The Holy Cross Crusaders men's lacrosse team represents the
College of the Holy Cross
The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest ...
in
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
college lacrosse
College lacrosse is played by student-athletes at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. In both countries, men's field lacrosse and women's lacrosse are played at both the varsity and club levels. College lacrosse in Canada is ...
. The program was created in 1958. Holy Cross plays its home games at Kuzniewski Field, which has a capacity of 1,000. The Crusaders have competed in the
Patriot League
The Patriot League is a collegiate athletic conference comprising private institutions of higher education and two United States service academies based in the Northeastern United States. Outside the Ivy League, it is among the most selective gr ...
since its 1991 founding. Through 2020, the team has an all–time record of 268–539–1.
The team's most successful period in the modern era occurred in the 1980s under head coach Bob Lindsay. Helmed by Lindsay, the Crusaders won 12 games in three seasons, while capturing all three of their conference championships as a member of the Colonial League. In Lindsay's 9 years, Holy Cross suffered only two losing seasons. The Crusaders would not have another non-losing season until 2019, in which they finished 77, before their first winning season in 32 years in 2020. Shortly after Lindsay's departure in 1990, Holy Cross joined their all-sports conference home, the Patriot League, completing their first season with Ed Carver as head coach.
Long an underachieving program, the Crusaders have seen an uptick in their performance in recent years. In 2015, the team won its only two victories over ranked foes, downing #8 Loyola in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
before defeating the #9
Army Black Knights men's lacrosse
The Army Black Knights men's lacrosse team represents the United States Military Academy (USMA, commonly known as "West Point") in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's lacrosse competition. During the team's 92-year hi ...
for the first time in program history. Both wins came by just a single goal in dramatic fashion. Under head coaches Judd Lattimore and Peter Burke, Holy Cross made the Patriot League tournament for the first three times in program history in the span of 2016 to 2019. While falling short of their first appearance in the
NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship
The NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament determines the annual top men's field lacrosse team in the NCAA Division I. This tournament has determined the national champion since the inaugural 1971 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse ...
, the Crusaders scored their first postseason victory with an upset 11–7 quarterfinal victory over the 3-seeded
Navy Midshipmen
The Navy Midshipmen are the athletic teams that represent the United States Naval Academy. The academy sponsors 33 varsity sports teams and 12 club sport teams.Loyola in the Patriot semifinals. Furthermore, in 2020 sophomore Chris Conlin earned honorable mention recognition as a Division I All-American, the first Crusader to earn such national acclaim since 1964 and only 7th nomination all-time for the program.
Season results
The following is a list of Holy Cross’s results by season since the institution of NCAA Division I in 1971:
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†NCAA canceled 2020 collegiate activities due to the COVID-19 virus.
*Jim Morrissey took over the head coaching position on the 7th game of the 2011 season. Adam Pascal's 0–6 (0–1) mark from that season has been credited to his overall record, while Jim Morrissey’s 2–7 (1–4) mark has been credited to his overall record.
** Justin Hager coached the final game of the 2014 season, going 0–1 (0–0).