Navy holds a slight 7-6 lead in this series, but Towson has won the last two games. The Tigers are 2-0 on the road so far, while the Midshipmen are 1-2 at home.
No. 15 Towson (3-1) is aiming to improve to 4-1 for the first time since 2005. Sophomore attackman Joe Seider leads the team in both goals (10) and points (12). The Hereford graduate has scored at least two goals in three games this season.
Navy (2-2) is seeking its second 3-2 start in as many years. Freshman attackman Dave Little's extra-man goal with 2:55 left in regulation proved to be the game-winner in Saturday's 7-6 win at then-No. 19 Holy Cross. In addition to Little, freshmen had a hand in six of those seven goals.
Here are a few factors that could play a role in the outcome at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
1. Diversity. Since a 21-goal explosion in a season-opening rout of VMI on Feb. 8, the Midshipmen have not scored more than seven goals in each of their past three games. Seven goals were enough in the upset of the Crusaders, but coach Rick Sowell said the offense is going to have to be more opportunistic against a Tigers defense that is tied for the eighth-fewest goals per game in Division I at 7.5 goals.
"I keep saying this, but trying to make a living scoring on any defense in the country is not easy," he said. "It's even that much more difficult against a team like Towson. So we've got to figure out other ways to put the ball in the net – whether that's extra-man opportunities, transition, unsettled, off a faceoff, off a defensive possession. We've got to look to cash in on those opportunities because you're not going to make a living scoring six-on-six goals against Towson's defense."
2. Perseverance. Towson put 24 of 44 shots on net, but only scored seven times against Mount St. Mary's because of freshman goalkeeper Matt Vierheller (17 saves). The offense may face another obstacle in a Navy defense that is tied for seventh-fewest goals per game in the country (7.3) and anchored by junior goalie John Connors, who has posted a 7.06 goals-against average and a .574 save percentage. But coach Shawn Nadelen appreciated his team's display of patience against the Mountaineers.
"It can frustrate you, but I'm proud of the offense, that they didn't let it get in their heads too much," he said. "We continued to shoot, we continued to take the right shots rather than just taking any shot."
3. Cooperation. The Midshipmen rank ninth in the nation in faceoff percentage, having relied on sophomore Brady Dove and freshman Joe Varello to win 64.1 percent (50-of-78). On the flipside, the Tigers have won just 46.2 percent (36-of-78) of its draws. That would seem to be a significant advantage for Navy, but Sowell said he's not buying into the numbers.
"Just from watching film, they're better than what their percentage shows," he said. "They make it a battle, they make it a scrap. So our wing play will be crucial tomorrow as it was against Holy Cross this past weekend. Brady's pretty good, and when he's not out there, we can go to Joe Varello, and he's pretty good himself. So we certainly feel good about that position and hopefully, we can continue to win our fair share. But I think tomorrow, we expect a battle and our wing play is going to be very important in terms of how successful we are."