Lewisville’s Koulai becomes first Div. I signee for Farmers boys soccer team in at least 13 years

Nothing came easy for Koulai after he moved to the United States more than three years ago. He only spoke French at first, but began to learn and speak English fluently starting in the summer of 2020 after a visit from his cousins in Colorado.

And as for soccer, the date for team tryouts for the Lewisville Farmers had passed, so he had to wait until 2021 to compete for a roster spot. But when he did, he was placed on the Farmers’ JV team. However, an injury to one of Lewisville’s top varsity offensive players, and with half of the team being sidelined because of COVID, Koulai was promoted to the Farmers’ top squad.

Koulai made his varsity debut against Marcus in Feb. 2021, and it didn’t take long for him to unleash his unique skill set, scoring his first career goal in a Farmers uniform in a 3-2 setback against Marcus. His goal was initiated by a corner kick. A Marauder attempted to kick the ball out of the penalty area. However, the ball hit Koulai’s chest and he kicked it into the top corner of the net.

Koulai was only getting started. He finished the season with nine goals and as a junior, tallied 19 goals to garner District 6-6A offensive player of the year. But just as important to Koulai was the success of the team. Lewisville made it to the regional quarterfinals for just the second time since 1993.

“My junior year was really amazing, because when the season started, we were winning like every game,” he said. “I knew that we could accomplish a lot of things and make the playoffs. “We didn't make the playoffs since 2017. Making the playoffs was amazing. I hurt my ankle. I couldn’t play in the second playoff game because of my ankle. Me and the guys worked as hard as we could.”

Yet for as successful as a season as it was Koulai, he had yet to receive a college offer.

"I was kind of disappointed that I didn't receive any college offers,” he said. “But here in Texas, all of those colleges care more about club soccer."

In an attempt to receive exposure from colleges, Koulai played with BVB ECNL starting in the summer leading up to his senior season.

“I had played so many games in club during the summer going into December, which helped to prepare me for the high school season,” he said. “I had the mindset to make my last year the best year.”

And what a senior season it was for Koulai. He produced one of the best seasons in team history, recording 32 goals to finish as one of the top goal scorers in all of the Dallas area. Koulai earned District 6-6A MVP and helped to lead the Farmers back to the postseason. He finished his high-school career with 60 goals.

But Koulai pointed back to the practice sessions leading up to his varsity debut two years ago as the biggest reason as to why he had so much offensive production.

“For me, making the varsity team showed that I can do anything if I just worked hard at what I did,” he said.

Koulai’s dreams to play collegiate soccer were realized on May 4, when he signed a national letter of intent with Bradley University. He is the first Division I signee in the 13 seasons that Brandon McCallum has served as Lewisville’s head coach.

"The reason why I like the program is because of the coach,” he said. “He's been there for 26 years. He's got a lot of experience there. Also, they're in a small town. Also, the school doesn't have a football team. Instead, they've got baseball, soccer and have a really strong team. I see myself playing there."

One person, out of many, that Koulai was thankful to see at his signing ceremony was Holly Genova, a Title 3 Engagement Liaison at Lewisville High School.

“She is the reason why I'm going to Bradley University,” Koulai said. “She did everything for me and got everything that I needed.” 

Koulai is also thankful of how Lewisville’s players and coaches welcomed him with open arms.

“I'm going to miss it a lot,” he said. “The school, all of my friends, all of the guys that I've played with. It felt like a family. They treated me like a brother.”