Towson Offense Accomplishes Something it Hadn't in Nearly Two Decades

For all of its strengths as a program — and there are many at a school known for winning with patience, precision and rugged play — Towson isn’t the most likely team to come to mind when it comes to rolling up lopsided defeats.

So last week’s 17-5 throttling of Navy was an eye-catching result.

“As I told the guys, it showed us what we’re capable of and the work that goes into getting to that point, so continue to build on that and challenge ourselves every day in practice with the way we practice and competing against each other, as well as understanding the game plan, understanding the scouting reports, understanding the preparation that goes into that,” coach Shawn Nadelen said.

Coupled with a 15-5 rout of Mount St. Mary’s on Feb. 10, it marked the first time since 2004 the Tigers (2-1) won consecutive games by double-digit margins.

What isn’t startling is Towson relying a bit more on its offense early this season. Yes, it still has mainstay defenseman Colby Barsz, but there are some relatively untested players at that end of the field.

Meanwhile, the Tigers are prospering in part because of some hard-earned experience last year.

Graduate student Nick DeMaio was already a proven player going into 2023, and he followed up a 36-goal season in his first year with the Tigers after transferring from Maryland with a 29-goal, 21-assist effort.

His last two games have been especially encouraging — three goals and three assists against the Mount, then four goals and five assists to have a hand in more than half of Towson’s goals against Navy.

DeMaio was the USA Lacrosse Division I Men’s Player of the Week for his performance.

“Nick’s game has grown in a mature way and early on we’ve seen a little bit of that, with his shot selection being more thought out and more opportune,” said Nadelen, whose team visits Saint Joseph’s on Friday. “I think having a little bit more experienced guys around him helps him maybe feel like he doesn’t have to carry as much of the burden. But I also think it’s a maturity piece in his game that fortunately our team is benefitting from.”

A pair of sophomores help illustrate that point. Midfielder Mikey Weisshaar had four goals and two assists against Navy, marking career highs in goals and points for a player who missed the fall in his first year at Towson and didn’t fully get up to speed until March last year.

Then there’s Joaquin Villagomez, who had a 27-goal debut season while being pressed into a large role early in his career. He matched a career high with five goals earlier this month against Mount St. Mary’s.

While both still aren’t the consistent threats DeMaio is, they provide a foundation as Towson chases its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2019. But it’s clear the sophomores have an increasingly high ceiling. So do the Tigers, as last weekend illustrated.

“I think we were able to play at a pretty high level where they were not playing at the level I know they’re capable of,” Nadelen said. “It just worked out pretty well for us. We’re excited about that. I think we recognize what went into that and know it’s only going to get tougher every day at practice and with every opponent coming up, as it does throughout the season because teams are going to become more familiar with you.”