Hansen closing in on goal record
When Aggie soccer player Lauren Hansen was a freshman, she never thought she would one day be on the verge of becoming Utah State’s all-time leading goal scorer. Now, sitting at 34 goals over the course of her career, the senior needs just two more to surpass Jayme Gordy’s mark, set from 1997-2000.
“It’s a little pressure to be so close. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment,” Hansen said of moving in on the history books. “Now that it’s here, it’s pretty cool.”
The four year letter winner has scored nine goals already this season, and will be looking to capitalize for a few more scores when the Aggies take on Hawaii (3-12-3, 1-3-2) at Bell Field in Logan for the final game of the regular season before the Western Athletic Conference tournament begins.
Hansen’s first realization that the record could someday be within her reach came during her sophomore year in the spring, when former USU assistant coach Josh Walter told her she only needed 16 goals in the rest of her tenure to become Utah State’s all-time greatest goal scorer.
“I thought, ‘Oh! This can happen,'” Hansen said.
When asked about the secret to her success at being such a potent goalscorer, Hansen mentioned her ability to muscle around defenders.
“It’s probably just my size, posting up, and turning to shoot,” Hansen said. also mentioning how frustrating it can be to play a great game and not score a single goal, while at the same time not being able to play well at all, and score. “Typically when I don’t score, I feel like I sucked, even if I didn’t.”
Fellow striker Shantel Flanary says the record will come in time.
“We (on the team) don’t worry about it too much,” Flanary said. “It’s definitely in the back of your mind.”
Teamwork with Flanary and the other offensive weapons has been vital to the success of the Aggies, as well as Hansen’s record campaign. According to Hansen, her teammates give her great passes to play on.
Utah State head coach Heather Cairns said that Hansen has helped shape the team with her leadership and work ethic, always leading by example. Hansen was elected as a captain of the team the last two seasons during her junior and senior years.
“If we play best as a team, she just has to do what she does best. She just needs to be her normal, excellent self,” Cairns said. She said winning games takes precedence over personal accomplishments on the team. “If you get caught up in a record, that’s not what the season is about.”
Cairns also said that the 5’7″ striker from Camano Island, Washington gives off a lot of confidence. According to Flanary, that’s not the only way that she helps the team.
“She does really well. We feed off of each other,” Flanary said of her teammate. “We combine really well. She’s helped me to be better.”
Utah State has had a successful season thus far in WAC play, and is currently tied with San Jose State and Boise State for first place. Each team has four wins and a draw in conference play. Flanary said Hansen’s scoring on offense has been a big help in the Aggie’s success in the conference.
“Obviously when you score a lot you win games – I absolutely love it of course,”
Flanary said. “We do well by not playing selfishly. Other teams can’t defend just one forward.”
Cairns said Hansen is leaving a legacy for Utah State soccer. Hansen was named academic all-conference three straight years, second-team all-WAC her first two years on campus, and was named to the WAC all-tournament team her sophomore year.
“It’s a funny thing about records. If you’ve done well in the past, you’ll continue to do well,” Cairns said. “You can’t win if you don’t score goals.”
Hansen said she hopes the record will come in the next couple of games, but was hesitant to say for sure that this weekend would be the lucky one.
“Don’t want to jinx it,” she said.
– tavin.stucki@aggiemail.usu.edu