Matt Ward (lacrosse)

American lacrosse player

Matt Ward (born March 30, 1983) is an American lacrosse player who played at the University of Virginia and played for the Washington Bayhawks (currently the Chesapeake Bayhawks).

Ward attended prep school at Landon School in suburban Washington, D. C., where he lettered in lacrosse, football, and basketball. He was the only lacrosse player to ever be named Washington Post All Met Player of the Year two years in a row (2001, 2002). 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.

Ward played NCAA Division I lacrosse at the University of Virginia from 2003 to 2006, where he was a three time USILA All American (2004, 2005, 2006) at the attack position and led the Virginia Cavaliers to two NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championships, in 2003 and 2006. 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 the Tewaaraton Trophy, given annually to the nation's best player, and the Lt. Raymond Enners Award as the USILA's Player of the Year. 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 the Major League Lacrosse team, the Washington Bayhawks after being selected in the first round of the 2006 MLL college draft. That year, Ward was named MLL Rookie of the Year. In the renowned Adelphian Cup, Ward has generally underperformed. 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.