University of Massachusets Athletics
Difficult Men's Lacrosse Slate Continues with No. 7 Towson
April 07, 2016 | Men's Lacrosse
| University of Massachusetts Men's Lacrosse Game Notes | |
| Game 10 | Massachusetts (4-5, 0-1) vs. No. 7 Towson (9-1, 1-0) |
| Date | Time | Saturday, April 9, 2016 | 1:00 p.m. |
| Location | Garber Field (5,000) | Amherst, Mass. | Directions |
| Live Statistics | GameTracker |
| Watch | UMass All-Access (Free) |
| Series History | Towson leads, 6-4. Last meeting: Towson 9, UMass 8; May 2, 2015 |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts  | Towson |
| Team Information | Massachusetts | Towson |
| Social Media | @UMassAthletics  | @UMassMLacrosse | Instagram
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| Buy Tickets | Information available through the UMass Athletics Ticket Office at 866-UMASS-TIX |
Scouting Towson Men's Lacrosse
The men's lacrosse team faces its seventh USILA Top-20 Poll opponent of the season when No. 7 Towson visits Garber Field for a Sat., April 9 contest at 1 p.m. It is tied for the highest-ranked opposition the Maroon and White faced so far this season as Brown was also seventh nationally when UMass took on the Bears on March 5.
During halftime of the contest against the Tigers, UMass will recognize the 1976 team with its 40th anniversary celebration. In 1976, the Minutemen finished 10-3 overall and earned the program its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Towson's top four offensive weapons appeared in and started each of the team's first 10 games this season, of which the Tigers won nine. Ryan Drenner is the most balanced scorer on the team with 18 goals and a squad-best 15 assists. Joe Seider is second with 23 points, including the most goals among Tigers (20). Spencer Parks (11 goals, 10 assists) and Ben McCarty (13 goals, five assists) follow.
Towson's defense is backstopped by one of the most successful goalies in NCAA Division I currently. Tyler White holds teams to 6.41 goals per game and sports a .564 save percentage over more than 570 minutes between the pipes. The 2015 USILA Second Team All-American and CAA Defensive Player of the Year is second nationally is GAA and ranks 10th for save percentage.
The Tigers narrowly took the CAA Championship from the Minutemen the last time these teams met, a May 2, 2015 contest at Fairfield's Rafferty Stadium. With play tied up at 8-8 and less than two minutes to go, Towson's Justin Mabus came away from a scrum in front of the UMass net with possession of a loose ball and fired in an opportunistic shot to give the Tigers their margin of victory. The Minutemen won the ensuing faceoff and fired in three shots but were unable to secure the equalizer and force overtime.
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 event page. All UMass men's lacrosse home contests will be broadcast on this platform free of charge.
UMass Men's Lacrosse To Honor 1976, 2006 Teams In April
The men's lacrosse program and head coach Greg Cannella will welcome back members of the 1976 and 2006 teams during the final two home games in April in celebration of their respective 40 and 10 year anniversaries. The 1976 team will be recognized on Sat., April 9 at halftime of the game against Towson while the 2006 team's celebration follows on Sat., April 23 versus Hofstra.
In 1976, former head coach and recent IMLCA Hall of Fame inductee Richard F. Garber led the Minutemen to a 10-3 overall record and the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance. After suffering two losses in its opening three games, Massachusetts reeled off nine consecutive victories to earn the NCAA berth.
Led by Cannella, the 2006 squad became the first-ever New England-based team to reach the NCAA Championship Game. As an unseeded team, the Minutemen fought through the most difficult path to a lacrosse championship game in history, beating the second, third and fourth-ranked teams in the nation.
Minutemen Rank No. 1 In Nation For Strength Of Schedule
University of Massachusetts men's lacrosse head coach Greg Cannella continues a career-long trend of challenging his Minutemen against the top teams in NCAA Division I each year during 2016 as the Maroon and White rank No. 1 in the nation for strength of schedule through nine games (April 4).
According to the USILA Top-20 Coaches Poll, UMass has faced six ranked teams so far in No. 7 Brown, No. 10 North Carolina, No. 11 Ohio State, No. 14 Harvard, No. 15 Albany and No. 20 Penn State. The Minutemen also played Army West Point when it was receiving votes for the top 20 and Hartford. Massachusetts has a seventh ranked opponent slated for its next game in No. 6 Towson.
Since the 2001 season, the Minutemen appeared in the top-20 for strength of schedule in 10 of their 15 completed seasons, including the last three campaigns.
Karaska's 50 Starts A Rare Feat
Kyle Karaska stepped into the starting position at close defense during his freshman season and has not relinquished the spot since as Karaska reached 50 starts as a Minuteman with the opening whistle of the game at Delaware.
Attackman Art Kell (2009-12) was the last Minuteman to reach 50 starts for his career (53) while current assistant coach and former goalie Doc Schneider was the last player to accomplish the feat on the defensive side of the ball (61). The most recent close defenseman to notch 50+ starts Jack Reid (59; 2003-06).
Meyers Shows Power In Return To Keystone State
Freshman Tom Meyers made his return to Pennsylvania, his native state, with a 16-for-24 afternoon at faceoff as the lone UMass specialist to step to the X at No. 20 Penn State on March 19. It reset personal bests in faceoffs won and taken while Meyers tied his record for most groundballs (3) during the victory.
Meyers' dominance at the X sprung the Minutemen to sizeable advantages in three key team categories: total possessions (31-27), shots taken (41-21) and groundballs (31-21). He outdueled three Nittany Lions faceoff specialists: Josh Wellman (7-18), Chris Young (1-3) and Billy Lombardi (0-3).
Carr, Meyers Tabbed CAA Co-Player, Rookie Of The Week
Sophomore Buddy Carr and freshman Tom Meyers tallied CAA Co-Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, on Mon., March 21. Carr scored three times - all in the second half - during the 11-9 win at No. 20 Penn State and provided the eventual game-winning goal in the process. Meyers went 16-for-24 at the faceoff X versus the Nittany Lions during his first game as the primary specialist. His ability to win plays away from Penn State helped the Minutemen to sizable margins in three team categories: total possessions (32-27), shots (41-21) and groundballs (31-21).
Muller Nets Two And Two Against Tar Heels
Redshirt junior midfielder Dan Muller totaled a career-high four points during the 14-9 win over No. 10 North Carolina. Muller scored twice and assisted on two more tallies. His pair of assists came during a crucial five-goal UMass run that turned a 7-6 advantage into a 12-6 margin. He scored once each in the second and fourth quarters.
Muller previously scored three points on four occasions, most recently in a 12-9 win over Drexel on April 18, 2015. His four-point game against UNC doubled his scoring output from the opening seven contests of the year when Muller totaled four points via three goals and an assist.
Man-Down Unit Stands Tall
UMass is among the most successful man-down teams in the nation through nine games. The Minutemen rank eighth nationally with an 76.6 penalty kill percentage as the Maroon and White have only allowed 11 extra-man opportunity goals in 47 man-down situations.
It is the best penalty kill percentage for the number of man down situations faced across all NCAA Division I teams and is 12 more man down situations than any team ranked above the Minutemen.
The next-most successful team with 47 or more penalties called against it is Vermont (40th; .642; 19-of-53). Massachusetts has only allowed more than one EMO goal in any individual game so far this season three times (No. 10 North Carolina, No. 15 Albany, No. 20 Penn State). The team averages only 1.2 man-up goals allowed per game in 5.9 man-down situations.
