Robert Church, the reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the B.C. Junior ‘A’ Lacrosse League (BCJALL), will enter his freshman year at Drexel University with lofty expectations that already have fans and skeptics commenting on his potential.
“He’s going to find a spot somewhere, the attack rotation or midfield rotation, Church will be on the field a pretty good amount of time,” coach Brian Voelker said in an Inside Lacrosse Fallball Check-In. “Church will rewrite Drexel’s scoring book,” follows the first comment of the article.
“It’s not easy for young guys to step right into big roles, but we expect Robert to have a good year and to play a significant role in our offense,” added Voelker.
The excitement stems from Church’s outstanding summer where he posted a league-best 107 point season for the BCJALL champion Coquitlam Adanacs as an under-aged forward.
At Drexel University, he joins summer teammate Garrett McIntosh, a 6-foot-3, 205 pound midfielder who should find significant time at short-stick D and fellow Canadian Kyle Bergman, Drexel’s second leading scorer last season as a freshman.
“The adjustment has been really smooth so far,” added Church in a recent conversation with NLL Insider. “It’s a really busy schedule mixing practice, lifting and homework. The intensity is great, the team looks good and it’s definitely a lot of fun going to practice.”
Church, a graduate of Dr. Charles Best Secondary, is taking sports management as a major.
The quick 5-foot-10 forward says the quality of lacrosse is great, and compares the intensity of play to box lacrosse. He adds he’s looking forward to learning and growing as an overall player by competing at the NCAA D1 level.
Although not recruited by his current coach, Voelker appears to be a great fit for Church’s hybrid game of box and field lacrosse. A former All-World field lacrosse defender for Team USA, Voelker also won three National Lacrosse League (NLL) titles with the Philadelphia Wings.
Drexel University begins its 2010 lacrosse season at home on February 20 against Virginia University.