MOUNT ST. MARY'S (0-4) at TOWSON (2-2)
Saturday, March 1, 2014, 1:00 p.m.
Johnny Unitas Stadium, Towson, Md.
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MOUNT UPDATE: Mount St. Mary's lost to No. 4 Virginia, 14-6, in the home opener on Tuesday afternoon at Waldron Family Stadium on campus. Evan Gormley and Mike Fields each scored twice for the Mountaineers. After trailing 9-3 at the half, the Mount carried play in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 10-6. Virginia, however, scored all four goals in the final quarter to seal the win. Goalkeeper Chris Klaiber made 12 saves in the loss.
ABOUT THE TIGERS: Towson is coming off an 8-7 win over Georgetown on Saturday. Thomas DeNapoli and Greg Cuccinello each scored twice to lead the Tigers to the win. DeNapoli finished the team with six points (2g, 4a), and Towson withstood a late Georgetown rally to secure the win. DeNapolis leads Towson with 12 points (6g, 6a) while Cucinello has a team-high seven goals. In the cage, Tyler White has started all four games, posting a 12.26 goals against average and a .472 save percentage. Towson is 2-2 on the year, with wins over Georgetown (8-7) and High Point (11-8) and losses to Johns Hopkins (15-8) and Loyola (20-4).
THE ALL-TIME SERIES: The Mountaineers are 0-4 against Towson since moving to NCAA Division I in 1988-89. This will be the fourth consecutive year the two teams have met. Last year, the Mount lost to Towson, 13-5, at Waldron Family Stadium. The Mountaineers are 0-2 at Towson, falling 10-8 in 2012 and 17-6 in 2004.
LAST YEAR'S GAME: Mount St. Mary's lost to Towson, 13-5, at home last season. The game was tied at 2-2 at the half, and a three-goal Mount scoring run cut Towson's lead to 6-5 in the third quarter. Towson, however, scored twice to close out the quarter and put the game away by outscoring the Mount 5-0 in the final period. Brett Schmidt led the Mount with two goals and an assist. Thomas DeNapoli led Towson with three goals and an assist.
KLAIBER STEPS UP IN THE CAGE: Senior Chris Klaiber recorded a career-high 20 saves in the Mount's 10-4 loss at Georgetown on Feb. 12. It was the most saves by a Mountaineer player since T.C. DiBartolo made 20 against Georgetown on April 7, 2010. It is just the 17th time in school history that a goalkeeper has made 20 or more saves in a game. The Mount record is 30 saves set by Pat McNulty against Villanova on April 28, 1990.
FIRST GOALS: Eight different players on the Mount roster have scored their first collegiate goals this season. In the Mount's 14-6 loss to No. 4 Virginia, Evan Gormley and Mike Fields each tallied two goals, notching their first collegiate goals in the process. Face-off specialist Nick Haley also added his first career marker in the game. Earlier this season, Bubba Johnson, Robert Jones, Ryan Lamon, Greg Mulvaney and Mike Pascali notched their first career goals as well.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: Despite scoring just 18 goals over the first four games of the year, the Mount has had 12 different players register a goal in 2014. Last year, the Mount had 14 different players tally a goal.
CHECKING IN ON THE DEFENSE: Kyle O'Brien leads the Mount defense with seven caused turnovers this season. Nick Haley leads the squad with 13 ground balls.
THE SCHEDULE: The Mount once again will face a challenging non-conference schedule. The Mount plays four teams ranked in the top 20 in the USILA Preseason Poll (#3 Maryland, #4 Virginia, #5 Johns Hopkins, #15 Drexel).
PRESEASON POLL: The Mount was tabbed to finish in sixth place in the annual Northeast Conference Preseason Poll. Defending champion Bryant was picked to finish first with Robert Morris and Hobart in a tie for second. Saint Joseph's, Sacred Heart, the Mount and Wagner round out the poll.
THE NORTHEAST CONFERENCE: The Mountaineers are in the Northeast Conference, which will be in its fourth season of play. The NEC has a new look this year as Hobart and Saint Joseph's join the league, which includes the Mount, Bryant, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart and Wagner. Mount St. Mary's won the inaugural NEC title in 2011, while Bryant has won the league the past two years.
UP NEXT: The Mount hosts Johns Hopkins on Tuesday, March 4, with a 4:00 p.m. game at Waldron Family Stadium on campus.
