Towson is 20-25 all time against Colonial Athletic Association rival Hofstra but has won two of the past three games. The Pride has lost four of five on the road this season, while the Tigers are 3-2 at home.
Hofstra (9-3, 1-2) is stuck in a three-game losing streak, caped by a 14-5 loss to No. 9 Cornell a week ago. The offense has been average, but junior attackman Sam Llinares and senior Mike Malave have done what they can. Llinares leads the conference in goals per game (2.3), assists per game (two) and points per game (4.3), while Malave has scored a career-high 28 goals.
Towson (9-3, 3-0) is riding a four-game winning streak, including an 8-7 win at then-No. 20 Fairfield that put the team in sole possession of first place in the league. A defense that ranks third in Division I (6.9 goals allowed per game) has been backstopped by goalkeeper Tyler White. The redshirt junior has a 6.74 goals-against average and .605 save percentage, becoming one of just three goalies in the nation to rank in the top five in both categories.
Here are a few factors that could play a role in the outcome at Johnny Unitas Stadium at noon Saturday.
1) Shooting accuracy. The Pride started senior goalkeeper Chris Selva in its first 11 games but turned to freshman Jack Concannon for the game at Cornell. Selva is clearly the more experienced netminder, but Concannon is a larger presence at 6 feet 2 and 170 pounds. The Tigers have struggled with shooting efficiency, ranking 56th out of 69 teams in the country at 24.8 percent. The offense is preparing as if both Selva and Concannon will play, but coach Shawn Nadelen said the shooters won't drastically alter their tactics if Concannon takes the cage.
"He takes up more net, but when it comes down to it, I haven't seen a goalie out there who is 6 feet tall and 6 feet wide," Nadelen said, referring to the dimensions of the goal frame. "Our guys have got to be disciplined when they get their opportunities and put the ball in good spots. We're going to find out where those spots are going to be on Saturday."
2) Faceoffs. Nadelen said sophomore Alec Burckley did not appear to suffer a serious injury in the first half of last Saturday's win at Fairfield, but whether the faceoff specialist will be fully healthy is another matter. If Burckley (86-for-172) is unavailable or hobbled, Towson can turn to junior Pat Conroy (20-for-48), junior Jed Yousefi (3-for-6) or freshman Steven Stillwell (2-for-5). The task will be difficult as Hofstra counters with sophomore Kris Clarke, who ranks ninth in the nation in faceoff percentage (63.0 percent) and 14th in ground balls per game (6.3).
"He's definitely proven over the season to be strong against the majority of his opponents, and that's something we're definitely aware of," Nadelen said of Clarke. "They're definitely strong in that area, and Kris is a great faceoff guy. So we know we have a challenge here."
3) Discipline. The Pride has had 62 extra-man opportunities this spring, ranking behild only Manhattan's 66. Despite the frequency of chances, Hofstra ranks just 33rd in conversion rate (37.1 percent). The Tigers have given up just 10 man-down goals in 32 opportunities, but Nadelen said there's no point in handing the Pride extra-man chances.
"We try to play a little bit more of a disciplined, aggressive style and we try not to create too many opportunities for other teams in man-up situations, and it won't be any different with Hofstra," he said. "We are aware that they're very efficient in man-ups, and being cognizant of that is something our guys are in tune with. But it's not going to limit our guys going out there and flying around and trying to make plays and playing the way we need to in order to be successful."