Here is the fifth installment of a series that checks in with the seven Division I programs in the state to give a glimpse into the past and the future. Teams are scheduled to appear according to the chronological order in which their seasons ended. Thursday's visit was with Navy. Friday's visit is with Towson.
REVIEW
The good: The Tigers won 16 games, breaking their previous single-season record of 14 victories set in 1974 and matched in 2001. Along the way, the team swept the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season and tournament championships, upended No. 2 seed and 2015 national champion Denver in the first round of the NCAA postseason, and earned its first quarterfinal appearance since 2003. The list of accomplishments was long, but not a total shock to coach Shawn Nadelen.
"With our talent and our experience and our leadership, I'm not surprised at how well we did," he said. "I thought we handled ourselves throughout the season with regards to preparation and how we approached our game management and how we played the games for the most part, and that speaks to the experience that we had on the team and the game those guys have played and how they've learned and grown from that. So our balance and experience in both depth and talent this year – from an outside view – kind of made it magical, but I think internally, within the locker room and as a staff, it was kind of on-point with what we expected, and obviously, we expected a little bit more."
**After ending 2015 ranked sixth in Division I in fewest goals allowed per game (7.7), Towson rose to the top of the ranks, finishing this past spring with the country's stingiest defense at 7.3 goals. Redshirt senior goalkeeper Tyler White ranked first in the nation in goals-against average (6.89) and 13th in save percentage (.556), junior short-stick defensive midfielder Jack Adams (11 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers) was named a third-team All American, and senior defenseman Mike Lowe (47 GB, 21 CT) was selected as an honorable-mention All American. Experience was a key factor for a unit that featured just one first-year starter in freshman short-stick defensive midfielder Zach Goodrich (37 GB, 10 CT).
"We expected to be strong," Nadelen said. "You return an All-American goalie and all of your starting close defensemen and the majority of your defensive midfield unit with the addition of a freshman into the mix. They had played well the previous year, and they had another year to grow together and play for each other and understand each other. It was really impressive to see that unit play at such a high level."
**At the end of last season, Nadelen hoped a quarterback on offense would emerge. He got what he wished for as junior attackman Ryan Drenner assumed command of that unit. The Westminster resident and graduate paced the Tigers in assists (23) and points (56), becoming the first player in program history to record that many assists since Bobby Griebe posted 23 in 2007. Drenner, who claimed CAA Co-Player of the Year honors and was chosen an honorable-mention All American, became the No. 1 target for opposing defenses.
"A quarterback for your offense is needed, and I think Ryan embraced that role, took it, and did a terrific job with it," Nadelen said. "He knew he was going to have the ball in his stick a lot, and we needed him to make the right decision and be smart with it and be aggressive at the same time. I thought he did that very well. He's an intelligent kid. He's got a high GPA, he works at his craft, he's a guy who stays pretty much every day to get his work in, and that process started in high school."
The bad: As mentioned above, Towson advanced to the NCAA tournament quarterfinals for the first time in 13 years. On May 22, the team dropped a 10-8 decision to No. 7 seed Loyola Maryland at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, falling short of a chance to march to championship weekend for the first time since 2001. That missed opportunity continues to irk Nadelen.
"I think in a way, we underachieved in regards to who we had and how we were playing and the level we were playing at," he said. "We just didn't put a good game together against Loyola, and we know we didn't do that. The fact that we ended our season in the quarterfinals is frustrating for us as a program, knowing that we had more in us and thought we would have played in the Final Four. So to get there, we're excited knowing that we advanced from where we were last year and did some good things throughout the season, but the fact that we didn't advance further is definitely frustrating."
**Prior to the season-ending loss in the postseason, the Tigers had won 11 of 12 games. The only hiccup? A stunning 10-7 setback to CAA rival Delaware at Johnny Unitas Stadium on April 16. In the end, that outcome did not prevent the team from capturing the conference's regular-season championship and the right to play host to the league tournament, but it did serve as a reality check.
"In that game, we just didn't do what we are capable of, and we didn't approach it that way," Nadelen said. "For a group of college kids, I think it did shake the rust off a little bit and the complacency that we had at that point in the season. You still have to get out on the field on game day and get after it and play with great energy and focus and execution. Obviously, we didn't do that in that game, and that came back to bite us. That's on me as a coach. I have to make sure that we continue to stay sharp, and that allowed us to reassess a little bit more about what we were doing and why we were doing it and maybe make some tweaks and changes."
**For much of the regular season, Towson's faceoff percentage was north of 50 percent. But in three of the team's last four games, that rate dropped to 33.8 percent (27-of-80). The slide was especially pronounced in the NCAA tournament as the Tigers went 9.1 percent (2-of-22) against Denver and 31.8 percent (7-of-22) against Loyola.
"When we really needed some great faceoff play in the postseason, we didn't get it unfortunately, and that falls on me being able to get those guys prepared, being able to have answers when we needed them," Nadelen said. "I didn't do a good job to get that taken care of, and we've got to address that through the offseason and be able to make sure that doesn't come back to haunt us."
PREVIEW
Personnel changes: Perhaps the biggest question facing Towson is finding a successor to White, whose 36 wins are the most by a goalie in the CAA era that began in 2002. White played more than 96 percent of the minutes accrued by the team's goalkeepers with junior Matt Hoy occupying 3 percent and sophomore Josh Miller taking up less than one percent. But Nadelen expressed confidence in Hoy and Miller emerging as the eventual starter.
"They've seen a lot of shots against a good offense and have seen some action in scrimmages and stuff," Nadelen said. "Obviously, they don't have a ton of Division I experience in games, but it will be great competition with those guys, and we're bringing in a freshman goalie [Shane Brennan]. We've just got to find the right guy for the job, the best guy for the job. … Obviously, Tyler was a very strong goalie for us, but it's something you deal with all the time when it comes to graduation. You find the next guy to step in and be as strong as he can be and develop him."
**Staying on defense, the Tigers graduated all three starting close defensemen in Lowe, Nick Gorman (36 GB, 16 CT) and Andrew Cordes (39 GB, 8 CT). That trio started all 19 games this past spring, which places an onus on the team to find three new starters. Freshman Chad Patterson (Westminster) and sophomores Calvin Livingston (McDonogh) and Brett Hall are candidates to fill those roles, but Nadelen acknowledged the loss of veteran leadership.
"These guys don't have the experience that those guys do," he said. "But I like to think that we do a decent job recruiting, and these guys are here for a reason. We think they can play at Towson's level. They work hard in practice, which is great to see and something that is instilled in our program. Sometimes all you need is an opportunity, and they have it. They know it's not just going to be handed to them. Even though we graduated all three senior close defensemen, they've got to get out onto the practice field, and they've got to earn it. I'm excited to see the competition for those open positions in the fall."
**The offense lost a pair of starters in attackman Spencer Parks (29 goals and 19 assists) and midfielder Ben McCarty (22 G, 8 A), but the departure of Parks could be the most worrisome. The Fallston resident and St. Paul's graduate ranked second on the team in both assists (19) and points (48) and had developed a strong chemistry with Drenner and junior Joe Seider (35 G, 5 A). It's early, but it appears that redshirt freshmen Ian Kirby (12 G, 4 A) and Dylan Kinnear (3 G) – who are both left-handed – would balance the field with the right-handed Seider on one side and Drenner operating behind the cage. But Nadelen pointed out that the offense worked well with the right-handed trio of Drenner, Parks and Seider and said Kirby and Kinnear have to make a favorable impression with the coaching staff.
"They've got to come back, and they've got to earn it," Nadelen said. "We'll see what they do over the summer, and we'll see how they develop. Certain guys have certain things they need to work on."
Forecast for 2017: Partly cloudy. Long a strength of the program under Nadelen, the defense suffered a significant hit via graduation. A Rope unit anchored by Adams, Goodrich and junior long-stick midfielder Tyler Mayes (30 GB, 25 CT) is a welcomed sight, but replenishing the rest of the unit figures to be a huge priority. The offense should be in good hands under Drenner, Seider and junior midfielders Mike Lynch (21 G, 8 A) and Tyler Young (8 G, 10 A), but their ability to function will depend somewhat on improvement on faceoffs. Nadelen has done a commendable job of scouring the Baltimore metro area for talent overlooked by other programs, but the matching the success of this past season could be a tough hurdle.