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--Last of the Locals
@Towson_MLAX coached by a former Hopkins midfielder Shawn Nadelen, and UMBC - coached by a former Blue Jay Don Zimmerman, closed out their conference schedules in a beltway battle of black and gold.
In the end, Sean Maguire's goal with 17 seconds left in play capped a four-goal rally by the Tigers, who have now won five straight. Towson is four days removed from a tight Colonial Athletic Association battle at Hofstra where they rallied from a six-goal deficit to overcome the Pride in two overtimes.
Towson goalie Andrew Wascavage came away with 17 stops – a career best. Before the Tigers and Retreivers faced off last night, I asked three very important questions for Towson to answer - and I even tried predicting what would happen...
1. Towson tends to get hot late in the game - ask Justin Mabus. Will Towson require a fourth-quarter or even overtime run to beat UMBC?
My Thoughts: No. Towson will play hot late in the game as usual, but UMBC is not a very advantageous team offensively (Save for the Maryland game, but that was more a lack of enthusiasm by the Terps, Towson will not overlook UMBC). I think Towson will start hot, both teams will be dull in the second and third quarters, UMBC will attempt a run early in the fourth and Towson will finish them off in the final 10 minutes. I don't see UMBC on the road being able to go on any runs to capitalize on the Tigers.
What Happened: Hahahahahahaha I got that wrong. Towson and UMBC played the best game I've seen all year.
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2. Will a win bolster Towson to the Top 10?
My Thoughts: Not yet. The CAA has been impressive this year and has garnered the attention of the pollmakers on a national level. But the America East is still wide open to many skeptics and I don't think enough voters will consider a win over UMBC as a strong enough case for Towson to crack the Top 10. I think they'll definitely hit the top 15 in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Poll and maybe get as high as Top 20 in the USILA poll.
What Happened:I'll tell you Monday, a win over UMBC may not outweigh a loss at Umass -- this game, if anything, puts that much more pressure on the Tigers in Amherst this Saturday.
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3. Will the No. 19 Tigers (6-3) beat UMBC (3-4)
My Thoughts: Yes. Like I said earlier, Towson will score early, UMBC will try to make a run in the second and/or third and then eventually collapse.
Towsn 11 - UMBC 7
What Happened: Impressive offensive performances by Thomas DeNapoli, Carl Iacona and a stellar performance by Wascavage in between the pipes gave Towson an emotionally-packed win over cross-town rivals UMBC.
Towson 12 - UMBC 11
