Lauren Lindstrom (23) has started all of the games since she’s been
at Fresno State, but her presence is not usually felt on the box score.
Dalton Runberg / The Collegian
During this past weekend the Fresno State soccer team traveled south to UCLA to face the fourth-ranked Bruins.
The game was close in the first half with the ‘Dogs holding UCLA to a solo-goal lead, but in the second half the Bruins proved their national ranking and cruised to a 4-1 victory.
Sophomore Kayla Kret scored the only goal for the ‘Dogs, her second of season. Senior Molly Nizzoli assisted Kret on the play and it was her third assist of the year. Freshman goalkeeper Katie DeVault finished the game with a career-high nine saves in the contest.
Sophomore Lauren Lindstrom is one of the Bulldogs’ key defenders on the team, playing a role in UCLA’s narrow first-half lead. Head coach Brian Zwaschka talked about what type of player Lindstrom is.
“Lauren is a fantastic player and very strong athlete,” Zwaschka said. “She can be a dominating force for our team.”
The Oaks Christian High School product has contributed to the Bulldogs’ four shutouts so far this season, but Lindstrom’s impact is usually not felt on the stat sheet, especially since she has started every game this year and has only taken two shots to go along with one assist.
Although Lindstrom doesn’t rack up eye-catching numbers, she was invited to the U20 U.S. team selection camp during the summer. She is the first Bulldog under Zwaschka to get selected to the camp. The camp consists of 25 players from all over the country that are born from 1992 to 1993. Lindstrom talked about what it meant to get selected to the national camp.
“It’s great,” Lindstrom said. “Having Brian [Zwaschka] recommend me and actually being able to go. I was excited to represent him and kind of get his name out there. And get Fresno [State] out there just to show that we aren’t just some California State school. We’re the real deal.”
Now, that Lindstrom has helped put Fresno State’s soccer program on the map nationally, she will have some new visitors in the stands at the Fresno State games to watch her play. Some of the U20 national selection committee members will be watching Lindstrom’s games throughout the year to determine if she will be selected for the U20 national team.
With so much added weight on her shoulders to perform well individually and collectively with her teammates, Lindstrom addressed whether the pressure has affected her play so far this season.
“I mean it’s a little nerve wrecking knowing these people could be at my games, but for the most part I’m just focusing on Fresno [State] at the moment,” Lindstrom said. “Just trying to get this season going and hopefully do very well.”
The ‘Dogs have started the 2011 season going 3-3-1 after facing some tough competition early on against nationally ranked soccer programs in Texas A&M and UCLA. With the tough early-season schedule Fresno State will go into Western Athletic Conference play prepared to defend its WAC Tournament title.
The Bulldogs won last season’s WAC Tournament and advanced to the NCAA Tournament where they came up short against Central Florida, 2-1. If the ‘Dogs want to get back to the national stage, Lindstrom says they will have to follow in the footsteps of last year’s team.
“I think we need to come together as a team,” Lindstrom said. “I know last year it took us awhile to come together as a team and finally play to our full potential. We just need to come together quicker and I think have fun. When we have fun we tend to play better.”