Lions face loathsome Tigers

By DON WAGNER
Collegian Sports Writer

The numbers speak for themselves.

Since 1983, the Penn State men's lacrosse team is 3-11 against Towson State. They have beaten the Tigers only once since 1986. To say the least, the Tigers have been an anathema for the Lions.

No. 16 Penn State will face No. 7 Towson at 1 p.m. tomorrow in Maryland. Lion Coach Glenn Thiel said his team will be facing a Towson squad that has come into its own in the last few years.

"They really turned the corner four years ago when they made it all the way to the NCAA finals," he said. "They're always strong because lacrosse is their major sport, and they always get quality recruits and junior college transfers."

Last year, the Lions (4-1) played the Tigers (1-1) and ended up losing a 15-13 heartbreaker. Towson attackman David Quinn scored seven goals, a season high for the team. Quinn also had two assists, which gave him the school's season record for points in a game (nine).

Covering Quinn will be the responsibility of Lion sophomore defenseman Dave Danecki. But it is a position he is used to. It has been his responsibilty all year to shadow the opposition's top attackman.

Danecki's defensive partner, Brian Shorts, said as long as Quinn doesn't light up the Lions for seven goals, they will be well off, and Danecki will have done his job.

"It doesn't matter if (Quinn) scores one or two goals," Shorts said, "but we can't let him get seven."

Thiel said he wants to see his team improve on defense, and try to control the faceoffs. He said the Lions may not win a lot of the faceoffs, but they will force Towson into making bad passes to try to disrupt them once the Tigers have the ball.

On defense, Thiel wants to lessen his team's mental mistakes, like the ones it made in its 16-10 win over Villanova last weekend.

"We need to be smarter defensively and force them to beat us from the outside on mostly perimeter shots," he said.

Shorts said a victory over the Tigers isn't an option for the team, it's a necessity.

"This is a must-win game for us if we want to make the NCAA tournament," he said. "A victory over a higher team will look really good to the NCAA tournament selection committee."

Thiel said the Tigers are going to be the third important test for his team, behind the Notre Dame and Virginia games.

"Coming out of the fall season, (Towson is) one of the toughest teams around," he said. "If we can knock them off, it will be a feather in our cap."