The Game: Towson (0-0, 0-0 CAA) at No. 13/5 Johns Hopkins (0-1, 0-0 B10)
When: Tues., Feb. 6 – 4 p.m.
Where: Homewood Field – Baltimore, Md.
Broadcast: ESPNU/WatchESPN
Radio Broadcast: Towsontigers.com
Series: Johns Hopkins leads 43-6
 
BALTIMORE – The Towson University men's lacrosse team is ready to begin the 2024 campaign with a five-mile trip to Baltimore to challenge No. 13/5 Johns Hopkins on Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 4 p.m.
 
This contest will also be broadcast nationally on ESPNU, with Mark Dixon and Quint Kessenich on the call.  ESPNU is also available via subscription on WatchESPN.  Spiro Morekas and Glenn Smith will also have the radio call on towsontigers.com live from Homewood Field.
 
This is Towson's season opener, coming off a 6-9 season in 2023, including a 5-2 tally in the Coastal Athletic Association.  Johns Hopkins is playing its second game, falling to #15/13 Denver 13-12 in overtime on Saturday, having gone 12-6 overall and 4-1 in the Big Ten last season.  Johns Hopkins stands at No. 13 in the USILA Coaches Poll and No. 5 in the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.
 
In a series which began in 1976, Johns Hopkins leads all-time vs. Towson 43-6.  Last meeting on Feb. 11, 2022, Hopkins won at Towson 18-12, its second straight win in the series.  Towson's last victory vs. the Blue Jays came on Feb. 9, 2019, a 17-8 victory at Unitas Stadium.
 
Towson will play its first three games, and five of its first six contests, against Maryland-based opponents.  All five games against local foes will be in the Greater Baltimore area.
 
This is a return for Towson head coach Shawn Nadelen, and 2001 All-American and four-year starter at Johns Hopkins from 1998-01.
 
 
BARSZ - CAA PRESEASON DEF. PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Colby Barsz was selected as the CAA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year by the league's head coaches.  He is the first Tiger to earn this honor since Koby Smith in 2021.
 
A two-time First Team All-CAA honoree, Barsz was tied for the team lead in caused turnovers last season with 18, adding 22 ground balls.
 
FOUR TIGERS EARN PRESEASON ALL-CAA
Four Tigers earned 2024 Preseason All-CAA recognition in the preseason coaches poll: Colby Barsz, Matt Constantinides, Nick DeMaio and Josh Webber.
 
Constantinides, a two-time All-CAA Second Team player, was the lone faceoff specialist on the 2024 Preseason All-CAA Team, winning 56.1% of faceoffs and scooping 116 ground balls.
 
DeMaio earned 2023 All-CAA Second Team last season as Towson's scoring leader off 29 goals and 21 assists.
 
Webber picked up 2023 All-CAA Second Team as a starter in the first midfield, tallying 12 goals, 12 assists, 19 ground balls and eight caused turnovers.
 
In addition, Mikey Weisshaar was Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention.  Weisshaar picked up 17 goals, eight assists and 15 ground balls last season.
 
TOWSON PREDICTED TO FINISH THIRD IN CAA
Towson has been predicted to finish third in the CAA preseason coaches poll.  Towson received 37 points overall, coming off a tie for second place in the conference last year after notching five league victories.
2024 CAA Men's Lacrosse Preseason Poll
Team (1st)                  Points
1. Delaware (5)              48
2. Stony Brook (2)         43
3. Towson                     37
4. Drexel                        31
5. Hofstra                       26
6. Fairfield                      19
7. Monmouth                  13
8. Hampton                     7
 
PROGRAM APPROACHING 500TH VICTORY
Towson, which established varsity men's lacrosse in 1959, is just two wins away from 500 as a program.  Since the establishment under coach Billy Hooper in 1959, Towson has a program record of 498-379.
 
The Tigers are 348-273 since beginning DI play in 1980.  Last season, Shawn Nadelen earned his 100th victory as Towson head coach, holding a 102-82 career record.
 
BATTLING IN THE HOME STATE
Towson will be taking on five of the six other Division I men's lacrosse programs in the opening six games of the season with all games occurring in the Greater Baltimore area. 
 
The Tigers play at Johns Hopkins (2/6), vs. Mount St. Mary's (2/10), vs. Navy (2/17), at Loyola (2/27) and vs. UMBC (3/2).
 
CONSTANTINIDES ENTERS TOP-10 IN TOWSON HISTORY IN FACEOFFS
Towson's primary faceoff man the past two years, Matt Constantinides stands eighth in program history with 354 faceoff wins.  This includes 207 wins in 2023.
 
Constantinides needs three faceoff wins to tie for seventh in program history with Ben DeFelice, who had 357 wins from 2001-04, and six to tie for sixth with Mitchell Rosensweig, who had 360 wins from 2006-09.  Towson's all-time leader in faceoff wins is Alex Woodall, who had 583 from 2017-19.
 
He is also 12 ground balls from being in the top-10 in Towson history, currently standing 202.  Rosensweig had 214 from 2006-09.
 
THREE TIGERS SELECTED AS CAPTAINS
Towson has picked three captains for the 2023 campaign.  All are captains for the first time.
Colby Barsz (Sr. D)
--Two-time All-CAA First Team on defense
Ray Glass (Sr. SSDM)
--2023 Joseph Ferrante Memorial Scholarship recipient
Josh Webber (Sr. M)
--2023 All-CAA Second Team midfielder
 
GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
Despite the departure of leading goal scorer Kyle Berkeley, Towson returns its next six top goal scorers from last season to bolster the offensive ranks.
 
Nick DeMaio led the team in assists and points with 29 goals and 21 assists for 50 points.  The next two goal scorers, each freshmen last season, were Joaquin Villagomez (27) and Mikey Weisshaar (17), followed by Josh Webber (12) and Chop Gallagher (8).
 
HONORING THE 1974 NATIONAL TITLE TEAM
2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1974 Towson State College national championship team in the College Division.
 
Captained by Jeff Clarke, Tom Moore and Wendell Thomas, the Tigers went 14-1 in 1974, defeating Hobart 18-17 in overtime in the Division II national title game.  Carl Runk earned DII Coach of the Year while Jim Darcangelo notched College Division Player of the Year while Wendell Thomas earned College Division Defenseman of the Year.
 
Towson will be honoring the 1974 national title team during the April 20 game vs. Monmouth.
 
FROM THE HOME STATE....
Of the 49-man Towson roster, 21 players reside in the home state of Maryland.  This includes seven players from Baltimore County: James Azbill (Catonsville), Matt Burnam (Nottingham), Ben Ellis Towson) and Ray Glass (Perry Hall).
 
....AND FROM DIFFERENT TIME ZONES
Towson players are represented in all time zones of the contiguous United States.  Including Maryland, Towson has representatives from 17 different states and Canada.
--Central Time Zone: Elijah Smith (Nebraska), Conor Spagnolli (Texas)
--Mountain Time Zone: Ethan Pearson (Colorado)
--Pacific Time Zone: Taz Delaney (California), Nick DeMaio (California), Chop Gallagher (Oregon), Bode Maurer (Washington)
 
BRINGING BACK THE STAFF
For the third straight season, Towson keeps its coaching staff in tact on the sideline.  Shawn Nadelen brings back Steve Grossi and Matt Musci as offensive and defensive coordinator respectively, plus elevated Andy Shilling from volunteer to full assistant coach.  Jordan Metzbower returns for her third year as director of lacrosse operations.
 
TIGERS IN THE PROS/NATIONAL TEAMS
Towson alumni have made their mark in the professional/national lacrosse ranks this past season.
PLL - Premier Lacrosse League (PLL)
--Ryan Drenner '17 - Cannons, PLL
       --2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023 PLL All-Star
       --USA Men's Box National Team player pool
--Zach Goodrich '19 - Cannons, PLL/Team USA
       --2021 and 2023 PLL All-Star
       --Gold medal in 2023 World Championship w/ team USA
       --2020 MLL Defensive Player of the Year
--Fred Lee '08 - Team New Zealand
       --Started five games in 2023 World Championship
--Koby Smith '22 - Atlas, PLL
    --Member of Atlas Sixes Team
 
ACTIVE POINT STREAKS (FIVE GAMES OR LONGER)
Player                          Games (Points)
Nick DeMaio              10 (37P - 20G, 17A)
--Started: Mar. 11, 2023 at Virginia
Joaquin Villagomez  10 (26P - 16G, 10A)
--Started: Mar. 11, 2023 at Virginia
Josh Webber             10 (23P - 11G, 12A)
--Started: Mar. 11, 2023 at Virginia
Mikey Weisshaar       8 (20P - 14G, 6A)
--Started: Mar. 25, 2023 vs. Fairfield
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT:
Johns Hopkins was the 6-seed in last year's NCAA Tournament, earning a trip to the quarterfinal round.
 
On offense, graduate student attack Jacob Angelus racked up three goals and three assists in the season opener for 138 career points.  A 2023 USILA Honorable Mention All-American, senior attack Russell Melendez had a goal and an assist in the first game.
 
A couple of 2024 USA Lacrosse Preseason All-America Team member defend in front of the goal: senior SSDM Brett Martin has 30 career caused turnovers while classmate close defenseman Scott Smith finished with four ground balls and a caused turnover vs. Denver.
 
In goal is Cornell graduate transfer Chayse Ierlan, a 2023 USILA Honorable Mention All-American with the Big Red, who made 12 saves and allowed 13 goals in the Saturday opener.
 
SERIES HISTORY - vs. JOHNS HOPKINS
Series record: Johns Hopkins leads 43-6
    --Streak: Johns Hopkins has won last two
    --in Towson: JHU leads 21-4
    --in Baltimore: JHU leads 22-2
    --Neutral Sites: No games
 
First Meeting: March 27, 1976 - Baltimore, Md.
--Johns Hopkins 15-8
 
Last 10 Meetings (latest to earliest):
Date                Location                      Result             
2/11/22            Towson, Md.               L, 12-18
2/8/20              Baltimore, Md.            L, 7-15
2/9/19              Towson, Md.               W, 17-8
2/10/18            Baltimore, Md.            L, 6-14
3/11/17            Towson, Md.               W, 13-8
3/12/16            Baltimore, Md.            L, 8-14
2/10/15            Towson, Md.               W, 7-5
2/15/14            Baltimore, Md.            L, 8-15
2/16/13            Towson, Md.               L, 6-12
2/17/12            Baltimore, Md.            L, 6-12