Amid a rocky season, the Bradley soccer team has found a bright spot in West African forward Djibognihou Koulai. Koulai, commonly known as DJ, is second in points and leads the team in assists and shots on goal this season.
Coming to America
Koulai hails from Côte d’Ivoire, a country in West Africa where he lived for the first 14 years of his life. During his freshman year of high school, Koulai and his mother moved roughly 6,000 miles away to Lewisville, Texas, away from his twin sister and immediate family.
“Living in Africa is kinda hard. It’s a lot of poverty,” Koulai said. “My family was there for me. I wasn’t that kid who was missing everything. Anything that I needed, my family provided for me.”
“It’s really difficult coming to a new country,” Koulai added. “It’s a new culture. You have to get to know people that you didn’t know before. It’s hard to stay away from your family. I don’t think any child wants that to happen to them.”
During his time in Texas, Koulai attended Lewisville High School where he recorded 48 career goals and 13 assists. His play earned him a spot in “The Soccer Tournament” over the summer. TST is a winner-take-all million-dollar tournament consisting of former professional soccer players.
Although he did not return a million dollars richer, Koulai learned valuable lessons while playing for the German professional soccer club Borussia Dortmund.
“Playing with all those ex-professional players was a dream come true,” Koulai said. “I met people that I used to watch on TV. It was a step closer to where I want to be.”
Diamond in the rough
The case of Koulai’s recruitment is a unique one. Koulai spent the majority of his life in Africa and played on a small club team just outside of Dallas, Texas. He was not on many coaches’ radars. Luckily for the Braves, assistant coach Brian Barnett was recruiting in the area and noticed Koulai.
“Coach Barnett happened to be watching some of the smaller clubs in the Dallas area and noticed him,” head coach Jim DeRose said. “He’s an electrifying attacking talent.”
Once Koulai stepped foot on campus, he had an instant impact. Early in the season, Bradley got off to its best start since 2018, going undefeated through seven games. The Braves’ hot start was largely due to performances by Koulai and junior transfer Kevin Mejias. In the seven games before Mejias went down with a season-ending injury, the duo connected on three goals.
Outside of the field, the two have grown close and communicate frequently.
“I met DJ this year. He’s a great person,” Mejias said. “Before you are a good player, you have to be a good person. I have a lot of fun with him in practice and the games. We communicate a lot with each other because we met this year.”
The transition from high school to college can be tough on freshmen. It is beneficial to have veteran presences that you can reach out to for advice. For Koulai, Mejias is that person.
“He’s someone you can talk to,” Koulai said. “He’s like a brother. He’s someone that’s going to give you advice. He’s been at the college level before. If I have an issue, I talk to him. ”
Shooting slump
In his first season with Bradley, Koulai has already faced adversity. Despite leading the team in shots, he has only been able to score one goal so far. The Braves have struggled over the last few games generating offensive chances. The lack of production is a change of pace for a forward who scored a career-high 32 goals in his junior year of high school.
Despite the dip in production, his coaches have encouraged Koulai to keep shooting.
“He’d be the first to tell you he wishes he had more goals,” DeRose said. “Sometimes shooters gotta shoot themselves out of it. He will get there. To be fair, he’s been very unlucky, but he continuously puts himself in positions to score.”
Things have not gone exactly as planned for Koulai, but he remains confident that he’s a special player and an intricate part of the team.
“Things have not gone the way that I’ve wanted,” Koulai said. “It’s something I’m trying not to get used to. As a striker, your team needs you to score goals to win.”
“For me, it’s been really hard,” Koulai added. “I know that I’m a good player. I know what I can do to help my team.”
With the playoffs looming, the Braves need Koulai to be at his best to make waves in the postseason.
