Towson Men’s Lacrosse prepares for tough upcoming home games with Loyola, Denver on the schedule
By: Katie Lange, Contributing Writer
Towson Men’s Lacrosse is preparing for two highly-anticipated games this season against Loyola University and the University of Denver on their home turf while adjusting to new starting attackmen and a new goalie.
The team is 1-2 so far through three games in the 2023 campaign. They opened their season with a win on the road against Mount St. Mary’s but fell to Saint Joseph’s and Richmond in their last two games.
The team kept their heads up after the tough loss at home against Saint Joseph’s and got back to practice ready to work. They made adjustments where they had issues against Saint Joseph’s in order to prepare for their next game at Richmond.
“We did really well, we just need to fix a few things and I think there’s nothing that we can’t bounce back from,” said Josh Webber, a junior midfielder for the Tigers.
Although Towson lost to Richmond last weekend in a hard-fought battle, they are looking ahead to play No. 7 Loyola this week at home. Last season, Towson took home the win over Loyola on the Greyhound’s turf.
This week’s game against Loyola means a lot to the players, as the schools are only five miles apart and both have successful lacrosse programs.
“We know a lot of those guys and it’s always good to play them during the season,” said grad student Austin Stewart, a midfielder. “Obviously, there’s some beef and competitiveness throughout the season leading up to the game so it’s always a battle on the field. Off the field you know we may have friendships, but on the field it’s war so there’s definitely going to be a good game this year. I’m looking forward to it.”
This week’s game is a big one for the Tigers and a great matchup that brings attention from all lacrosse viewers in Baltimore. However, Towson has another significant non-conference game this year with Denver coming to Johnny Unitas Stadium for the first time since 2019.
“We’re going to come out ready to go and do whatever we can to prepare for that game. I mean, coming here is far, so we are definitely going to have the home-field advantage,” Webber said.
Last year, the Towson Men’s Lacrosse team traveled to Denver and faced off on the high plains. The Tigers were leading the entire game up until the Pioneers took control in the last quarter and won the game 12-9.
This year, the Tigers are hoping to get revenge with Evan Long starting in the cage. However, new attackmen have been added to the list of starters that the Tigers need to adapt to in order to create more scoring opportunities.
“For all those guys, they’ve earned that opportunity. They’ve come in, they’ve proven themselves,” said Head Coach Shawn Nadelen. “Through practice they’ve worked hard so getting them on the field and making sure that we put them in position to be successful.”
The Towson Men’s Lacrosse team has scheduled tough out-of-conference opponents as they attempt to win the CAA Championship after they fell last year in the final against the University of Delaware.
Towson takes on Loyola on March 1 at 6 p.m. and the University of Denver on April 13 at 7 p.m. Both games will be at Johnny Unitas Stadium.
