Towson made its first appearance in the NCAA College Cup and won its first NCAA Championship game, a 4-1 victory over James Madison University. Towson was eliminated in the second round by host North Carolina, 3-0. The Tar Heels were led by junior Ryan Kneipper, who had two goals and an assist. Senior goalkeeper Chris Hurley had a seasonal high ten saves.
In the win over James Madison, the Tigers took a 1-0 halftime lead when Randy Tolson scored his seventh goal of the season off a pass from Danny Skelton. Midway through the second half, junior Kevin Corradini scored on a rebound after Machel Millwood had his shot stopped by the Madison goalkeeper. Millwood scored twice in the final 20 minutes to give the Tigers their first NCAA Championship victory. The goals were Millwood’s first since October 21 when he scored twice at Hofstra. Millwood finished the season as the Tigers’ second-leading scorer with 12 goals and 10 assists. Tolson was the Tigers’ top scorer in the post-season with four goals and two assists. He had just three goals and eight assists in the regular season. Tolson finished the season with seven goals and ten assists and was the Tigers’ fourth-leading scorer.
In the first round of the NCAA College Cup, 15 of the 16 games were one-goal decisions. The Tigers’ 4-1 win was the only game that wasn’t decided by a goal. Towson finished its record-breaking season with 16-5-1 record. The 16 wins broke the school record of 14 set in 1991 and matched in 1995. Towson also shattered the school record with 59 goals in 22 games, a 2.68 average. Towson entered the NCAA Tournament as the fifth-highest scoring team in NCAA Division I with 55 goals in 20 games. Ironically, Towson was tied for fifth in the nation with Hartford, the team that the Tigers beat in the America East semi-finals. The Tigers’ loss at North Carolina concluded the careers of five talented seniors. Alfonso DeMares, Tim Gober, Steve Hoeck, Chris Hurley and Todd Lauber played in their final college game at North Carolina. The Tigers’ top scorer as a senior, DeMares had 15 goals and 10 assists this season and was the leading scorer in the South Atlantic region. He finished his career with 45 goals and 35 assists for 125 points. His 125 points broke the school record held by Wayne Harman, ’57. Lauber, who started all 77 games of his college career, had 31 goals and 32 assists in his career. His 94 points are fourth on Towson’s all-time list.Gober, Hoeck and Hurley were all three-year starters for the Tigers. Over the last four years, the Tiger seniors helped Towson post a 49-23-6 record and make four straight league tournament appearances. During their four years, the Tiger seniors reached the America East Championship Game three times, winning the championship in 2001.