After starting all 15 games last season, Towson goalkeeper Tyler White doesn't lack confidence. But even he admitted to having a few doubts after a poor showing last week.
In Wednesday's 15-11 loss to then-No. 8 Loyola Maryland, the senior surrendered 12 goals and made just three saves before getting pulled in the third quarter for sophomore Matt Hoy. It was White's shortest outing since becoming a starter.
White got the start again Sunday at Georgetown and gave up just six goals while making a game-high 10 stops in the then-No. 16 Tigers' 9-6 victory. The effort was significant for White, who had posted 12 saves in the team's 7-5 win against then-No. 5 Johns Hopkins on Feb. 10.
"For me to have a great performance against Johns Hopkins and then the complete opposite against Loyola and then for me to come back out today and have the performance that I expect myself to have day in and day out, it's just huge," White said Sunday. "A little bit in your head, you're like, 'Maybe I'm not as good as I thought I was against Hopkins.' So to come out today and prove that it wasn't just a fluke, you get your confidence back. So it was really good for me today."
White's troubles against the Greyhounds opened the door for questions about whether Hoy should earn the first start of his career. But coach Shawn Nadelen said there was no question that White would start against the Hoyas.
"He knew he was going to start right after that Loyola game," Nadelen said. "Tyler's a guy that puts a lot on himself and he stepped up in practice. He did a good job preparing himself for this game. I was excited for him. He made the first few saves, and you could see the energy was different. You could see that he was excited to get in front of the ball.
"It's great for him, it's great for our team, and we're excited that he can hopefully get himself back into the groove. I think his play against Loyola was a little bit of a hiccup."