|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
--Curtain Call
The Towson men's lacrosse team capped off the inaugural season under Shawn Nadelen - in the semifinals to the CAA tourney against the No. 1 seed in the conference and No. 1 team in the country, the UMass Minutemen.
Before Towson and UMass clashed in Amherst, Mass. last night, I asked a few questions for the Tigers to answer -- and even tried to answer them myself...
1. When they first met this season, UMass handed Towson its first conference loss.The Tigers have been in their worst scoring slump all year, what must change this time?
My Thoughts:The Tigers need to generate and maintain scoring possessions. If UMass has the ball long enough, they can overwhelm you offensively. This deep in the season, the Tigers can no longer rely on five or six goal comebacks in the fourth quarter or overtime. Not saying they can't, but it's too risky to go into a game thinking "It's ok, we'll come back in the fourth and take this." By dictating the tempo of the game, they're able to both generate their own scoring chances and sideline Umass's explosive offense.
What Happened: Towson, in the first half, was only able to get three shots off and was held scoreless. Despite 10 extra man opportunities, the Tigers were only able to score once.
--
2. If Towson is .500 or better from the X, will they snap their scoring slump?
My Thoughts: They must, UMass showed them last time how good they are from the X. Unsurprisingly, Towson's five game win streak a few weeks ago saw the Tigers winning games with double-digit scores but there were direct correlations between how many goals Towson scored and how they exectuted on faceoffs.
What Happened: The Tigers won 6-15, they weren't blown away, but they needed every scoring chance the could get. Although, if you break down the box score - UMass, who had a big second quarter, out scored Towson 5-0 and outshot the Tigers 9-1 even though both teams split faceoffs evenly, 3-6 each.
--
3. Will the Tigers (7-7) beat Umass (13-0)?
My Thoughts: Toughest game of the year, UMass has a lot to prove, but recent No. 1's have had rough games when they have a lot to prove (and their NCAA berth is all but set)
Towsn 12 - UMass 11
What Happened: UMass, the best team in the counrty, played strong at home, not much of a surprise. Towson had a good year, in my opinion, considering their youth and thin roster under a rookie coach with a non-conference schedule that included local powerhouses. More to break down tomorrow...
Towson 3 - UMass 10
