Fresh off a 12-9 defeat to No. 4 Syracuse yesterday, Towson first-year coach Tony Seaman made his way off the field with a little hop in his step. He even cracked a smile.
During his eight years at Johns Hopkins, Seaman usually frowned at such a setback. But on this part of Charles Street, the loss signaled progress.
Staring at a six-goal deficit in the third quarter, the No. 12 Tigers scratched back to within 10-9 midway through the fourth before Syracuse's Matt Caione scored two goals in a one-minute span to silence Towson in front of 1,586 at Minnegan Stadium. But it didn't quiet the Tigers' confidence.
"If I think we learned one thing together as a team today, we learned that we could play with the big boys," Seaman said. "You have to have a measuring stick sometimes. We needed this kind of game. Now that we got it, we know we can run with the big dogs in the tall bushes."
Towson (3-1), which plays at top-ranked Loyola on Saturday, watched the Orangemen (4-1) break out to a 10-4 lead for the second straight year.
Last year, the Tigers never got any closer than five goals. This time, Towson displayed some character as well as some new-found discipline late in the third quarter.
Over 11 1/2 minutes, the Tigers scored five times on 11 shots and turned the ball over just twice. Syracuse countered with no goals on five shots, hitting the pipe three times and turning the ball over four times.
Towson midfielders Keith Smith and J. D. Jones each drove from the left side for unassisted goals, shaving the margin to 10-8 early in the fourth quarter. Kevin Sturm, who led Towson with three goals, then powered in his own rebound with 7: 38 remaining to pull the Tigers to within one goal.
"I think part of not connecting up in the beginning was because you're playing against better athletes than you've played against before," said Seaman, alluding to Towson's easy victories over Boston College, Vermont and Hartford. "I think in the second half, we made our adjustment."
But a one-minute lapse finalized Towson's eighth straight loss to Syracuse.
After the Orangemen picked up a loose ball on the Tigers' offensive end, Towson defenseman Chris Anzelone was flagged for a slash while Syracuse attempted to clear upfield. The play continued on as Caione converted an 8-yard, left-handed shot in transition for an 11-9 lead with 6: 11 left.
Syracuse then capitalized on the extra-man opportunity, Caione ripping a shot into the upper left corner of the goal.
Still, Syracuse's lazy second-half performance brought back some unpleasant memories from last week's visit to Baltimore, where a four-goal lead slipped away against Johns Hopkins.
"I saw deja vu," Syracuse coach John Desko said. "It was similar because it didn't seem like we got possession of the ball. And when we did, we didn't take very good care of it. My hat's off to Towson for forcing the situation."
In the first half, the Tigers only forced turnovers.
More balls thrown out of bounds than shots. More failed clears than goals scored.
Those mistakes paved Syracuse's way for a three-goal, second-quarter run that staked the Orangemen to a 5-2 advantage. When Towson closed to 6-4 in the opening minute of the third quarter, the Tigers mismanaged their possessions again.
Syracuse proved more efficient by scoring four goals on six shots, jumping out to a 10-4 lead after Ryan Powell slammed in a point-blank shot with 5: 35 remaining in the third quarter.
"Basically, we just got to start playing 60 minutes," Towson attackman Spencer Ford said. "We didn't start playing until the second half. The whole game, I didn't do a thing. For our offense to really get going, we need all six of us out there. A couple of us weren't there today."
Syracuse 2 4 4 2 -- 12
Towson 1 2 3 3 -- 9
Goals: SU--Powell 4, Cutia 2, Caione 2, Coffman, Alexander, Darcangelo, Byrne; TU--Sturm 3, Preis 2, Paradise, Ford, Smith, Jones. Assists: SU--Cutia 4, Cordisco, Bassett, Powell; TU--Ford 2, Sturm, Ross, Preis. Saves: SU--Mulligan 11; TU--Horrigan 12.
Pub Date: 3/29/99