Towson Wins League-Best Ninth CAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship
Hunter Peters
CHAMP CENTRAL | HIGHLIGHTS | PHOTO GALLERY
TOWSON, Md. (May 4, 2024) – Top-seeded Towson defeated second-seeded Delaware, 15-6, on Saturday afternoon at Johnny Unitas Stadium in Towson, Md. to win its program’s ninth CAA Men’s Lacrosse title – the most in conference history.
Towson improves to 13-3 this spring with its ninth consecutive victory, winning its first league title since 2019, and receives the conference’s automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Men’s Lacrosse selection show is tomorrow at 9:30 p.m. Delaware finishes the year 9-5 after the setback.
Nick DeMaio set a single-game tournament record with six assists in the title game and was named the CAA Championship Most Outstanding Player. DeMaio recorded 14 points on three goals and 11 helpers for the weekend – the most assists in a Championship. Bode Maurer tallied a team-high four goals, adding one assist, joining his teammate on the all-tournament team. Maurer – who had nine points on seven goals and two assists in the semifinals – set the record for most goals in a tournament.
Colby Barsz led the defensive effort, which limited Delaware to its season-low six goals, with three caused turnovers, earning his way onto the all-tournament team.
The Tigers were impressive in all facets. Offensively, Towson outshot Delaware 42-27, including 27-12 on goal. Defensively, the Tigers forced the Blue Hens into 24 turnovers, while Delaware went 15-of-25 on clear attempts compared to 18-of-19 for Towson.
Towson scored three goals within 2:42 of each other in the first quarter en route to a 4-1 first-quarter lead and never looked back. Chop Gallagher opened the scoring before back-to-back goals from Maurer – the first, coming 17 seconds after Gallagher’s tally. John McCurry ended the run for Delaware, but Alex Vieni added one back for the Tigers with 12 seconds remaining in the opening stanza.
The Tigers kept the pressure on with five goals in the second, and limited Delaware to its fewest goals in the first half of a game this season, taking a 9-3 lead into the break. Maurer netted his second consecutive hat trick at the 9:19 mark in the period, and Towson finished the half with a 3-0 spurt, netting goals from Gallagher, Josh Webber and Mikey Weisshaar.
Towson put an exclamation mark on the victory with five goals in the third, putting the game out of reach with a 14-4 lead after three. The Tigers’ final goal came with one second remaining in the quarter, marking the third straight quarter Towson scored with under 15 seconds in the period.
Five Blue Hens found the back of the net, led by Tyler Owings with a pair. JP Ward paced Delaware with three points on two goals and one assist.
After falling to Delaware in the conference tournament in back-to-back seasons, Towson notched the largest margin of victory in a CAA title game with its nine-goal win. The Tigers outscored their opponents 33-14 during the Championship run. The 33 goals are the second-most in a CAA Tournament – one shy of Towson’s mark from 2019.
2024 CAA Men’s Lacrosse All-Tournament Team
Nick DeMaio, Towson (MOP)
Colby Barsz, Towson
Luke Downs, Towson
Bode Maurer, Towson
Hank D’Ambrogi, Delaware
Kevin Ellington, Delaware
Mike Robinson, Delaware
Bryce Ford, Fairfield
Dean Ford, Fairfield
Liam Kammar, Drexel
Luke Tomak, Drexel
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