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--No this is not an April Fool's Joke
@Towson_MLAX trailed 9-3 with a little less than 12 minutes to play in the fourth quarter. As many times as Towson's offense has ignited late (sometimes too late) in the fourth, I don't think anybody was ready for what happened next.
Towson would stage a furious fourth quarter rally -- capped off by sophomore Thomas Denapoli's second-to-last-second shot to tie the game with two seconds left in regulation. The Tigers and the Pride needed not one, but two over time period to determine the winner.
A stun of disbelief followed freshman Justin Mabus' go-ahead score with 38 seconds left to win the game for the Tigers.
“This team never gives up,” said Towson Coach Shawn Nadelen. “Even though we were down by six goals, we just kept playing hard. We got some momentum and we kept winning faceoffs. The closer we got, the more excited we became.”
Before the Tigers traveled to Hofstra, I had a few questions to watch for, along with a few predictions I had on the game.
1. The Tigers seem to be coming into their offensive identity. Both Towson and Hofstra are decent scoring teams, but will Towson win this game by outshooting the Pride?
My Thoughts: Yes, but they won't win BECAUSE of that. The Tigers' offensive system put in place by former Navy offensive coordinator Anthony Gilardi is built almost like a guard-driven offense in basketball. The system is dictated by good ball movement to set up shots from certain scoring lanes, and when the Tigers handle the ball well they're able to deliver fewer shots but score more goals.
What Happened: Not Exactly. The Tigers and Pride shot ALMOST exactly identical totals (Towson with 31, Hofstra with 30) but the Tigers offense really came alive late in the game and the numbers showed it. Towson outshot Hofstra 15-5 in the fourth quarter plus two overtimes...including an 11-0 margin favoring the Tigers in the fourth quarter. Towson outscored Hofstra 7-2 during this time.
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2. How will the atmosphere playing in Long Island affect the Tigers?
My Thoughts: It will be tough. This will be their most challenging road environment. Loyola and JHU were elite teams to face on the road, but they stayed in Baltimore. Playing in an atmosphere like Long Island is similar but to a lesser degree of New York, Pennsylvania and New England teams must feel when they visit Baltimore.
What Happened: This team fought with a harder spirit than almost any team I've seen compete all year. To travel to a hostile environment and pull off one of the greastest comebacks in Tiger history puts this win up right there with Towson Football's 4th and 29 comeback at Old Dominion this past season.
Towson won over a lot of critic with this win -- I'd almost go as far as to say they're the best team in the conference (although I'm sure Drexel and Umass wouldn't like to hear that.) A win at home against UMBC will be an electric local match up and could carry enough momentum for the Tigers to make a run through the CAA tournament.
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3. Will the Tigers (5-3. 1-0 CAA) beat Hofstra (4-4, 1-1)?
My Thoughts: Yes. Conventional wisdom would say no - the odds don't look great, being a young roster, traveling to a strange place. But the Pride is still licking its wounds after a close matchup with Drexel and Towson is riding a three game winning streak after just beating their arch-rival. I think Towson's momentum and growth offensively will cancel out Hofstra's homefield advantage.
Towson 9 - Hofstra 6
What Happened? See above. On to UMBC.
Towson 10 - Hofstra 9
--Eat Mor Chikin
Towson's Lacrosse teams are now 2-0 over Delaware this year. A week following the Men's team winning their CAA opener over the Blue Hens, Women's Lax disposed of their conference rivals yesterday, with a 10-8 home win at Johnny Unitas Stadium
