Holy Cross Lacrosse Off to Best Start in 27 Years

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Joe Parello, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Junior James Kennedy leads the Holy Cross attack.

Holy Cross' men’s lacrosse team has endured some rough seasons lately, but this year’s Crusaders are off to the best start the program has seen in nearly three decades.

At 4-3, Holy Cross is off to its best start since 1985 heading into today’s game at Navy. The Crusaders have gotten it done in crunch time this season, winning three of those games by two goals or less. Coach Jim Morrissey credits his team's turn around to being consistently focused.

“I think the team is now believing that they have to be mentally focused for a full 60 minutes,” Morrissey said. “We can’t have any letdowns. Even playing a sloppy two or three minutes could the difference in the game. I feel like we’ve played complete games all year, even in losses.”

The Crusaders have kept their focus, even when facing adversity. Tuesday, Holy Cross trailed Vermont 8-5 with just over 10 minutes to play. The Crusaders then scored four consecutive goals, the final two by freshman Clay Haarmann, to win the game 9-8. The win pushed the Crusaders over .500 for the season, a goal the team set before the year started.

While Haarmann has provided a spark, the Crusaders are powered offensively by junior James Kennedy. The talented attacker has nearly matched his output from a year ago in only seven games. Last year Kennedy led Holy Cross with 33 points in 15 games. This season, he has 28 points in less than half that.

But Kennedy insists it isn’t about the numbers. He believes coach Morrissey has taken steps to change the culture of a program that has not finished with a winning record since 1988.

“I think that just the attitude of the team has changed,” Kennedy said. “Coach has implemented some new stuff, and we’re just becoming a lot more efficient in practice. We know that if we stick together and stay within the offense we can be successful.”

Even with the steps taken, the Crusaders are battling history if they are to reach their goals of a winning season and Patriot League Tournament berth. Since the Patriot League’s inception in 1991, Holy Cross has never won more than a single league game in any season, and the Crusaders have gone winless in conference play 14 times, including last season. They have also never reached the Patriot League Tournament.

Morrissey believes those records are ancient history, and as a two-time All American player at national power Syracuse, he certainly knows a few things about high-level lacrosse. He began by recommitting his team to the weight room in the off-season, and revamping their practice schedule when he took over midway through the 2011 season, leading to two wins in the team’s final five games. The extra weight room training and new practices are important, but Morrissey says that his team believing in him will be what puts it over the top.

“I think the guys have bought into my system,” Morrissey said. “Now they’re trusting in me and the coaching staff that we will have them ready and in the best position to succeed. Now, when we get to game day, that’s their time. They can just go out and do their jobs.”

The Crusaders battle Navy in Patriot League play today at 1:30 pm in Annapolis, Maryland. The Crusaders next play here in Worcester on March 31st against conference foe Bucknell.