Timmy Gleason ’28
Staff Writer
Both the Holy Cross Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse seasons are well underway in exciting fashion. Since their respective start, for the men beginning in Providence, RI on the first day of February and for the women starting a week later in Fairfield, CT, these campaigns are truly not for the faint of heart. The pair of Division 1 lacrosse programs have already ventured to a combined seven different states to compete against a variety of Patriot and non-Patriot League opponents. However, the matches in the books just symbolize the halfway mark of the year because fortunately for us, we still have a whole lot of lacrosse left to play.
For the Holy Cross Men’s Lacrosse team, their biggest win came against the Bucknell Bisons (4-4 overall; 6th in Patriot League) in a double-overtime victory on March 1 at Kuzniewski Field, or more colloquially known as “Father K” field. Despite being two goals down at halftime, the Crusaders battled back to draw level with the Bisons at the final buzzer with a monumental five-goal fourth quarter. Senior Henry Sheehan, Sophomore Jon-Luke Duley, Junior Will Messineo (2x), and Sophomore Jude Lynch all netted for Holy Cross in the final fifteen-minutes of play. Then, Sheehan, off of an Andrew Ottomanelli pass, who also set up Jude Lynch for the game-tying score, won the match for the Crusaders.
As it currently stands, the men possess a record of three wins and seven losses, with one of those wins and three of those losses coming in Patriot League play. However, it is notable to recognize the strength of the opponent, especially of the Army West Point Black Knights (7-1 overall; 1st in Patriot League) and the Navy Midshipmen (6-3 overall; 3rd in Patriot League), who Holy Cross brought to in overtime, eventually falling to a score of 8-9.
Looking ahead, there is certainly no doubt that the Crusaders can steer the ship and string together a couple of victories. On Saturday, March 29 at 4 p.m., the Crusaders will face Boston University (7-1 overall; second in Patriot League) in what will be a fierce matchup.
Following that, they will welcome the team who sits just one place above them in the conference standings, the Lehigh Mountain Hawks (2-6 overall; 7th in Patriot League). The opportunity to not only get a win over our rivals, but also jump the Mountain Hawks in the standings could not be any more enticing. Leader scorers Jon-Luke Duley, Jude Lynch, and Will Messineo with 14 goals apiece and leading playmakers, John Mitchell and Andrew Ottomanelli, with eight assists to their names will definitely look to add to their season totals.
For the Holy Cross Women’s Lacrosse team, their most triumphant win was against American University (5-5 overall; 6th in Patriot League) in a seventeen-goal beatdown. In the blink of an eye, the Crusaders were up seven goals by the end of the first fifteen minutes and truly did not look back since then. The large halftime lead was 9-3 in favor of Holy Cross, which also did not stop them from scoring an additional seven (!) goals in the third quarter to put American out of their rearview mirror. Senior Ella Kittredge compiled a video game-esque stat line: seven goals, including a first and third quarter hattrick as well as the only score in the fourth quarter to wrap it up for Holy Cross.
The Holy Cross Crusaders have to be satisfied with their first ten games of the season, which includes winning seven, netting a whole bucket load of goals, and most importantly sitting upon the top of the Patriot League standings.
Looking forward, their resilience will definitely be put to the test. In their remaining six competitions (excluding a matchup against the Bucknell Bisons on March 29 in Lewisburg, Pa. at 1 p.m.), they will play the four other teams within the top-five of their conference. Because of the heart and grit the Crusaders have shown so far this campaign, these other teams will be no match for them.
Seniors Sally Zisner and Ella Kitredge are goal-scoring machines, both tied with a staggering thirty-one scores in just ten games played. A year ago, Zisner ended the season with 55 scores while Kittredge had 38, but both are on track to completely shatter those totals from the last campaign and further sketch their names into Holy Cross history.
Senior Isabella Miller leads the team with thirty-three assists and opposing teams will definitely look to slow her down, as she continues to creep toward her amazing season total from last year, which was fifty. Following the away trip to Bucknell, the Crusaders will have to hit the road again to visit Navy (7-3 overall; second in Patriot League) in Annapolis, M.D. on Saturday, April 5. A two-game homestead will feature welcoming the Lehigh Mountain Hawks (3-5 overall; 9th in Patriot League) and a significant bout versus Army West Point (6-2 overall; 4th in Patriot League) on Wednesday, April 16 in the Cousy Cup.
Copy Edited by Lily Wasmund ’28
Featured image courtesy of the Holy Cross Women’s Lacrosse Instagram
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