Sid Ewell returned from suspension to play long-stick midfielder for Towson men’s lacrosse

The Towson men's lacrosse team suffered an 8-4 loss at Massachusetts on Saturday, but welcomed back a familiar face.

Senior Sid Ewell came off the bench after serving what amounted to a two-game suspension for violating an unspecified team rule. But rather than return to his usual position on close defense, the CCBC-Essex transfer backed up freshman Koby Smith (Loyola Blakefield) at long-stick midfielder. Ewell had two ground balls and one caused turnover.

"That's where we felt like positionally he could help us the most after playing a lot of close defense earlier in the year," coach Shawn Nadelen said Wednesday morning. "He was good. He wasn't great, but he did OK."

Ewell had not played for the Tigers (4-7, 1-2 Colonial Athletic Association) since an 11-10 overtime loss at No. 4 Denver on March 24. Nadelen said Ewell, who has 12 ground balls and seven caused turnovers, proved to his teammates and coaches that he was eligible to return.

"He just needed to prove that he could be a worthwhile teammate to the guys in the locker room and understand that no person is bigger than the program and that he needs to check his ego and check his own priorities at the door," Nadelen said. "In order to be a part of this team, you need to put the team first."

Ewell's return begs the question whether junior attackman Jon Mazza, who is also serving an indefinite suspension since the loss at Denver and still leads the team in goals (16) and points (24), might return. Nadelen did not give an indication one way or the other.

"Depends on obviously his actions," he said. "It's kind of day to day, and it's kind of the same situation in regards to understanding that he's part of this team and he's not above it. No person is above the program. If he's willing to put the team first, then there's an opportunity possibly."

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Duke's Nakeie Montgomery (15) celebrates after scoring on Maryland's Dan Morris, seated left, during the first half in the semifinals of the NCAA Division 1 college lacrosse tournament in Foxborough, Mass., Saturday, May 26, 2018. (Michael Dwyer / AP)

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