TOWSON, Md. – Opening its 51st season of college lacrosse, the Tiger men’s lacrosse team will begin the 2009 season on Saturday, February 21 when the Tigers travel to local rival Loyola College for a 1 p.m. non-conference game against the Greyhounds, it has been announced by Towson Coach Tony Seaman.

The Tigers’ season opener against the Greyhounds will mark the first of seven games against teams which reached the NCAA Tournament last year.

“Once again, Towson University is taking on one of the most demanding Division I schedules in the country for 2009,” says Seaman, who will be starting his 11th season as the Tigers’ leader. “Besides playing in one of the most competitive leagues in Division I, the Colonial Athletic Association, Towson’s non-conference schedule is made up of six teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last year.”

The Tigers, who open the year with a three-game road trip, will travel to Denver for the Pioneer Face-Off Classic after the season opener at Loyola. On February 28, the Tigers will face the Air Force Academy before playing against the host Pioneers on March 1.

On March 7, the Tigers will play their home opener when they face the University of Maryland in the first game of a doubleheader at Johnny Unitas ® Stadium at 2 p.m., marking the first of five home games during the regular season.

After a visit to the University of Virginia on March 14, the Tigers return to Unitas Stadium for their Colonial Athletic Association opener, a March 21 meeting against Robert Morris in the second game of a lacrosse doubleheader.

The Tigers will begin their second three-game road trip of the season on March 24 when they face Bucknell University. During the road trip, the Tigers will also play against Drexel and local foe UMBC.

On April 4, the Tigers return to Unitas Stadium for a 2 p.m. game against Sacred Heart before playing at Villanova on April 8. After a game against defending CAA champion Hofstra on April 11, the Tigers will face long-time rival Delaware at Rullo Stadium on April 18 in their final CAA contest of the season.

The Tigers end the regular season with a pair of non-league games, hosting NCAA finalist Johns Hopkins on April 22 and traveling to the University of Pennsylvania for a game against the Quakers on April 26.

The CAA Championship is set for April 29 and May 2 with the semi-finals being held at the site of the number one and two seeds. The championship game will be held at the site of the highest remaining seed with the winner receiving an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, which begins on May 9.

The Tigers finished last year with a 5-9 record and will welcome back 28 letter winners from last year’s squad.