Matthew Russell '01

Matt Russell played two sports at Fairfield Prep, lettering twice in soccer and four times in lacrosse. It was in the latter sport that he made his mark in Prep annals as one of its premier goalies.

Russell was named to the All-SCC and All-State first team three times, and was accorded All-America status his final two seasons with the Jesuits. He backstopped the Jesuits to a pair of SCC championships and helped them reach the CIAC Division I title game in 2001, where they lost a triple-overtime 6-5 heartbreaker to New Canaan. He served as captain in 2000 and 2001 and was the team MVP his senior season. 

He was named Fairfield County MVP three times by the New Haven Register and was also named National High School Player of the Week by Inside Lacrosse in April of 2000.

In addition, he was cited as an academic all-SCC player in soccer as a senior.

Upon graduation, Russell attended the United States Naval Academy and became a three-time All-American. In 2004 Navy made it to the NCAA Division I title game for the first time since 1975, losing to Syracuse 14-13 after Russell had to leave the game with a broken collarbone. That season he was named Division I Goalie of the Year. He was second nationally in goals against average (6.69) in 2004, second in 2005 (6.68) and first in 2006 (5.45). He was the Patriot League’s Goalie of the Year three times and was named to the all-conference first team in 2006. 

Russell finished ninth in career saves at Navy with 380 and was the recipient of the Naval Academy Sword for Men, which recognizes the graduating midshipman who most excelled in athletics for his career.

Russell was drafted by the MLL’s Baltimore Bayhawks in 2006 and played for them as well as the LA Riptide from 2006-2008. He was then deployed to Iraq (2009) and Afghanistan (2011) as a member of the Marines. Upon his return, he played on the LXM Pro Tour through 2014, where he was a team captain for four seasons.

Russell was named to the Connecticut Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2014.