Holy Cross Lacrosse Schedule: Searching for the Grail

PROGRAM SCHEDULE PROPAGANDA: PRESS RELEASE
THIS IS WHY WE FIGHT: THE SCHEDULE

Judd Lattimore -- Holy Cross' new program navigator -- has docked in Worcester and the Crusaders will have 13 games next year to show what Lattimore's presence means for a program that hasn't had a non-losing season since 1988. There's nothing easy about building a viable entity at the Division I level, especially in the context of what the Crusaders have been through over the past 20-plus years.

Here are some schedule highlights and games of note:

Alacrity
February 21: at Loyola; February 28: Navy; March 7: Army; March 14: at Bucknell; March 28: Lehigh; April 4: at Lafayette; April 11: Colgate; April 16: at Boston University

Holy Cross has not had an existence in the Patriot League that is filled with freedom and liberty and, like, sleeveless t-shirts that acknowledge the United States' undefeated record in World Wars. Since conference started sponsoring a lacrosse concern in 1991, the Crusaders are -- and this is almost unbelievable over a period of 24 years -- 11-127 in Patriot League competition, averaging fewer than half a win per season against over five losses per year. Again: Holy Cross has earned 11 total regular season Patriot League wins in almost a quarter-century of conference competition. The team has experienced 14 winless Patriot League seasons. This contrasts the fact that the Crusaders have won more than one Patriot League game in the same season only once: In 2013, the Crusaders went 2-4 and finished, for the first time ever, outside of the bottom two in the conference.

This isn't to menacingly throw shade at Holy Cross. Rather, it is to illustrate that the Crusaders are once again in a position to change the program's history. The strength of the Patriot League isn't changing all that dramatically, and with Holy Cross' schedule dominated by conference games (due to the league's size), the pressure remains on the Crusaders to start hammering some fools in their neighborhood before it becomes even more difficult to recalibrate the hierarchy in the conference.

A Punch-o-Gram Welcome Message
February 14: at Fairfield; February 21: at Loyola; February 23: Harvard

This is one hell of a way for Lattimore to start things off with the Crusaders in 2015. The 'Hounds and Crimson were NCAA Tournament teams a season ago and Fairfield was on the bubble for participation, a solid team that will return a host of dangerous contributors from last spring. None of this is easy for Holy Cross, and entering those dates under a fresh approach may exacerbate some issues that the Crusaders may face with a new vision guiding the program.