In his first season with the Pioneer men’s lacrosse program, freshman attackman Gordie Koerber has started both regular season games and scored a total of three goals for the team.
“It’s been a good start for me individually, but there’s a lot of great players around me helping me out,” said Koerber. “I’m just trying to play my role on the field and do whatever is best for the team.”
In his collegiate debut against Duke University two weeks ago, Koerber was able to score three goals in the Pioneers’ victory. In the team’s game against No. 15 Penn State on Sunday, Koerber took five shots and had one turnover.
“Like every freshman, there’s always going to be mistakes, and it’s going to take a while,” said head coach Bill Tierney. “But for a young guy to play in that big of a game in his first game as a freshman, I thought he did a fantastic job.”
Koerber began to build his reputation in the fall when, in a preseason scrimmage against the Denver Outlaws, he posted five goals and five points.
“That scrimmage was a great practice for us in the fall,” said Koerber. “It really helped us with our team chemistry, and it got us playing against someone else. The success I have on the field is a direct result of the guys setting me up.”
Koerber was recently named the Preseason Rookie of the Year in the Eastern College Athletic Conference preseason poll. He was also listed on Lacrosse Magazine’s “Freshman 15: College Rookies to Watch” before coming to Denver.
“He’s still got a lot to learn, but it’s hard to teach the things that he does,” said Tierney. “He really moves well when he doesn’t have the ball, he’s very unselfish and he’s not a big ego guy.”
According to Koerber, he humbles himself by contributing his success to his teammates and coaches. The coaching staff, along with the strong academics and competitive lacrosse program, helped Koerber decide on DU.
“They’re great; Coach Brown has really helped me a lot transitioning from high school to here and really helped me out with the offense,” said Koerber.
Koerber was a three-year letter winner and was team captain for his high school in his senior year. He scored 69 goals over his high school career and helped his team win the MIAA Conference title in 2011.
Koerber has been playing attack for 13 years and has grown up around lacrosse. His father played midfield for John Hopkins, and Koerber said that he’s been a great role model for him growing up.
“Gordie comes from a hot bed of lacrosse in Baltimore, so I think the real thing he brought to us was some lacrosse IQ, so to speak, that we don’t usually get from freshmen,” said Tierney. “He’s seen a lot of great college lacrosse, and so he brings to us a little bit of a better understanding of the game. The best thing, probably, is his ability to adapt to Coach Brown’s offense as quickly as he has.”
Koerber said he is looking to continue to adapt with the team and focus on the rest of the season and even the next four years.
“Our first goal is to win the ECAC championship and then win the national championship. Our motto this year is ‘one goal.’ We’re really working hard to get that national championship and win on May 27,” said Koerber.
Coach Tierney also sees the potential Koerber has and knows that he will continue to improve.
“He can always become a better athlete; he can always get stronger, and as he gets older, he’ll do that, but for an 18 year old right now, we’re pretty happy with where he’s at,” said Tierney.
