Emmitsburg, Md. - Behind hat tricks from junior co-captain Thomas DeNapoli and junior Andrew Hodgson, Towson men’s lacrosse (2-3) recorded a 13-5 win over Mount St. Mary’s (2-3) Saturday evening at Waldron Family Stadium.
“We knew it was going to be a battle tonight,” said head coach Shawn Nadelen. “They are extremely explosive offensively and well-coached defensively. I was really proud of the way our guys came out energy-wise. We didn’t give [the Mount] easy looks or easy breaks.”
The Tigers scored six straight goals in the third and fourth quarters and kept the Mount off the board in the fourth to secure the win. DeNapoli posted a four-point night, adding an assist to his three goals.
Senior Andrew Wascavage made 12 saves on the evening, many of them point-blank.
“I think a difference in the game was Andrew Wascavage’s play,” continued Nadelen. “He was a backbone for us. He made a ton of key stops in tight. He was just fantastic. He definitely deserves a game ball for today.”
Brett Schmidt’s two goals and one assist paced the Mount. Adam Borgogelli had eight saves in net for the Mountaineers.
The Mount took an early 1-0 lead after Schmidt scored top-shelf on an extra-man opportunity at 13:21. But freshman Brian Bolewicki notched his first career goal at 11:23 on a bounce shot from distance to tie the game at 1-1. The Mount’s Andrew Scalley and Hodgson traded goals to keep the score knotted, 2-2, at 3:21.
Towson opened the second quarter with a DeNapoli goal at 14:36 to give the Tigers their first lead of the game. Junior Cory Dobyns increased Towson’s lead to 4-2 with 9:08 left in the second quarter when he ripped a shot right side as he fell to the ground for an extra-man tally. Sophomore Greg Cuccinello continued his charged offensive production this season, burying a shot past Borgogelli with 35.5 seconds left to give Towson a 5-2 cushion at the half.
Dobyns posted his sixth man-up goal of the year at 13:23 in the third after the Mount started the second half man-down due to a penalty at the very end of the second quarter. Towson led 6-2 until MSM scored three quick goals to trim the lead to 6-5. DeNapoli stemmed the tide at 9:23 to keep the Tigers out in front, 7-5, and Hodgson scored his second of the game with 43.2 seconds remaining in the third frame.
“One of the things our guys do well is not get rattled when teams go on runs,” said Nadelen. “Our guys believe in themselves. We need to work on not letting teams get those runs, getting defensive stops and face-off wins. But I’m proud of our guys tonight.”
DeNapoli recorded his third straight hat trick with his unassisted goal at 13:59 in the fourth. Sophomore Ben McCarty (two goals), senior Matt Hughes, and Hodgson all scored in the fourth quarter as part of the six-goal run.
Towson returns to action on Friday, March 8 when the Tigers host Marist at 7 p.m. in Johnny Unitas® Stadium.
NOTES:
Saturday’s win marked Towson’s biggest victory since March 24, 2012 when the Tigers defeated Delaware 13-8 at home … It is the Tigers’ largest road victory since March 5, 2011 at Mount St. Mary’s when Towson posted an 11-3 win … Towson now leads the all-time series 8-1 and is a perfect 4-0 at Mount St. Mary’s … freshman Brian Bolewicki scored his first collegiate goal and had a career-best three-point evening … sophomore Cory Dobynsnow has six man-up goals on the year … he has 10 goals total.
