2018 - Senior Season - Polished off his record-breaking career with one of the most decorated campaigns in program history … Secured All-American accolades and was a first-team All-Conference and All-State selection … Also picked up second-team All-Region plaudits and was selected to the USILA North-South Senior All-Star Game … Ranked second in the CAC with 86 points, stood third with 39 assists, and placed fourth with 47 goals … His 86 points also established a new single-season program record … Started all 20 contests and notched at least one point in the final 19 games of the year … His 19-game point streak marked the third-longest in program history … Tallied 13 multi-goal efforts, including 10 hat-tricks … Tied the single-game school record with nine points, including six goals, at Southern Virginia on March 3 … Assisted on CNU’s first goal against the Knights, which came just four seconds into regulation … That marked the fastest opening tally in program history and the second-fastest ever registered by an NCAA lacrosse team … Also contributed five goals during a win against Illinois Wesleyan on March 14 and had seven points, including five assists, at St. Mary’s (Md.) on March 31 … Was especially lethal in conference action and led the CAC with 22 goals and 39 points in league play … Stepped up with a phenomenal performance during the NCAA Tournament … Opened the postseason with six points, including a hat-trick, against No. 17 Roanoke on May 9 … Came back with six more points, including four assists, at No. 7 Salisbury in the Sweet 16 on May 12 … Notched at least two assists in 11 of his appearances during the year, including four helpers against Berry on February 16 … Honored as the CAC Offensive Player of the Week on March 5 and April 2 … Also earned a spot on the USILA National Team of the Week on March 6 … Excelled in the classroom as well, securing USILA Scholar All-American nods … Left CNU as the program’s all-time leader in career points (232), goals (126), and assists (106).
2017 - Junior Season - Continued to help anchor the attack as a dynamic offensive contributor ... Established a new single-season program record and ranked third in the CAC with 40 assists ... Also stood seventh in the league with 68 total points after sniping 28 goals ... Started all 17 games and registered at least one point in 16 of his appearances ... Notched four hat-tricks during the year, including a season-high four goals against Messiah on March 11 ... Struck three times against No. 5 York (Pa.) in the CAC semifinals on April 22 ... Had a season-high nine points and six assists against St. Mary's (Md.) on April 12 ... His nine points equaled the single-game program record and his six assists tied the second-highest single-game output in CNU history ... Erupted for seven points, including four helpers, against Wheaton on March 15 ... Had two or more assists in 12 of his outings, including five straight from March 11-29 ... Scored back-to-back goals in the span of seven seconds against Southern Virginia in the first round of the CAC playoffs on April 19, equaling the fastest consecutive goals scored by a single player in program history ... Also contributed 32 ground balls during the season, including five at Randolph-Macon on February 22 ... Added seven caused turnovers as well.
2016 - Sophomore Season - Erupted for a record-breaking campaign during his second year at CNU … Established new single-season program records with 58 points and 39 goals … Also ranked in the top-10 in both categories in the CAC and stood fourth with a 2.60 goals-per-game average … Registered eight hat-tricks during the year, including a five-goal outburst at St. Mary’s (Md.) on April 13 … Strung together a program-best four straight four-goal outings from March 23 - April 2 … Earned the CAC Offensive Player of the Week Award on April 4 for that run … Exploded for eight points, including a season-high four assists, in the CAC tournament against Southern Virginia on April 19 … His eight points equaled the second-highest single-game total in program history … Also had seven points, including three helpers, against Mary Washington on March 30 … Posted at least one point in 14 of his 15 appearances and had two or more on 10 occasions … Finished the year with a team-best .443 shooting percentage after scoring on 39 of his 88 shots … Also contributed 33 ground balls during the year and forced three turnovers.
2015 - Freshman Season - Made a solid debut for the Captains, appearing in 13 games while earning three starts … Led all first-year players with 12 goals and 20 points … Posted his first career strike in the season-opener during a 13-9 victory over No. 15 Washington & Lee on February 13 … Drove home a pair of goals in back-to-back games against Virginia Wesleyan on March 11 and Coast Guard on March 13 … Also added two assists during a four-point explosion against the Bears … Came back with two more helpers and was credited with the game-winning goal against Southern Virginia on April 4 … Posted a goal in each of his last four appearances, including two during the CAC Tournament against Mary Washington on April 22 … Notched at least one point in 10 of his 13 games … Also contributed 14 ground balls during the season.
At Albemarle - Starred as a multi-sport standout for the Patriots … Named the 2014 5A Virginia State Player of the Year in lacrosse … Also guided the squad to the state championship as a senior … Competed in football and basketball as well.
Personal - Matthew Lee Crist is the son of Bob and Cindy Crist … Has an older brother, Billy, who played lacrosse at CNU from 2011-14 … His dream vacation would be a trip to Hawaii … “Interstellar” is his favorite movie, and “The Watsons Go to Birmingham” is his favorite book … LeBron James is his favorite sports personality, and Abraham Lincoln is the person in history he’d most like to meet … Majoring in biology.
