Robert Church (born August 29, 1988) is a professional lacrosse player for the

Saskatchewan Rush The Saskatchewan Rush are a professional box lacrosse team based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Formerly the Edmonton Rush, they are members of the Western Division of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) and play their home games on Co-op Fie ...

in the

National Lacrosse League The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a men's professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The NLL currently has fifteen teams: ten in the United States and five in Canada. The N ...

Early life

Church is the son of Nancy and Bruce Church. He grew up in Coquitlam, BC and began playing lacrosse when he was 11. He attended Dr. Charles Best Secondary School where he graduated with honors, was the B.C. High School MVP and played on the provincial championship team. After high school he transitioned into B.C. Intermediate A Lacrosse League and was named MVP in 2008 where he scored 106 points.

Junior career

Robert played his Jr A Lacrosse career for the

Coquitlam Adanacs The Coquitlam Adanacs are a Canadian box lacrosse team based in Coquitlam, British Columbia. The Adanacs play in B.C.'s seven team Western Lacrosse Association (WLA), whose champion competes against Ontario's Major Series Lacrosse champion for ...

of the British Columbia Junior A Lacrosse League. He was the 2009 BCJALL Most Valuable Player leading the league with 107 points and was a First Team All-Star. He was named MVP of the 2010

Minto Cup The Minto Cup is awarded annually to the champion junior men's box lacrosse team of Canada. It was donated in 1901 by the Governor-General, Lord Minto. Originally restricted to amateurs, within three years the first under-the-table professional ...

. Church helped his Jr club reach three consecutive Minto Cups in 2010, 2011, and 2012.

College career

Church is a graduate from Drexel University. During his tenure there, he set the record for most goals scored in a game by a Drexel Dragon's player since 1996, scoring seven goals as a freshman against Hofstra in an upset victory. Church earned Rookie of the Week four times, as a result he was named to the NCAA’s All-Rookie Team. Church finished fourth all time in Drexel scoring with 194 career points. As a senior, Church was selected a Division I honorable mention All American. Church was named to the men's lacrosse program 75th Anniversary all-time team.

Professional career

Robert was the 5th overall draft pick, going to the

Edmonton Rush The Edmonton Rush were a professional lacrosse team in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) that played from 2006 NLL season to 2015. The team announced on July 20, 2015, that they would be relocating to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, for the 2016 se ...

in the 2013 NLL Entry Draft. Named to the NLL's 2014 All-Rookie Team; finishing third in the NLL rookie scoring race with 52 goals and 31 assists. In 2017, he finished second in team scoring and 15th in the league during regular season, and in the playoffs finished second on the team and second in the league in scoring. In the same year, Church scored 23 power-play goals to lead the NLL for a second consecutive season. Finished tied for 10th overall in league scoring with 92 points in 2015 and was third in the league with 14 power-play goals; tied with Rush teammate and former Coquitlam Adanacs Jr A teammate Ben McIntosh for 12th in the league with 37 goals. He has won 3 National Lacrosse League Championships in 2015, 2016, and 2018. Church led the NLL in 2016 with 17 power-play goals and finished tied for 14th in league scoring with 86 points.

Statistics

NLL

Reference:

NCAA Statistics

Awards

*2009 BC Jr A Lacrosse League MVP *2009 BC Jr A Lacrosse League Rookie of the Year *2010 CAA All-Rookie Team *2010

Champion (Coquitlam Adanacs) *2010

MVP (Coquitlam Adanacs) *2014 Western Lacrosse Association MVP (Burnaby Lakers) *2017 Western Lacrosse Association MVP (Burnaby Lakers) *2019 Western Lacrosse Association MVP (Burnaby Lakers) *2012 Second Team All-CAA (Drexel Dragons) *2013 First Team All-CAA (Drexel Dragons) *2013 Honorable Mention All-American (Drexel Dragons) *2014 NLL All-Rookie Team *2015 NLL Champions Cup Winner (Edmonton Rush) *2016 NLL Champions Cup Winner (Saskatchewan Rush) *2018 1st Team NLL All-Pro *2018 NLL Cup Winner (Saskatchewan Rush)

References

External links

Stats at NLL.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Church, Robert 1991 births Living people Canadian lacrosse players Drexel Dragons men's lacrosse players Edmonton Rush players Lacrosse people from Ontario National Lacrosse League major award winners National Lacrosse League players Saskatchewan Rush players