There are certain moments in a college year that feel momentous, even before they happen. Your first walk through campus, the first late-night Cool Beans run, and the first cold morning walk to class. Now, we get to add another once-in-a-lifetime experience: the Holy Cross football team taking on a game at the iconic Fenway Park.
On November 22nd, the Crusaders faced the Hoyas, hailing from Georgetown University, in their final game of the season. Still, the iconic New England location gives the matchup a completely different energy. The monumental Green Monster, the echoing of Sweet Caroline, the Saturday night lights, and the atmosphere of playing in the nation’s oldest ballpark set the stage for historic moments, turning a Patriot League game into lifelong memories. The Crusaders held triumphant by defeating the Hoyas with a score of forty two to seven.
Holy Cross has a deeply rooted history at the ballpark, and the football team will be making its first return in seventy years. In 1956, the Crusaders faced off against the Boston College Eagles, a longtime rival of HC. Tickets back then were only twenty-five cents, and fans packed the grandstand, creating an electric sports atmosphere unlike any other in Boston. Now, nearly a century later, the Crusaders stepped back onto the same field, marking a historic chapter of Holy Cross athletics.
Whether a first-year experiencing their first HC event or a senior attending one of their last, the weekend served as an excellent opportunity to feel connected to friends, family, and the entire Holy Cross community.
Walking out of Fenway on our trip back to Worcester, wrapped in purple, buzzing with adrenaline, it was impossible not to feel proud to be a Crusader. The return to the iconic ballpark shows that, through one night, one community shows up anywhere our team goes.