Most Goals in College Lacrosse History

College lacrosse's greatest goal scorers are some of the greatest players in the sport's history.

Most Goals in College Lacrosse History

There isn't a sport in the U.S. older than lacrosse, which traces its roots back to the indigenous people of North America in the 12th century — some 600 years before baseball was first played.

For a sport as old as lacrosse, the modern version hasn't always been the most inclusive. It's been mostly played on a high level, in white, ultra-rich enclaves on the East Coast, but that's slowly changing as the sport has continued to grow in recent years.

On the college level, the top players usually end up on the East Coast as well, even though a team from the West (the University of Denver) brought home an NCAA championship for the first time ever in 2015. One thing that hasn't changed about lacrosse? The goal is still its most exciting play. Here's a look at the greatest goal scorers in NCAA college lacrosse history.

30. Connor Cannizaro, Maryland/Denver — 171 Goals

Years: 2014-17

Position: Attack

Bottom line: Connor Cannizaro played his freshman season at Maryland and was the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2014 before transferring to Denver for his final three seasons to play alongside his brother, Sean. In Cannizaro's first season at Denver, he scored a goal against Maryland in a 10-5 win in the 2015 NCAA championship game.

Connor started all 69 games of his college career — every game at both schools — and ended his career by scoring in 58 consecutive games. He was also a three-time All-American and played in the Final Four four times.

29. Cort Knodel, Canisius — 172 Goals

Years: 1994-97

Position: Attack

Bottom line: There was a world of hurt waiting for opponents who tried to stop Canisius star Cort Knodel from scoring goals — at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, he was built more like an outside linebacker than an attacker.

Knodel scored over 40 goals in each of his four seasons, and his 250 career points are also the Canisius record. Knodel was inducted into the Canisius Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007.

27. Joe Vasta, Air Force — 173 Goals (Tie)

Years: 1983-86

Position: Attack

Bottom line: One of the oldest players to make this list, Joe Vasta starred at the Air Force Academy in the early 1980s and ended his career as the NCAA's career leading scorer with 343 points — a record that stood until it was broken by Duke's Matt Danowski.

Vasta is still one of just six players in NCAA history with 150 goals and 150 assists.

27. Randy Colley, Notre Dame — 173 Goals (Tie)

Years: 1992-95

Position: Attack

Bottom line: Almost 30 years since his college career ended, Randy Colley remains Notre Dame's career-leading scorer — he also still has the top three single-season goal totals in program history.

Colley was a two-time team captain at Notre Dame, a two-time All-American and helped lead the Irish to the NCAA Tournament four times — he was the first All-American in Notre Dame history.

26. Ben Reeves, Yale — 174 Goals

Years: 2015-18

Position: Attack

Bottom line: Yale's Ben Reeves left college as his school's career leader in goals (174), assists (142) and points (316), but most importantly, he led the Bulldogs to the lone NCAA championship in school history in 2018.

Reeves was a three-time All-American, two-time Ivy League Player of the Year and swept both the Enners Award and the Tewaaraton Award as the nation's top player as a senior in 2018.

22. Lyle Thompson, Albany — 175 Goals (Tie)

Years: 2012-15

Position: Attack/Forward

Bottom line: Albany's Lyle Thompson cemented his place among the greatest college lacrosse players of all time by winning both the Enners Award and the Tewaaraton Award twice — given annually to the nation's best college lacrosse player. Thompson's 400 points were an NCAA record when he left college, and he was a three-time All-American.

Thompson, who is Iroquois, is widely considered one of the greatest lacrosse players of all time, and his native name is "Deyhahsanoondey," which translates to "He's Flying Over Us." He's played both indoor and outdoor pro lacrosse since 2015, and he led the Georgia Swarm to the 2017 NLL championship on the way to being named both NLL MVP and NLL Championship MVP. In 2019, he led the Chesapeake Bayhawks to the MLL championship and was named MLL MVP.

22. Jordan McBride, Stony Brook — 175 Goals (Tie)

Years: 2008-11

Position: Attack

Bottom line: One of two Stony Brook players to make the list, Jordan McBride was a four-time All-American, four-time All-America East and named the America East Conference Player of the Year as a senior in 2011. McBride's 175 career goals broke the previous Stony Brook mark by 42 goals.

McBride was inducted into the Stony Brook Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018.

22. David Hope, VMI — 175 Goals (Tie)

Years: 1986-89

Position: Attack

Bottom line: David Hope stayed in his home state of Virginia to play for Virginia Military Institute, where he still holds career records for goals (175) and points (239) almost 40 years since he last played.

Hope led the nation in goals as a sophomore in 1987 and is a member of the VMI Athletic Hall of Fame.

22. Jeff Reh, Adelphi — 175 Goals (Tie)

Years: 1987-90

Position: Attack

Bottom line: Jeff Reh starred in soccer and lacrosse at Rocky Point High before starring for Adelphi, where he was a two-time All-American and also walked away as his school's career leader in ground balls (298).

Adelphi led the nation with 60 goals as a junior in 1989 and was inducted into the Adelphi Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.

21. John DiMento, Air Force — 176 Goals

Years: 1987-90

Position: Attack

Bottom line: John DiMento is one of two Air Force Academy players to make the list. Both players have an interesting sidebar to their careers in that the NCAA says it doesn't have records of how many games they played, although Air Force says its record was 44-18 over the four years he was there.

What we do know is that DiMento helped lead the Falcons to the NCAA Tournament as a sophomore in 1988 — they wouldn't make it back until 2014 — and was an All-American as a senior in 1990.

19. Brody Eastwood, Stony Brook — 182 Goals (Tie)

Years: 2013-16

Position: Attack

Bottom line: Brody Eastwood started all 66 games he played for Stony Brook over four seasons on the way to being one of college lacrosse's greatest goal scorers.

Eastwood set the school single-season record with 62 goals as a junior in 2015 and was a two-time All-America East selection.

19. Tom Marechek, Syracuse — 182 Goals (Tie)

Years: 1989-92

Position: Attack

Bottom line: Tom Marechek — nicknamed "Hollywood" — was part of some of the greatest teams in college lacrosse history when he teamed with twins Paul and Gary Gait to help lead Syracuse to a pair of national championships in 1989 and 1990.

Marechek was a four-time All-American and led the nation with 53 goals as a junior in 1991. Marechek, who wowed fans with behind-the-back shots, played 14 seasons of pro lacrosse and was a nine-time NLL All-Pro and NLL Rookie of the Year in 1994. Marechek was inducted into the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2008.

17. Terry Riordan, John Hopkins — 184 Goals (Tie)

Years: 1992-95

Position: Attack

Bottom line: Few players on this list could compare with former John Hopkins star Terry Riordan's on-field prowess at 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds with a ball that ripped through the air toward the goal around 100 miles per hour. Riordan led John Hopkins to the Final Four three times, was a four-time All-American and won the Turnbull Award and the Enners Award as a senior in 1995.

Riordan played pro lacrosse for several seasons but also pursued a career in acting — he studied at the famed Lee Strasberg Institue and had minor roles in soap operas "Guiding Light" and "As The World Turns" along with the FX firefighter drama "Rescue Me" in 2004.

17. Jordan Wolf, Duke – 184 Goals (Tie)

Years: 2011-14

Position: Attack

Bottom line: Duke's Jordan Wolf was a two-time NCAA national champion, four-time All-American, four-time All-ACC selection, the 2014 ACC Offensive Player of the Year and became the first player in ACC history to put up 100 points in a season as a senior in 2014 when he scored 103 points. He was also named the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player in 2014.

Wolf, just 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, has been a three-time PLL All-Star, and you can make an argument that he's the second-greatest athlete to come out of Lower Merion High. That's pretty impressive, considering the No. 1 spot belongs to NBA legend Kobe Bryant from here to eternity.

15. Wesley Berg, Denver — 188 Goals (Tie)

Years: 2012-15

Position: Attack/Forward

Bottom line: Wesley Berg led Denver in scoring each of his final three seasons and, as a senior in 2015, led his school to its first NCAA championship and was named NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Berg's 39 goals in the NCAA Tournament are the second-most in NCAA history.

Berg helped lead Team Canada to the World Lacrosse Championship in 2014, and he's played pro lacrosse since 2015, winning an MLL championship with the Denver Outlaws in 2016.

15. Merrick Thomson, Albany — 188 Goals (Tie)

Years: 2004-07

Position: Attack/Forward

Bottom line: Merrick Thomson led Albany to three America East Conference titles and was named an All-American as a senior in 2007. As a freshman, Thomson set an NCAA single-game record with six goals in a playoff game against Syracuse and was named America East Rookie of the Year.

Thomson played in both the NLL and the MLL as a pro and was named the MLL Most Improved Player in 2008 and the MLL Playoffs MVP in 2009.

14. Miles Thompson, Albany — 190 Goals

Years: 2011-14

Position: Attack

Bottom line: Albany's Miles Thompson holds an NCAA record that might never be equaled — he scored a goal in every single game he ever played.

Thompson was part of an almost unstoppable offensive machine at Albany alongside his brother, Lyle Thompson, and their cousin, Ty Thompson — in 2013, the three combined for 259 points. In 2014, Lyle and Miles were named co-winners of the Tewaaraton Trophy as the best players in college lacrosse — also the first Native Americans to win the award. Miles played seven seasons of pro lacrosse and won an NLL championship with the Georgia Swarm in 2017.

13. Mike French, Cornell — 191 Goals

Years: 1974-76

Position: Attack/Forward

Bottom line: Mike French was an All-American in each of his three seasons at Cornell and capped his career by leading the Big Red to the NCAA championship in 1976. French was never better than he was in 1976 when Cornell went 16-0 while he racked up 65 goals and 40 assists, including seven goals in a 16-13 overtime win over Maryland in the NCAA championship game. French also won the Enners Award as the nation's best college lacrosse player and went 43-4 in three seasons.

French was inducted into the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2001.

12. Gary Gait, Syracuse — 192 Goals

Years: 1987-90

Position: Attack

Bottom line: Sometimes referred to as the "Michael Jordan of lacrosse," former Syracuse star Gary Gait teamed with his twin brother, Paul Gait, to lead the Orange to three NCAA championships in four seasons. Gary was also a four-time All-American and won the Enners Award twice as the most outstanding college lacrosse player in the country — he was also named NCAA Tournament MVP In 1990.

Gary played 20 years of pro lacrosse, winning three NLL championships and three MLL championships. He was also named NLL MVP a record six times. Most recently, Gary was the Syracuse women's lacrosse coach from 2007 to 2021 before he took over as the men's head coach.

11. Stan Cockerton, North Carolina State — 193 Goals

Years: 1977-80

Position: Attack

Bottom line: One of just two players on this list from the 1970s, Stan Cockerton was a three-time All-American at North Carolina State before the program was disbanded in 1983.

Cockerton's stats jump off the page even more when you realize he only played 44 games in four years. Playing for the Canadian National Team, Cockerton and Cornell star Mike French teamed up for a stunning upset of the U.S. in 1978 on the way to winning the World Lacrosse Championship. Cockerton was inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2003 and the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2014.

10. Kevin Lindley, Loyola (Maryland) — 196 Goals

Years: 2018-22

Position: Attack

Bottom line: Loyola's Kevin Lindley set the Patriot League career-scoring record and broke his school's single-season record for goals with 60 as a sophomore in 2019.

Lindley finished his career as a two-time All-American.

9. Dylan Molloy, Brown — 197 Goals

Years: 2014-17

Position: Attack/Forward

Bottom line: One of just three Ivy League players to make this list, Brown's Dylan Molloy was a three-time All-American and led his team to the NCAA Tournament twice, including Brown's second Final Four appearance in school history in 2016. Molloy was also named the nation's top player with the Tewaaraton Award in 2016.

Molloy was drafted No. 1 overall in the 2017 MLL Draft by the Florida Launch and played five seasons of pro lacrosse in the MLL and NLL.

7. Connor Fields, Albany — 199 Goals (Tie)

Years: 2015-18

Position: Attack

Bottom line: Connor Fields was a four-time All-American for Albany and capped his career by helping lead his team to the first Final Four in school history. Even more impressive about Fields' senior season in 2018 was that, after the season, it was discovered that he was playing with a torn ACL, MCL and sprained meniscus. Translation: He's tougher than most humans.

Fields was selected No. 3 overall by the Charlotte Hounds in the 2018 MLL Draft and played four seasons of pro lacrosse.

7. Max Quinzani, Duke — 199 Goals (Tie)

Years: 2007-10

Position: Attack

Bottom line: Max Quinzani is one of the smallest players on this list at 5-foot-7 and 170 pounds — a fact that did nothing to slow down his domination on the lacrosse field.

After leading Duxbury (Mass.) High to three consecutive state championships, Quinzani capped his college career by leading Duke to its first NCAA championship in 2010.

6. Jared Bernhardt, Maryland — 202 Goals

Years: 2017-21

Position: Attack

Bottom line: Jared Bernhardt is the most unique athlete to make this list. Full stop. The Florida native was a two-sport star in football and lacrosse in high school before helping lead Maryland to a national championship in 2017 and winning the Teewarton Award as the nation's top player in the spring of 2021.

Bernhardt enrolled at Ferris (Mich.) State as a graduate transfer following his final season of lacrosse and became the team's starting quarterback that fall, when he racked up 2,743 yards of total offense and 37 touchdowns in leading the the Bulldogs to a 14-0 season and the NCAA Division II national championship.

Bernhardt wasn't done there. He signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2022 as a wide receiver and made the 53-man roster. He played one season in the NFL before announcing his retirement from football.

5. Chris Gray, Boston/North Carolina — 204 Goals

Years: 2018-22

Position: Attack

Bottom line: Chris Gray spent his first two seasons at Boston University and was an All-American before he transferred to North Carolina.

With the Tar Heels, Gray was a two-time Turnbull Award winner as the nation's top attacker, named All-American two more times and finished his career with the NCAA record for points (401).

4. Logan Wisnauskas, Maryland — 205 Goals

Years: 2018-22

Position: Attack

Bottom line: Logan Wisnauskas redshirted at Syracuse in 2017 and transferred to Maryland, where he was a three-time All-American and capped his career by leading the Terrapins to the 2022 NCAA championship. Wisnauskas also won the Tewaaraton Award as the nation's top player in 2022 and set school records for career goals and career points, with 340.

Wisnauskas, 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, was selected No. 1 overall by the Denver Outlaws in the 2022 PLL Draft and was named an All-Star in each of his first two seasons.

3. Zack Greer, Duke — 206 Goals

Years: 2005-08

Position: Attack

Bottom line: Zack Greer helped lead Duke to back-to-back Final Fours in 2007 and 2008 alongside Enners Award winner Matt Danowski. Greer was a four-time All-American at Duke and won the Turnball Award as the nation's top attacker in 2008. He was granted a fifth year of eligibility that he used in 2009 at Bryant, where he scored 42 goals that didn't count toward his career stats because the school was in its first year of transitioning to Division I.

Greer was drafted No. 3 overall in the NLL by the Minnesota Swarm in the 2009 NLL Draft and was headed into his 14th season with his sixth team in 2024.

2. Justin Guterding, Duke — 212 Goals

Years: 2015-18

Position: Attack

Bottom line: Duke's Justin Guterding left college with the NCAA record for goals, breaking former Duke star Zack Greer's record — Guterding is also in the top 10 in NCAA history with 351 career points.

Guterding was a three-time All-American and three-time All-ACC selection and led the ACC in points each of his last three seasons. He helped lead Duke to an NCAA national runner-up finish as a senior in 2018.

1. Mac O'Keefe, Penn State — 221 Goals

Years: 2017-21

Position: Attack/Forward

Bottom line: To become the NCAA's career leader in goals, you need to start early. Like how Mac O'Keefe — great name, by the way — broke Penn State's single-season goals record as a freshman in 2017.

O'Keefe would go on to be a four-time All-American and led Penn State to its first Final Four as a junior in 2019 but saw what should have been his true senior season in 2020 shortened by the pandemic after he scored 28 goals in seven games. O'Keefe was drafted No. 15 overall in the 2020 NLL Draft by the San Diego Seals and has won two PLL titles, in 2021 and 2023, and was named a PLL All-Star in 2023.