Lauren was a stand-out youth soccer player in high school, earning All State, All Regional and All Conference honors. She was a two-year captain and earned her varsity letter all four years.

Lauren also had an impressive Club record playing for St. Croix in Minnesota (so we know the cold Michigan weather doesn't faze her!). She was on the state and regional ODP teams, and she was a five year captain for her club team. Her team won State Cup five times, and she even went on to play on the semi-pro team, the Minnesota Lightning, for their inaugural season.

After high school, Lauren went to Michigan State University to start her four year soccer career. She was a three year starter and won the 2006 Sportsmanship award. Her relationship with MSU continued, as she was an undergrad Assistant Coach and coached at the MSU summer soccer camps. As for club coaching experience, Lauren was an Assistant Coach for the TNT U10 girls team for two years.