Penn soccer's Duke of the pitch

It was love at first sight for Duke LaCroix.

“I’ve been playing soccer for as long as I can remember,” the freshman midfielder said. “Ever since I could kick a ball, I’ve been playing.”

The two have proven to be a perfect match. LaCroix has impressed in his first four collegiate games; he earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honor after scoring two goals against St. Joseph’s.
But even before entering high school, LaCroix had hype surrounding his name.

“We knew all about [LaCroix] when he entered Lawrenceville [High School] as a freshman,” LaCroix’s high school coach, Blake Eldridge, wrote in an email.

In his first year of high school, LaCroix broke the varsity freshman scoring record, netting 12 goals. He went on to post double-digit scoring numbers in each of his four seasons at Lawrenceville.

It was during the travel-ball season when LaCroix truly came into his own. One season, he was selected to play for the Under-15 national team.

“It was a great experience,” LaCroix said. “Just being around that type of talent at such a young age did a lot for me.”

Despite his accomplishments and clear propensity for the game, LaCroix stays humble.

“He is one of the most modest people you will ever meet, both on [the] field and off,” Eldridge wrote. “He never looks to draw attention to himself — except from his teammates when he’s in a dangerous position on the field — and he always looks to include his coach and teammates in his accolades.”

Living up to his former coach’s words, LaCroix admitted that he was surprised to have found himself as a starter so quickly.
“I came in with low expectations,“ LaCroix said. “I was just trying to get some playing time.”

But LaCroix’s skills proved impossible to ignore.
“An unbelievable athlete,” senior Thomas Brandt said. “Just the way that he came in and took that starting position really says a lot about his character.”

Coach Rudy Fuller was quick to point out that, in spite of his early success, LaCroix is “an unfinished product.”
“With Duke, the special moments he has are really special,” Fuller said. “What we need to do is get him to the point where he can have more of those moments.”

That next moment may come this weekend in the Ivy League/Big East Classic. Penn will host Villanova tonight at Rhodes Field before taking on the Hoyas Sunday at Georgetown.

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