Athlete of the Week Charles Towers '04 is doing everything possible to ensure that the men's lacrosse team has a record-breaking season. Towers scored a career-high five goals to lead the team to a 10-5 win over No. 16 University of Massachusetts-Amherst last Saturday, and his efforts this season have helped Brown get off to a 4-0 record - its best start since 1992.
Towers is quick to acknowledge that his success this season has largely been due to his teammates, who have done a great job in setting him up around the net.
"During the first four games, my teammates have done an awesome job of getting me the ball in the right situations. My ability to score is due to my teammates finding me at the right times, in the right situations," Towers said.
Towers leads the team with 11 goals and 14 points overall. He is very strong around the net and not only knows how to get open, but also excels at finishing the play, according to his teammate Chazz Woodson '05.
"Charlie is such a great scorer because he knows how to finish the play," said Woodson. "He is able to get open very easily, and then is outstanding at finishing around the net. We rely on him to put points on the board for us, and he does everything he can to help us win."
Towers' teammates were impressed by his great game against UMass and said they hope to see similar performances from him throughout the remainder of the season.
"Charlie was on fire last weekend, and it was extremely fun to watch him," said Chris Mucciolo '05. "He scored very timely goals for us. He started off strong and kept that type of intensity throughout the entire game. He was also able to score towards the end of the game, putting the nail in the coffin."
According to Mucciolo, Towers is so dominant on the field because he is a complete player. He is very smart on the field and is able to make a lot of plays because he is constantly hustling to the ball. Mucciolo also said that although Towers scores many goals, he is an unselfish player on the field.
Teammates all agree that Towers has proven himself a leader both on and off the field.
"Charlie leads by example. He always is doing what is supposed to be done," Mucciolo said. "He is a great leader because he pushes other players on the team to reach their potential. Off the field, he keeps the mood light, but during practice and games, he is focused and serious."
The team's success this season has come as a result of the players' new and improved attitude, according to Towers.
"The team had a really bad season last year, and so our record negatively affected the team's attitude. We are doing everything we can to change last year's negative attitude. We have been able to change the attitude because we have a fairly young team, and all of us are taking practices and each game very seriously. There is a lot more trust on this year's team, and that has had a positive effect on the team as well," Towers said.
The team's ultimate goal for the season is to win the Ivy League Championship and attain a berth in the NCAA tournament. Towers said that during his previous three seasons, the team underachieved, but this season, the team is off to a great start.
"The seniors have decided to turn the program around this year. Everyone on the team has worked hard to ensure this. As a senior, I want to make sure that I do not leave anything behind - I want to leave all my energy out on the field," Towers said.
The team has played all of its games on the road so far, and the traveling has not been easy for the young team, which boasts 10 first-years. But each new player has performed well for the team and has been able to stand up to the challenge of playing at the collegiate level.
Towers said he views each game as a "business trip" and realizes that both he and his teammates will have to continue to work hard so that the team can achieve its final goal.
"As long as we maintain our current attitude and intensity, we should be successful," Towers said. "We will continue to learn from each other so that we can continue to improve and make this a great season."
