Towson boys lacrosse likes to be challenged by a tough early season schedule, considering it important preparation for its Baltimore County slate.
To their credit in recent games, the Generals haven’t made things all that difficult.
The latest example came Thursday at Harford County power C. Milton Wright, when they started fast and stayed in control for a 10-2 win.
In improving to 3-0 on the season — the Generals previously beat Carroll County power Westminster, 10-1 — Towson got goals from seven players with Ansen Park (two goals, one assist) and Alex Tyler (two goals, one assist) leading the way.
Goalie Alex Hochrein kept the play tidy in back, faceoff specialist Nate Mangiafico consistently got the attack possessions, and long-stick midfielder Patrick Corbett was the glue that kept things together.
In the complete team win, the Generals got a goal from Hudson Arrup — one of two on the night for him — on their opening possession and took a 4-0 lead after the first quarter that expanded to 9-0 at halftime.
“We started fast and that was one of the concerns coming out of spring break. But the guys were focused the past two days of practice and I commend them for that and I think the effort was a reflection of that,” Towson coach Phil Rossetti said.
Tyler set up Arrup 1:28 into the game, then scored 28 seconds later for a quick 2-0 advantage.
The Mustangs’ frustration was most magnified at the start of the second quarter. Down 4-0, they had good ball movement during in the opening possession of the quarter — lasting two-plus minutes — but it ended in a turnover. The Generals got a goal from Max Kosmides less than 30 seconds later.
A goal from Zach Hochrein with three seconds left in the half made it 9-0, and the Generals defense kept the Mustangs (2-1) off the scoreboard until the final minute of the game.
“It came down to this past week of practice when it was raining a lot, but we all just stayed focused,” Corbett said. “It feels great to be 3-0 and even better to get on this bus with all my teammates. We’re going to have a good time and then get ready for our next game.”
With a good number of returning players back from last year’s team that fell to eventual Class 3A state champion Severna Park, 8-5, in the quarterfinals, the Generals are taking a game-by-game approach with an eye on getting better every day. They’ll continue the practice grind with an extended break before opening league play at home against Perry Hall on April 9.
Corbett likes the team’s mindset.
“We have a new saying this year called ‘One heartbeat,’ and it’s about camaraderie and togetherness. The whole team is on the same page. Everybody has everybody’s back and great thing are going to happen.”
After wins over South Carroll and Havre de Grace to open 2-0, C. Milton Wright hit a speed bump Thursday. But coach Andy LeBrun considers it a lesson learned. The Mustangs get back at it Tuesday when they host Harford Tech at 6:45 p.m.
“The biggest surprise today was the non-execution on our part,” LeBrun said. “I wasn’t surprised at all by how Towson’s play was because they’re a phenomenal program. They came out as well as we expected, so it was just the downside from our guys. We’ll learn from this, it’s a long season and we’ll get better from it.”
Towson — 4 5 1 0 — 10
C. Milton Wright — 0 0 0 2 — 2
Goals: T — Tyler, Kanzler 2, Park 2, Z. Hochrein, Parks, Arrup 2, Kosmides; CMW — Eckman, Levi. Assists: T — Tyler 2, Park; CMW — Sander, Ashman. Saves: T — A. Hochrein 2, Giordani 3; CMW — Curry 4.
