In Wednesday’s play-in game, Towson lit up Hobart. That’s the only way of saying it when Hobart barely touched the ball offensively and the Tigers had 33 shots on goal in the first 31 minutes of play. The win has earned Towson a trip west to the Rockies to take on the defending NCAA Division-I Champs: the DU Pioneers.
If this matchup weren’t filled with controversy, then it wouldn’t be lacrosse. To start, the Pios are 13-2 on the season and undefeated in their regular season conference games. Trevor Baptiste has taken control of faceoffs once again to help lead DU in their repeat pursuit. Coach Tierney is the only coach in NCAA lacrosse history to win a championship with two different teams, and has made a truly authentic impact in Denver lacrosse.
The last time Towson made it to the big dance was under the helm of coach Tony Seaman. Back then, their squad was inconsistent throughout the season and surprised the lacrosse tournament with a phenomenal postseason performance.
Let’s get into the meat of Sunday’s matchup:
The Pioneers and Tigers have had drastically different schedules this season. Towson played lower caliber opponents the majority of the season, which were great confidence boosters. Their performances against Ohio State, Hofstra, Loyola and UMBC were the big shockers of their track record coming out with victories. They only lost to Johns Hopkins and University of Delaware, both very formidable opponents.
Denver had a heck of a season slate with opponents such as UNC, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Marquette, Air Force and Georgetown. Whereas Towson’s losses were acceptable, the Pio’s two losses were throwaways to Penn State in Dallas and Marquette in the BIG EAST Championship. Penn State came out blazing and never gave DU the chance to recover, and Marquette’s comeback could also be called an inexperienced let go by the Pioneers.
Which leads to the next point: roster ages.
Denver boasts a young roster for the first time in two years. Whereas their championship win in 2015 was led by a squad of mostly seniors, freshmen and sophomores have been left to fill many voids in 2016. That’s no easy task and shouldn’t be taken lightly. For the young roster of DU to have proven themselves thus far is a fantastic feat. The only two losses being young-gun types are formidable.
Towson holds a squad of mostly seniors. This is their time to shine, and nothing short of giving their all will suffice. That’s the way a sports team works, and an athlete’s mentality runs. The difference maker for the Tigers this year is unlike the Tony Seaman era, Denver (and the rest of the NCAA) knows the Tigers are hungry. Whereas Coach Seaman was able to surprise opponents, Shawn Nadelen’s squad is on radars.
Teams on radars are Denver’s specialty. They know to watch them, study them, ingest and digest every particle of the opponent’s gameplay and being. It’s teams like Penn State who come out of nowhere that shock DU.
The Tigers specialty is creating momentum, which they certainly did on Wednesday. Whereas they opened the season with a 4-2 win over Hobart, they closed Hobart out with an 18-5 blowout. Their offensive ball control and attacking the net were unmatched performances earlier in the season.
It’s the offensive attack of the net that should concern Tierney’s team. Teams like Ohio State, Notre Dame and UNC who constantly attack the cage have been the biggest threats to the Pio’s season.
Towson’s J Andrew Spallanzani (8-12) and Matthew Pedicine (4-8) surprised everybody with their faceoff performances against Hobart. They will absolutely have to keep up the threat at faceoff if they even plan to attempt a stand against Trevor Baptiste. Both Tigers were killer with technique, whereas Baptiste’s technique is beat the clamp, and kick and box out from there. His speed matches their technique, which will be true tests.
Though Alex Ready has consistently shown the lacrosse world he’s a true freshman starter, the question becomes can Towson’s defense stand up against Denver’s offense? Denver is also known to attack the net a lot and contain possession. Towson’s defense will have to make one of their biggest stances this Sunday.
Altitude. The Tigers are traveling higher in elevation, which, no matter athlete or average human, plays a toll on the body. Can Towson keep up cardiovascular-wise?
The big question here is: Can Towson repeat their Wednesday performance again four days later with travel? Or did they gas themselves in one game while DU had time to rest and plan?
Epic showdown at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium Sunday at 1:00 p.m. MST/3:00 p.m. EST.
