Detroit Mercy lacrosse freshman competes for France

This year University of Detroit Mercy lacrosse team is adding an accomplished player, Lucas Goeller, to its roster. Goeller played last year on the French National team and is going to be a big help for the Detroit Mercy lacrosse team along with his fellow freshman class. Detroit Mercy lacrosse head coach Chris Kolon is extremely optimistic on bringing in Goeller to an already strong team. 

Goeller, who plays attack, went to high school Palos Verdes Peninsula High School in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.. Goeller was noticed by the French national team when coaches received his highlight tape and liked how he performed on the field. 

When speaking to Goeller about his time with the French national team, he said, “There was a good mix of competition, but the Japan and Uganda teams stood out the most with their talent.” 

The practices were only two weeks long and were held at San Diego State University. The roster is around 23 players with six reserves and Goeller was one of the reserves on the team. The coaches for the French team all played Division III lacrosse and mostly spoke French but would incorporate English into the plays. During his time on the French national team, the hardest team he played against was Japan which had a lot of great players. They lost to Japan 18-2.

Goeller also thinks the Detroit Mercy lacrosse team will be more competitive because the French National team only has a tournament every two years. He is excited to play with his new teammates and represent the school. Goeller believes this is going to be a terrific season. 

Coach Kolon attends multiple tournaments each summer including in San Diego, Orange County and Salt Lake City to recruit the freshman class and found Goeller. Coach Kolon saw Goeller as a passionate player

Kolon said, “Lucas is a player with a lot of energy and pop, he has a great IQ for the game.” He described Goeller as a team player who would always celebrate with his teammates. 

Coach Kolon never communicated with the French coaches or his high school coaches but heard of Goeller from Sean Higgins. Higgins, who is an assistant for Detroit Mercy lacrosse team, helped coach teams in the past that Goeller was on. When Coach Kolon saw Goeller play, he was very impressed with his talent and how he was playing at such a high level in high school. 

Along with Goeller, this new freshman class is also coming in with a new lifting coach and three new assistant coaches who used to play on the Detroit Mercy lacrosse team.