Lauren Fowlkes
Encyclopedia
Lauren Ann Fowlkes is an American soccer player from Lee's Summit, Missouri
Lee's Summit, Missouri
Lee's Summit is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri, and is contained within the counties of Jackson and Cass. As of the 2010 census found the population at 91,364 making it the sixth-largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area and the sixth-largest city in Missouri...

. She is a defender for the United States U-23 women's national soccer team and the Philadelphia Independence of Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer
Women's Professional Soccer is the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded 6 teams for the 2011 season, with continued plans for future expansion...

.

Collegiate career

Originally brought to Notre Dame as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...

, Fowlkes also had a brief stint at forward
Striker
Forwards, also known as strikers, are the players on a team in association football who play nearest to the opposing team's goal, and are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals...

 for the Fighting Irish during her freshman year, until she was moved to defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....

 for the rest of the 2007 season. Under the mentorship of Carrie Dew
Carrie Dew
Caroline Frances Dew is an American soccer defender currently signed by Sky Blue FC of Women's Professional Soccer.-Personal:...

, Fowlkes started twenty games for Notre Dame as central defender, and led the team in minutes played (2,324 minutes) during 2007.

Fowlkes was expected to move back into the midfield in 2008, but mostly remained as part of the defense. As a sophomore, she did not start as many games as she had her freshman year, as she was absent for part of the 2008 season and Notre Dame's entire NCAA postseason due to national team commitments. Notre Dame lost to North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...

, 1–2, in the 2008 College Cup
NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
NCAA Women's Soccer Championships are divided into three divisions. This article lists NCAA Women's soccer championships.-Division I:The NCAA began conducting a Women's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1982 with a 12-team tournament...

, on the same day Fowlkes and the United States U-20 women's national soccer team
United States U-20 women's national soccer team
The United States U-20 women's national soccer team is a youth soccer team operated under the auspices of U.S. Soccer. Its primary role is the development of players in preparation for the full Women's National Team. The team's most recent major tournament was the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World...

 defeated North Korea
Korea DPR women's national football team
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea women's national football team represents North Korea in international women's football. North Korea were the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship winners, and won the AFC Women's Asian Cup in 2001, 2003 and 2008....

, 2–1, to win the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
The 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup was held in Chile between November 19 and December 7, 2008. Sixteen teams, comprising representatives from all six confederations, took part in the final competition, in which Chile had a guaranteed place as the host nation....

.

Upon Dew's graduation in 2009, defender Jessica Schuveiller assumed Dew's role at center back and Fowlkes moved to the defensive midfielder position. Several games into the 2009 season, however, Fowlkes returned to the striker position, a position she had not played since her freshman year, scoring ten goals and four assists.

Fowlkes was named co-captain of the Fighting Irish in 2010, and returned to the center back position alongside Schuveiller; however, she was moved back to midfield and the striker position after the Irish lost to Connecticut
Connecticut Huskies
The Connecticut Huskies, also known as the UConn Huskies, are the athletic teams of the University of Connecticut in the United States. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Big East Conference for all sports except Men's Ice Hockey and Women's Ice...

 in October 2010. Referred to as a "Swiss Army knife
Swiss Army knife
The Swiss Army knife is a brand of pocket knife or multi-tool manufactured by Victorinox AG and Wenger SA. The term "Swiss Army knife" was coined by US soldiers after World War II due to the difficulty they had in pronouncing the German name....

" because of her versatility, Fowlkes was in midfield when Notre Dame won its third NCAA national championship
NCAA Women's Soccer Championship
NCAA Women's Soccer Championships are divided into three divisions. This article lists NCAA Women's soccer championships.-Division I:The NCAA began conducting a Women's Division I Soccer Championship tournament in 1982 with a 12-team tournament...

, defeating Stanford
Stanford Cardinal
The Stanford Cardinal is the nickname of the athletic teams at Stanford University.-Nickname and mascot history:Following its win over Cal in the first-ever Big Game in 1892, the color cardinal was picked as the primary color of Stanford's athletic teams...

 1-0.

Professional career

On January 14, 2011, Fowlkes was drafted fifth overall in the 2011 WPS Draft
2011 WPS Draft
The 2011 WPS College Draft took place on January 14, 2011. It was the third college draft held by Women's Professional Soccer to assign the WPS rights of college players to the American-based teams.-Format:...

 by the Philadelphia Independence.

National team career

Fowlkes was a member of the United States U-20 women's national soccer team
United States U-20 women's national soccer team
The United States U-20 women's national soccer team is a youth soccer team operated under the auspices of U.S. Soccer. Its primary role is the development of players in preparation for the full Women's National Team. The team's most recent major tournament was the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World...

 that won the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup
The 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup was held in Chile between November 19 and December 7, 2008. Sixteen teams, comprising representatives from all six confederations, took part in the final competition, in which Chile had a guaranteed place as the host nation....

 in Chile. Along with fellow central defender Nikki Marshall
Nikki Marshall
Nicole Sue Marshall is an American soccer player from Mead, Colorado. She started her career playing for Skyline High School in Longmont, Colorado She played forward for the University of Colorado women's soccer team, and is now a defender for the Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer...

, Fowlkes played every minute of the United States' six matches; she was named the United States' player of the match in the semifinal against Germany
Germany women's national football team
The German women's national football team represents Germany in international women's football and is directed by the German Football Association . The team – informally called West Germany in English – played its first international match in 1982...

. Fowlkes, Marshall, and goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher
Alyssa Naeher
Alyssa Michele Naeher is an American soccer player from Seymour, Connecticut. She is a goalkeeper for the United States U-23 women's national soccer team.-High School:...

 led the strongest defensive unit of the competition, only ceding three goals in the entire tournament.

Currently, Fowlkes is in the United States U-23 women's national soccer team player pool.

Personal

Fowlkes is a graduate of St. Teresa's Academy
St. Teresa's Academy (Kansas City, Missouri)
St. Teresa's Academy is a Catholic, independent college preparatory secondary school for young women in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. It was founded in 1866 by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, and accredited in 1923.-History:...

, where she was a Parade All-American.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK