Rob Cross was introduced as an assistant coach at Harvard on Sept. 24, 2009.

Cross came to Harvard after working at Maryland-Baltimore County for three seasons. During his stint at UMBC, he worked with the offense that was wildly successful during his tenure and led the nation in extra-man success (30 of 57, 52.6%) in 2009. The Retrievers were ranked sixth in total offense (12.06 goals per game) last season after earning a ranking of No. 9 (11.24 goals per game) in 2008.

Cross returned to his alma mater after spending one year as an assistant coach at Mercyhurst (Pa.) College. The Lakers produced a record of 12-3 in 2006 and earned a trip to the NCAA Division-II tournament semifinals. The native of Black River, N.Y., was involved in all aspects of the program and was entrusted with the offensive responsibilities of the team. Mercyhurst averaged 12.23 goals per game and hit on 50 percent (36 of 72) of their extra-man opportunities during the 2006 season.

The former attackman/midfielder earned three letters at UMBC from 2003-05. He competed in 34 games during the course of his career, starting 15 and recorded 15 goals and 17 total points. In his first collegiate start as a junior in 2004, Cross scored the game-winning goal in a 10-9 win over Albany.

Cross earned his B.A. degree in sociology and was pursuing a M.S. degree in special education at Mercyhurst. While at UMBC, he worked very closely with the athletic department’s mentoring program for local middle school students.