University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutemen Meet Towson With CAA Championship Up For Grabs
May 01, 2015 | Men's Lacrosse
| University of Massachusetts Men's Lacrosse Game Notes: 2015 CAA Championship Contest | |
| Game 15 | Massachusetts (5-9 Overall) vs. [RV/RV] Towson (10-5) |
| Date | Time | Saturday, May 2, 2015 | 1:00 p.m. |
| Location | Rafferty Stadium (3,500) | Fairfield, Conn. |
| Tournament Info | CAA Championship Central | Parking & Directions |
| Live Statistics | StatBroadcast |
| Watch | Broadcast live on American Sports Network (Check Availability  ) | Watch online: CAA.tv |
| Listen | WMUA 91.1 FM |
| Series History | Towson leads, 5-4. Last meeting: No. 18 Towson 6, UMass 3; March 28, 2015 |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts | Towson |
| Team Records | Massachusetts | Towson |
| Social Media | @UMassAthletics  | @UMassMLacrosse
|
| Buy Tickets | Available through the Colonial Athletic Association |
Scouting Towson Men's Lacrosse
Towson's stout defense has the No. 3 seeded Tigers back in the CAA Championship Game for the second time in three years as the squad sports a 10-5 overall record, including an 11-8 win over No. 2 seed Drexel in the semifinal round. The meeting with the Minutemen marks the first time the sides have squared off in the CAA Championship Game and the third postseason meeting between the programs, including a pair of CAA semifinal contests.
Starting goalie Tyler White, the CAA Defensive Player of the Year, ranks second in the nation with his 7.18 goals-against average and seventh in save percentage as White turns aside 58.2 percent of the shots he faces. With White as the backstop, the Towson defense holds the opposition to 7.40 goals per game, the third-lowest total across NCAA Division I on the strength of standout play from close defensemen Mike Lowe, JoJo Ostrander (All-CAA First Team) and Nick Gorman, who own a combined 62 groundballs and 17 caused turnovers.
Joe Seider, a CAA first teamer at attack, provides a team-high 35 points on 29 goals and six assists. He is one of only two Tigers above the 30-point threshold through 15 games alongside Ryan Drenner (16 goals, 17 assists).
Shawn Nadelen is in his fourth season coaching Towson and holds a 35-28 overall record. Nadelen guided the program to the 2013 CAA Championship and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The squad has a winning record in each of Nadelen's last three seasons, with 10 wins apiece in 2013 and 2015.
Last Meeting: No. 18 Towson 6, UMass 3; March 28, 2015
UMass tallied advantages in shots, faceoffs, groundballs and caused turnovers, but was unable to leave No. 18 Towson's Johnny Unitas Stadium with a win as the Tigers defeated the Minutemen, 6-3. Grant Whiteway scored twice in the loss while Zach Oliveri made nine saves in net. The loss - the lowest scoring game on the season for Massachusetts - ended a three-game winning streak.
Towson opened with three consecutive goals before Whiteway put UMass on the board with five minutes, nine seconds remaining in the second quarter. The Tigers bumped their lead back to three goals before the halftime break and added another tally for a 5-1 advantage midway through the third quarter.
Whiteway scored with 4:52 to go in the third and Nick Mariano added a man-up tally near the 11-minute mark of the fourth to bring the Minutemen back within 5-3; however, UMass was unable to pull closer the remainder of the way.
On Top Of The Tweet Game
Instant information about the men's lacrosse program, including an inside look at key points and statistics in each game as well as updates from practice and other team events can be found through the Twitter handle @UMassMLacrosse. Follow the Minutemen there and catch information about each UMass Athletic Department program through @UMassAthletics.
All Home Contests Available On UMass All-Access
UMass men's lacrosse will have each of its seven home games broadcast online through UMass All-Access, a CBS Interactive product. The link for each broadcast was accessible in each game preview to direct fans or other interest parties to the subscription page, where the viewer is asked to purchase the plan he or she believes to be appropriate.
UMass Men's Lacrosse In The CAA Championship
UMass men's lacrosse makes its fifth appearance in the CAA Championship during six years with the league. The Minutemen joined the CAA ahead of the 2010 season and won the league title in 2012. The squad has another appearance in the championship game in 2011 and exited the tournament in the semifinal round during 2010 and 2013. Their five appearances stand tied with Drexel (2010, 2012-15) and Towson (2010, 2012-15) for the most in the span. The Maroon and White own a 4-3 all-time record in the event.
How We Got To Where We Are
Seeding for the CAA Championship took until the final game of the regular season to set in 2015. When Drexel upset Towson in the last contest of the CAA slate, the Dragons earned the No. 2 berth and bumped Towson down to No. 3. The Minutemen were slotted fourth while Fairfield earned the No. 1 as a result of Towson's loss.
Drexel and Towson squared off for the second consecutive week during CAA Championship semifinal action and the Tigers earned their revenge through an 11-8 win over the Dragons. The Minutemen upset Fairfield during Thursday's nightcap, 9-8, to set up the first CAA Championship Game between No. 3 and No.4 seeds since the 2011 season.
The current CAA Championship contest is the first such with Towson and UMass facing each other. The squads previously met during the semifinal round on two occasions - during a 13-6 Towson victory on May 5, 2010 and a 10-3 UMass win on May 2, 2012.
Izzo Collects 100th Career Groundball
Ryan Izzo picked up his 100th career groundball during the game at No. 18 Towson on Saturday, March 28. Izzo, who is a mainstay on the faceoff unit as well as a part of the clear and ride personnel in addition to his work on defense, set a career high with 52 in 2013 after he had six in his first year of competition. The Walpole, Mass., native added 25 in 2014 and has 31 more through 14 games of his final year.
He is the active leader at UMass for career groundballs (114) and caused turnovers, which he has 33 of.
Cannella Reaches 300 Games As UMass Head Coach
UMass men's lacrosse head coach Greg Cannella is in his 21st season as the program leader with 300 games guiding the Minutemen to his ledger. Cannella is 183-119 in those contest (60.6 win percentage). He coached his 300th game at the helm of the program on April 18 versus Drexel, a 12-9 Minuteman victory.
Muller's Strong Return From Injury
Dan Muller returned from a year-long absence due to a knee injury vs. Army. It marked his first appearance in the Maroon and White since May 1, 2013 at Penn State during the CAA Tournament semifinals. Muller had seven points on six goals and an assist as a freshman in 2013. He scored his first points of 2015 at No. 5 North Carolina when he had two on a goal and assist.
Through 14 games played in the midfield, Muller owns 25 points via 15 goals and 10 assists. He has multiple points in 10 of the previous 13 contests after he was held scoreless versus the Black Knights. He is tied for the fourth-most points among Minutemen with Gianni Bianchin.
The Small Set Of Senior
The 2015 senior class of short-stick defensive midfielder Ryan Izzo, midfielder Chas Robino, short-stick defensive midfielder Brendan Schroeder, midfielder Andrew Sokol, close defenseman Peter Von Rosenvinge and attackman Grant Whiteway is one of the smallest in the nation. Of all men's lacrosse programs in at least their fourth season of NCAA Division I competition, the six-member senior class at UMass ranks tied as the ninth-smallest.
An Unselfish Approach To Offense
UMass leads the CAA in assists per game through contests on Thursday, April 30 as the Minutemen have 95 for an average of 6.79 per game. Hofstra is second at 5.29 per game (74 in 14 contests) while Fairfield has the second-most by volume (79 in 15 games). The Minutemen were second in the league in assists per game during the 2013 and 2014 seasons after they led the conference in the category during 2012.
It is the 17th-best per game mark in the NCAA Division I as of games played on Saturday, April 25.
Mariano Eclipses 75 Points, 50 Goals At UMass
Sophomore attackman Nick Mariano surpassed 75 points for his career and 50 goals with the Minutemen during the contest against Delaware on April 24, 2015. He needed only 26 collegiate games played to reach 75 points (2.88 per game) and 50 goals (1.92 per game).
He is the first Minuteman to reach 50 goals before the end of his sophomore season since Jim Connolly (2006-07, `09) scored 51 over his first two years via 22 as a freshman and 29 as a sophomore.
Will Manny (2010-13) was the last to reach 75 points as an underclassmen wearing the Maroon and White. Manny totaled 90 over his freshman and sophomore campaigns combined.
Hegarty Makes Impact Felt On Attack
One year removed from recording two points on as many goals in 10 games played, now-sophomore attackman Brendan Hegarty is tied for second on the squad with 26 points via 20 goals and six assists as a starter in all 14 games.
In addition to his impact in the points column, Hegarty has 21 groundballs and seven caused turnovers as a sophomore after he only had one groundball and did not record a caused turnover as a freshman.
The Veteran Sniper...
Grant Whiteway, like his younger counterpart Peter Lindley is short of qualifying for the national shot percentage rankings but holds a mark that would rank among the best in NCAA Division I. Whiteway has goals on 14 of his 23 attempts for a .609 conversion percentage. Whiteway missed the first three games of the year due to injury but has appearances in the previous 11. He is 10 shots shy of qualifying.
To qualify for the NCAA rankings in shot percentage a player must average 3.0 per game and have played in 75.0 percent of his team's contests.
...And His Freshman Compatriot
Peter Lindley scored a goal on 17 of his 34 attempts for a .500 conversion rate. The Darien, Conn., native is eight tries shy of qualifying for the national rankings for shot percentage. If his .500 shot percentage qualified him, Lindley would trail only trail Stony Brook's Brody Eastwood (.642; 61-95), Boston University's Adam Schaal (.575; 23-40) and Notre Dame's Mikey Wynee (.534; 31-58).
