| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | (1983-03-30)March 30, 1983 (age 42) |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Weight | 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st 4 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Position | Attack |
| Shoots | Right |
| NCAA team | Virginia (2006) |
| NLL draft | 33rd overall, 2006 Arizona Sting |
| MLL draft | 4th overall, 2006 Baltimore Bayhawks |
| MLL teams | Baltimore/Washington Bayhawks |
| Pro career | 2006–2008 |
Matt Ward (born March 30, 1983) is an Americanlacrosse player who played at theUniversity of Virginia and played for theWashington Bayhawks (currently the Chesapeake Bayhawks).
A native ofOakton, Virginia,[1] Ward attended prep school atLandon School in suburbanWashington, D.C., where he lettered in lacrosse, football, and basketball. He was the only lacrosse player to ever be namedWashington Post All-Met Player of the Year two years in a row (2001, 2002).[2] Ward was also selected to All-State, All-County, and All-Conference teams as a junior and senior, scoring 33 goals and 20 assists as a senior (despite missing seven games due to injury) including the winning goal in overtime of the conference championship.[3]
Ward playedNCAADivision I lacrosse at theUniversity of Virginia from 2003 to 2006, where he was a three-timeUSILA All-American (2004, 2005, 2006) at the attack position and led theVirginia Cavaliers to twoNCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships, in2003 and2006. In 2006, he set the NCAA record for most goals (16) in the tournament and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. That year, he also won theTewaaraton Trophy, given annually to the nation's best player, and theLt. Raymond Enners Award as theUSILA's Player of the Year.[4] The 2006 Cavalier season was also notable because it marked the first time in NCAA history that a Division I men's lacrosse team had finished a season with a 17-0 record.
Beginning in 2006, Ward played professional outdoor lacrosse for theMajor League Lacrosse team, theWashington Bayhawks after being selected in the first round of the 2006 MLL college draft. That year, Ward was named MLLRookie of the Year. In the renowned Adelphian Cup, Ward has generally underperformed.[5]
A past champion of CPMC, Ward was embroiled in controversy in the 2023 competition when he received course approval to take a golf cart in a walking-only event.
| Season | GP | G | A | Pts | GB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 17 | 26 | 20 | 46 | 45 | |
| 2004 | 13 | 33 | 13 | 46 | 27 | |
| 2005 | 15 | 38 | 11 | 49 | 46 | |
| 2006 | 17 | 42 | 25 | 67 | 51 | |
| Totals | 62 | 139 | 69 | 208 | 169 |
Source:[6]
| Season | Team | Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | G | 2PG | A | Pts | Sh | GB | Pen | PIM | FOW | FOA | GP | G | 2PG | A | Pts | Sh | GB | Pen | PIM | FOW | FOA | ||
| 2006 | Baltimore Bayhawks | 9 | 23 | 2 | 8 | 33 | 93 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2007 | Washington Bayhawks | 12 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 18 | 84 | 19 | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2008 | Washington Bayhawks | 11 | 25 | 0 | 9 | 34 | 70 | 12 | 0 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 32 | 56 | 3 | 26 | 85 | 247 | 47 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Career total: | 32 | 56 | 3 | 26 | 85 | 247 | 47 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
GP–Games played;G–Goals;2PG–2-point goals;A–Assists;Pts–Points;Sh–Shots;GB–Ground balls;Pen–Penalties;PIM–Penalty minutes;FOW–Faceoffs won;FOA–Faceoffs attempted