As Towson prepared for another Colonial Athletic Association men’s lacrosse tournament this week as its No. 2 seed, the Tigers were looking to buck the odds by winning their fourth straight league tournament and fifth overall, in head coach Shawn Nadelen’s seventh season.

Entering the season, a year after going to its first NCAA tournament final four since 2001 and third overall as a Division I program, Towson was in for quite a challenge. The Tigers rolled out the most inexperienced team of the Nadelen era.

Towson’s 1-3 start, which included a lopsided loss at Johns Hopkins in the opener and back-to-back respectable defeats against Georgetown and Loyola, was no shock. Neither was its overtime win at Ohio State on March 10, nor its competitive back-to-back losses to Duke (10-8) or Denver, which had to charge back from a 5-1 third-quarter deficit to edge the Tigers in overtime 11-10 on March 24.

That loss left the Tigers with a 3-5 nonconference record and the all-important CAA schedule on tap.

After that Denver loss, however, the season took a sudden, downward turn that could have buried Towson.

Following Towson’s return to Baltimore, Nadelen suspended three players for violating team rules — senior defenseman Sid Ewell, junior attackman Dylan Kinnear and junior attackman and team captain Jon Mazza. Kinnear was later dismissed.

It was a traumatic period for the program, as Towson (6-7) stumbled badly right after the incident by getting blown out at Hofstra 9-3. Since then, the Tigers have won three of four, including blowouts over Drexel and Delaware. Their only blemish is an 8-4 loss to top-seeded UMass (10-4), which has won nine straight and is unbeaten in CAA play.

Towson faces a rematch with third-seeded Delaware in Thursday’s CAA semifinals in Amherst. A Towson victory would likely set up a rematch with the top-seeded Minutemen on Saturday, with an automatic bid to the NCAAs at stake.

“I don’t think our guys have ever wavered in their ability. Morale has been shattered at times,” said Nadelen, who has reinstated Ewell, while Mazza remains on indefinite suspension. “I’ve learned a lot about myself this year. I tried to let our captains establish their leadership — maybe too much. Some guys just didn’t want to fall in line with the ways things are done around here.”

“The [active] captains [Zach Goodrich, Cole Robertson and Adam Ceribelli] have been great. I can’t tell you how many good meetings I’ve had with players who didn’t get in trouble,” Nadelen added. “We couldn’t allow the inmates to run the asylum. We can’t be putting wins before integrity and the right team culture. We have to handle success and handle adversity the right way. Towson lacrosse was here long before me and my staff was here, and it’s going to be here long after we’re gone. We have to keep integrity intact.”

How About St. Joe’s?

If the fans are looking for a new lower-tier conference to send a first-time participant to the NCAA tournament quarterfinals, Saint Joseph’s might be a cool bet.

Under coach Taylor Wray, the Hawks (10-3) won the regular-season Northeast Conference title by going unbeaten in league play and are hosting the Northeast tournament. Heading into Thursday’s semifinals against Sacred Heart, St. Joe’s has rebounded from an 0-3 start by finishing the regular season with 10 straight victories — matching Albany for longest win streak of 2018.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SAINT JOSEPH’S ATHLETICS

Attackmen Chris Blewitt (43 points) and Mike Rastivo (33 points) and midfielder Kyle Cain (32 points) lead the offense and a team that includes eight seniors, including Blewitt and Cain, and two graduate students, including Rastivo. Most of the older guys start or play significant roles.

Redshirt freshman goalie Mike Adler (60.6 save percentage) leads a defense that ranks sixth, having allowed 7.85 goals per game.

The Hawks have a notable signature win. Back on April 17, they defeated then 20th-ranked Penn 12-11.

“It’s a truly selfless, resilient group that doesn’t get flustered,” said Wray, noting how the Hawks’ 131 goals have come with 83 assists.

If it advances to the NEC final, St. Joe’s likely would have to go through Bryant, a perennial contender, to reach the NCAAs. The Hawks beat Bryant three weeks ago 14-7.