Name: Robert Church
Position: Attack
Hometown: Coquitlam, British Columbia, about 30 minutes outside of Vancouver
Cred: Entering his junior season with the lacrosse team, Church had already scored 59 goals in his Drexel career, along with 31 Assists. His torrid scoring pace continued in 2013, as he racked up 121 goals, 73 assists and 194 points.
First love: Hockey. Being Canadian, Church learned to skate almost as soon as he started walking. But an odd thing happened on his way to the NHL. “I played hockey all year round and got kind of tired of it, so in the summers, I started playing lacrosse,” he says. “Where I’m from, hockey wasn’t our best sport. Everyone played, but we didn’t really win, whereas in lacrosse we’d win championships every year. The winning kept me coming back.”
An offensive personality: “I like to score goals,” Church says. “I wouldn’t say I like the glory, but I like being the one the guys look to when they need something done. I honestly couldn’t tell you why I’m an offensive guy, I just always have been.”
His coach at Drexel, Brian Voelker, has a theory. “Physically there are times when you watch kids play and they jump off the page, whether it’s size or speed or quickness,” he says. “Robert doesn’t have that. He’s a normal-looking kid. His biggest thing is he just understands where to be. He understands how to score. He’s got great hands. You hear that a lot in other sports, but in our sport, having good hands is really important also. He works hard at his game and he just kind of gets how to play.”
From Vancouver to Philadelphia: As a high school student, Church played in several tournaments in lacrosse hotbeds Massachusetts and Maryland, where he caught the eye of former Drexel coach Chris Bates. A sport management major, Church was drawn to the school by its lacrosse program, academics and urban campus.
Freshman fireworks: Despite having to adjust from indoor lacrosse, which he played in Canada, to the outdoor variety, Church had a phenomenal rookie season. He led the team with 32 goals and tied for the team lead with 41 points, and was named to the CAA’s All-Rookie Team. His most memorable performance came against No. 8 Hofstra University, when he scored seven goals, including the game-winner. It was the most goals scored in a game by a Drexel player since 1996 and earned him CAA Player and Rookie of the Week honors.
“That was incredible,” says teammate Ben McIntosh, a fellow Coquitlam native who has known and played with Church since they were 10. “He’s always had really good hands in hockey and lacrosse. He’s not really a big body, so I don’t think he’s meant to play D. He loves to go out there and put the ball in the back of the net, that’s for sure.”
Junior achiever: During the 2012 CAA Tournament, Church scored three goals in Drexel’s 13-11 semifinal victory over Penn State. “That was a fun game,” he says. “We went there as the underdog and pretty much ended their season, which was really nice. The offense was gelling that game. Everyone was getting open, guys were making plays, and I happened to catch a couple balls and put the ball in the back of the net.”
Senior star: “Going into the year, we’re trying to figure out who’s going to do what, and you can almost pencil [Church] in as a 40-, 45-, 50-point scorer, which isn’t an easy thing to do,” Voelker says. “We almost take it for granted with him. He’s a major contributor to our program and its success.”
Personal goals: None. “I just want to do everything I can to help the team win, because I would love to be a member of the first-ever Drexel team to win the CAA Tournament and make the NCAA Tournament,” Church said in April. “That’s pretty much all I have individual-wise.”
The team lost in the CAA Tournament to Towson, 4-2, but Church, along with McIntosh, were later named Honorable Mention All-Americans by the U.S. Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association.
“We have a bunch of Canadian guys and we joke around that besides the fact that they talk a little bit funny, they’ve got pretty low-key personalities,” Voelker says. “[Church is] definitely not a guy that toots his own horn. He’s not a real rah-rah kind of guy. But he takes a lot of pride in his game, and he takes a lot of pride in our team.”
After lacrosse: “I’m a sport management major, so I’d like to try to work for a sports team,” Church says. “Ideally the Vancouver Canucks. I’d like to go back to Canada and get a job there. If any [major league lacrosse] teams do contact me, I’d definitely be interested in that.”
A hairy situation: Church sports a thin mustache in his official Drexel lacrosse headshot, and dabbles with various combinations of facial hair during the season. “I live with a bunch of roommates and a bunch of us kept the mustaches for the team photo as a bit of a joke this year,” he says. “I like it—my mom doesn’t.”
McIntosh, one of those roommates, disagrees.
“I love it,” he says, laughing. “He really grows some pathetic facial hair.”