Towson's rise to No. 3 in Division I in fewest goals allowed at 6.9 has been highlighted by the play of redshirt junior goalkeeper Tyler White, who ranks third in the country in goals-against average (6.77) and fifth in save percentage (.595).
The No. 16 Tigers (7-3 overall and 1-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association) can also thank their starting defensive midfield of sophomore long-stick midfielder Tyler Mayes and sophomore short-stick defensive midfielders Jack Adams and Tyler Young.
That trio has helped shut out opponents' top midfields in each of the past three games. The first lines for No. 14 Ohio State, Binghamton and Massachusetts combined for zero goals on 31 shots and just two assists, and the play of Mayes, Adams and Young has been a topic of conversation for coach Shawn Nadelen, who played short-stick defensive midfielder for Johns Hopkins as a freshman in 1998.
"So I've got a soft spot for them in my heart," Nadelen said Wednesday morning. "I think that because those guys get dodged on so much, they're the slide guys and the help guys, and they clear the ball for you. The better those guys are because they do so many different things, I think that has a huge part in how good your defense can be. Those guys are now in their sophomore years and getting through those growing pains as freshmen and developing into their own within our system, I think those guys are showing what they're made and playing pretty good lacrosse."
Mayes, a Calvert Hall graduate, has picked up eight ground balls and caused 11 turnovers. But Adams, a Hereford graduate, and Young, an Arundel graduate, have combined for eight caused turnovers, and a good portion of the trio's total of 37 ground balls have come from their play on wings on faceoffs.
But Nadalen said he doesn't concern himself with the defensive midfield's numbers.
"They just need to put the opposing team in the direction that we need them to go," he said. "We don't need them to take the ball away, we don't need them to create chaos. We just need them to initiate our defensive game plan effectively and hopefully, all of the other dominoes will fall into place if they do that well."
In other defensive news, Nadelen said junior defenseman Andrew Cordes is still in a walking boot, and there is no timetable for his return. Junior Nick Gorman has made four starts in Cordes' place, but Nadalen said he is optimistic that Cordes could be cleared soon.
"I don't know exactly if that's going to be possible in the near future, but we'd like to get him back as soon as possible, just to give us that starter back in the mix," Nadelen said. "Nick Gorman has done a decent job playing for him, but Andrew was a big part of our early success, and I'd like to think that maybe in the next couple games, we could get him back on the field and get back him back for a postseason run.