p.m.

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.

DEFENSE DOMINATES TIGER BOWL III AS BLACK DEFEATS GOLD, 7-0

TOWSON, Md. – Since Tiger Bowl III was dominated by the defenses, it was somewhat appropriate that a huge defensive play set up the only touchdown of the game.

Early in the fourth quarter, safety Thomas Bradley of the Black team intercepted a pass at the Gold team’s 30-yard line and returned it to the two-yard line. Three plays later, quarterback Price Litton scored on a one-yard run to the Black team a 6-0 lead. Drew Evangelista’s conversion kick gave the Black team a 7-0 lead.

In a game in which the offenses combined for 417 yards, there were five turnovers and three missed field goal attempts.

“We didn’t have any ambulances coming on the field and nobody got carried off the field injured,” said Coach Rob Ambrose. “So I am happy.”

Bradley, who started at strong safety last season as a sophomore, was one of the defensive stars of Tiger Bowl III. He made a game high 12 tackles and had the interception and 28-yard return.

“Thomas has done well this spring,” said Ambrose. “He has grown into his role and he has grown into a young man. He will be an important player on our defense this season.”

All six quarterbacks on the roster saw action in Tiger Bowl III and the results were not what Ambrose was hoping for.

“Every one of our quarterbacks has potential and the ability to lead our football team,” he said. “However, I am disappointed in the lack of consistency. Whoever shows the ability to execute the game plan successfully without turning the ball over and without making mistakes will be our quarterback.”

Senior Peter Athens was the most productive quarterback in Tiger Bowl III. He completed 17 of 21 passes for 174 yards. He also ran for nine yards six carries. Junior Joe Brennan, a transfer from Wisconsin, completed 5 of 11 passes for 57 yards but he was sacked five times.

Litton completed five of six passes for 52 yards while Ryan Egolf threw one incomplete pass. Freshman Heath Dahlgren completed his only pass for 12 yards while sophomore Connor Frazier was 5-for-10 for 57 yards with two interceptions.

“It’s probably not a good thing to read too much into this game,” cautioned Ambrose. “We had a number of regular starters who didn’t play in the game. For instance, Eric Pike didn’t play because of an injury. He is an All-American tackle who has started every game the last three years. When you take him out of the lineups, there are going to be more sacks.”

In fact, there were 10 sacks recorded in the Tiger Bowl. Sophomore defensive tackle Tungie Coker had four sacks while Syd Holt made two sacks.

Coker and defensive back Walt Dunston led the Gold team with six tackles each.

Sophomore Navassa Brown was the top ball carrier in the game. He ran for 61 yards on nine carries and had a 27-yard run. All-American Terrance West picked up 30 yards on seven carries for the Gold team.

Junior Spencer Wilkins led all players with seven catches for 61 yards while senior tight end James Oboh had a very strong performance. He caught five passes for 100 yards and had the longest play of the game when he hailed in a 35-yard reception.

“James Oboh showed what he can do today,” said Ambrose. “He has been growing into his role. James took a big step today because he kept making plays when he was tired. That was a great sign.”

Freshman Javani Rodriguez caught six passes for 89 yards to lead the Black team.

“This has been a very productive spring,” admitted Ambrose. “”We weren’t dealing with many of the distractions that we had last season. We were very focused. There was no conversation about sharing the Colonial Athletic Association championship. We are upset about what we didn’t do last year and the focus has been fantastic.”

Ambrose also added, “We have a very talented freshman class coming in. I can imagine that some of them will work their way on to the roster and contribute this season.”

The Tigers, who were 7-4 last season and shared the CAA championship, will open the 2013 season on August 30 when they visit the University of Connecticut.

TOWSON, Md. – Coming off back-to-back Colonial Athletic Association championship seasons, the Towson University football team will hold Tiger Bowl III on Saturday, April 27 at 11:30 a.m. on Minnegan Field at Johnny Unitas® Stadium.

Last year, the Tiger Bowl attracted more than 1,500 fans to Unitas Stadium. Admission to the Tiger Bowl is free and it is open to the public.

Current 2013 season ticket holders are invited to a prime location to enjoy Tiger Bowl III. Held in the back of the East end zone opposite the videoboard, this special area will feature complimentary sandwiches provided by Chick-fil-A at Towson Town Center and 2013 football posters.

A registration table will be located by the entrance of this premium location for all current season ticket holders to gain entrance into this area.

New season tickets can be purchased at the box office of Johnny Unitas® Stadium or online here. Only current or new season ticket holders will be allowed into this area.

As the season ticket renewal deadline approaches on April 27, fans are encouraged to contact the Towson Athletics Ticket Office at 1-855-TU-TIGER or renew online here.

Tiger Bowl III will conclude the Tiger football team’s spring season. The Tigers, who have posted a 16-7 record the last two seasons and have posted a 13-3 two-season CAA record, have a very strong nucleus returning. On offense, the Tigers will rely on an experienced offensive line which includes three All-CAA selections, rising seniors Eric Pike, Randall Harris and Doug Shaw. Running back Terrance West also returns after earning first team All-CAA honors twice.

Senior linebacker Monte Gaddis, cornerback Jordan Love and defensive tackle Arnold Farmer are some of the top veterans returning on the defense, a unit that led the CAA last season.

After the conclusion of Tiger Bowl III, the Tiger men’s lacrosse team will honor its seniors when the Tigers host St. Joseph’s in a vital CAA matchup in Unitas Stadium at 7 p.m. Tickets are available by calling 1-855-TU-TIGER or click here.

SCHEDULE

Saturday, April 27

7 a.m.               Tiger Football Captain’s Breakfast

11:30 a.m.          Tiger Bowl III; Admission is Free

2 p.m.               Towson Softball (second game of doubleheader) vs. George Mason; Admission is Free

2 p.m.               Towson Baseball vs. UNC Wilmington; Admission is Free

7 p.m.               Towson Men’s Lacrosse vs. St. Joseph’s; Senior Night

Opening Face-Off
With the loss at No. 17 Drexel last weekend, Towson secured the three seed in the 2013 CAA Tournament held at Penn State. Saint Joe’s is coming off a midweek loss to Marist, 14-6. 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 former Tiger midfielder Hunter Lochte calling the action.

Updating the Tigers
Towson’s six-goal tear in the third and fourth quarters couldn’t fully erase a nine-goal run Drexel put together on Saturday as the Tigers fell, 14-11, to the No. 17 Drexel Dragons. Junior Thomas DeNapoli scored six goals and added an assist to lead Towson. Seniors Andrew Wascavage and Jake Graves split time in net.

Scouting the Hawks
Saint Joesph’s is being out-scored by nearly 3.5 goals per game and are just 12-58 in extra-man opportunities. Opponents are winning the ground ball battle 438-361, causing more turnovers (104-88) and taking control at the “X,” winning 169-292 face-offs (.579). The Hawks come into today’s contest on a four-game losing streak. Pat Swanick (22g, 6a), Matthew Sarcona(14g, 5a) and Michael Dougherty (13g, 7a) are the three Hawks in double figures for goals.

Last Time Out vs. Saint Joseph‘s - April 28, 2012(SJU 6, Towson 3)
Nearly one year ago, Saint Joseph’s used a three-goal third quarter to pull away from Towson and claim a 6-3 win over the Tigers in Philadelphia. Rob Zoppo, Carl Iacona and Michael Brashears each scored a goal for Towson.Ryan McGee led all players with a hat trick and one assist for four points.

Towson-Saint Joseph’s Series History
This series is one of the newest in program history, which started in 2011 when the Hawks joined the CAA. The teams have split the series, each winning at home.

Towson-Saint Joseph’s By the Numbers

TOWSON, Md. – A former graduate assistant coach at the University of Maryland, Tyler Bowen has been named as an assistant coach for the Towson University football team, it has been announced by Head Coach Rob Ambrose.

He will serve as the Tigers’ tight ends coach.

A native of Helena, Ga., Bowen played three years of football for the Terrapins before becoming a student assistant coach for Ralph Friedgen in 2010. In his season as a student assistant, he helped Maryland post a 9-4 record and a win in the Military Bowl.

“Tyler Bowen is an incredible experienced and talented young coach who has learned from some of the greatest minds in college football,” says Coach Ambrose.  “His versatility and enthusiasm are already being felt by our players and staff.”

An offensive tackle whose career was hampered by injuries, Bowen was an All-State offensive lineman at Telfair County High School in Georgia. He was recruited by a number of major college programs before deciding to attend Maryland.

After the 2009 season, it was determined that he couldn’t play football anymore due to injury problems. At that point, he joined the Terrapins’ coaching staff.

After he received his degree in 2010, he joined Coach Randy Edsall’s staff as a graduate assistant. During his two seasons as a G.A. at Maryland, he worked with the offensive linemen and the wide receivers. He spent most of his time working with the offense. In his final season at Maryland, he coached for Mike Locksley, the Terps’ Offensive Coordinator and a 1992 graduate of Towson.