Towson enjoyed one of its finest seasons in recent memory, winning 12 games for the first time since 2001 and capturing its second Colonial Athletic Association tournament crown in three years. But it was a loss that ended the year that stood out the most to coach Shawn Nadelen.
In that 12-10 setback to top-seeded Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Division I tournament, the Tigers raced to a 6-2 advantage with just a few minutes left in the second quarter. Although they were unable to protect that lead and eventually succumbed to the Fighting Irish, their play affirmed to Nadelen that the program has the ability to compete with the country's upper-echelon teams.
"With our team and our program, what I'm communicating to them is if there was ever any doubt or wonder if we belonged as a Division I program, I think it got answered with regards to what we put on the field and how we played and how we competed," he said. "Our players were extremely disappointed that they were unable to come away with the win, and that's on us with the way it happened. But we didn't get out there and get blown out. We didn't get run over by them.
"I think for our guys, it's an indication that what we're doing is putting us in a position to be successful against any team. And if we don't do it the right way, it puts us in position to lose any game because that's how competitive Division I is. With regards to working our way back up to the conversation as one of the better teams in Division I lacrosse, I'd like to say that we made a good statement to that this past season, but next year, we have to continue to move forward and continue to get better."
Nadelen has helmed the program since the 2012 campaign, but he pointed out that the idea of belonging is still sinking in with the players.
"To be honest, it's been something that I've been doing since Day One when I became the head coach here," he said. "We've been instilling the confidence, the trust and the understanding of what it takes to get to that level, what it takes to be able to compete in those games against teams that have been in those games before.
"If you look at Notre Dame as of late, they've had a great run. If you look at that win against Johns Hopkins in the first game of the season for us, that just gave our guys the confidence to be able to move forward and the understanding of the process and how it allows you to be successful on game day. So it's something from Day One that the senior class – since they were freshmen – have chipped away at, building the mindset, building the culture, building the attitude. I think over the years, it has transformed that way."