Towson punches ticket to second straight CAA final in overtime win over Hofstra

By Kylie Jones, Staff Writer and Tommy Pelle, Deputy Sports Editor

The Towson Tigers punched their ticket to the CAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship after a thrilling overtime victory against the Hofstra Pride in the CAA tournament opener at Johnny Unitas Stadium. 

The Tigers entered the match riding an eight game winning streak, including a perfect sweep in all of their conference games. Towson also notched several CAA awards, tallying in a number of accolades for the team as they headed into the postseason. 

CAA Offensive Player of the Year Mikey Weisshaar notched the first goal for the Tigers in under 30 seconds of playing time. The Pride offered a quick retort, scoring in the following minute. 

Towson took advantage of a man-up opportunity, with midfielder Chop Gallagher adding a goal of his own, assisted by Weisshaar. Less than a minute later, CAA Rookie of the Year Ronan Fitzpatrick found the back of the net, giving Towson the 3-1 lead with 9:34 to go. 

Hofstra added another goal of their own, but it didn’t stop the Tigers from remaining an offensive threat. With just five minutes to go in the first, Weisshaar scored another for Towson– this time, his 100th career goal. 

“He’s [Weisshaar] got to work for it because he gets a lot of attention,” said Head Coach and CAA Co-Coach of the Year Shawn Nadelen. “It’s something that doesn’t come easy but he embraces the challenge.”

To close out the first quarter, both teams began to step up their physicality– but this would find many Tigers in the penalty box. The Pride took advantage of the man-up opportunity, scoring one with just 20 seconds to go. 

Towson entered the second quarter with the narrow 4-3 lead, and in the first minute, Hofstra’s Trevor Natalie would bring the game to a draw. 

The Tigers let their frustrations show as Elijah Smith found his way to the penalty box, allowing Hofstra to take control of the game. The Pride controlled the game offensively for the opening five minutes of the second quarter, shooting six attempts on goal to Towson’s zero. 

With nine minutes to go, Fitzpatrick mustered the first Tigers shot attempt of the quarter, but it was saved by Hofstra’s Shea Kennedy, who notched seven total saves in the half.

After an 11 minute scoring drought, Hofstra’s Lorenzo Varona broke the silence to give the Pride the 5-4 lead.

However, in true CAA Offensive Player of the Year fashion, Weisshaar added a third goal in the half, earning himself a first-half hat trick. Weisshaar’s goal was the last one of the half, sending the teams into halftime with a 5-5 tie. 

“I expect very highly of myself,” said Weisshaar. “I go out there and play my heart out every time.”

The second half kicked off almost exactly like the first half. Weisshaar got his fourth goal of the game with just 40 seconds off the clock. However, just like the first half as well, Hofstra’s Natalie responded with his own goal, tying things back up at 6-6.

The ensuing six minutes would all go Hofstra’s way. Four goals flipped a 6-6 tie into a 9-6 lead for the Pride.

Towson attackers Ronan Fitzpatrick and Ryan Schrier added two goals to reduce their deficit to 9-8 at the end of the quarter. 

“We weren’t as sharp,” said Nadelen. “Our guys are ultra competitive and our backs were against the wall, and I think they felt that.”

Entering the fourth quarter, the Tigers faced an up-hill battle. This season, when losing going into the fourth quarter, Towson was 2-6. Hofstra was a perfect 6-0.

With just over 11 minutes left in regulation, the Tigers scored two back-to-back goals, flipping the game’s momentum back in Towson’s favor. Weisshaar sniped the top left corner of the goal to give the Tigers a 10-9 lead. 

In the fourth quarter, Hofstra’s goalie Kennedy kept the Pride in the game. Towson’s offense fired off 15 shots, the most from either team in any quarter so far in the game. Kennedy stood tall in the net, saving eight shots to set a career record 19 saves in the game. 

“Phenomenal,” said Nadelen about Kennedy. “We knew coming in, facing them [Hofstra] a couple of days ago, he was going to be a big test for us…”

Kennedy’s heroics opened the door for a Hofstra equalizer late in the quarter. The Pride’s Drew Bogardus tied the game at 11-11 with just under 2:28 left to play. Despite last ditch efforts from the Tigers, time ran out with the game still tied at 11-11.

Heading into overtime, Towson was awarded some help from a critical penalty on Hofstra’s Matt Vilas. The Tigers maintained possession while also starting a man up.

Towson’s offense continued to put the pressure on as they did in the fourth quarter. With 1:43 left to play, Hofstra’s defense cracked, with a skipped shot from Bode Maurer finding the back of the net, walking it off for the Tigers 11-10.

Weisshaar had a dominant performance on the day, scoring eight points with five goals and three assists. Fitzpatrick and Maurer both finished with two goals apiece.

With their win, the Tigers advance to their second straight CAA Final, facing the #3 seeded Drexel Dragons who upset #2 Fairfield 14-6. The Final will take place on May 3, with faceoff scheduled for 3:30 pm.