April 22, 2024
Kansas City is the World Capitol for Soccer and is stacked with phenomenal soccer talent. Here at High School Soccer KC, we are committed to highlighting top female high school soccer talent on both sides of the state line.
In this series, we are featuring Top Committed #KCSoccerTalent and sharing their soccer journeys as well as looking forward to their next chapters playing collegiate soccer. Our desire in this series is to applaud these hard working players, share prime examples of how talented players are in Kansas City, as well as give advice and encouragement for younger players wanting to play soccer at the next level.
Q&A with #KCSoccerTalent Committed Player:Lauren Wood
Grad Year: 2024
Liberty North Position: 9 - Center Forward
Club: Center back & Midfield
High School: Liberty North (Liberty, MO)
High School #: 8
Club Team: KC Athletics ECNL 05/06
College Commitment: Kansas University
Division: NCAA Division 1
Conference: Big 12
City, State: Lawrence, Kansas
X - @Lauren22Wood
Lauren Wood, a Top 20 #KCSoccerTalent player from the class of 2024, is a clear game changer. An early 2024 commitment, Wood was a top recruit of her class with her creativity, speed of play, and being a visualizer on the pitch. Wood is a clear standout not only for her high school team, the 2023 Missouri Class 4 Girls Soccer State Champions, but also for her club team. Wood was born to play anywhere in the center of the field from defender and midfielder for her club team to up top as the center forward for her nationally ranked high school team. In addition to her tenacity and athleticism, Wood's soccer IQ is high level. This can be accredited to her coachability, and passion for the game. Wood's ability to be creative in tight spaces is superior and makes her a major problem for opposing defenses. Wood was a pivotal player in Liberty North's unbeaten state championship season in 2023. Her ability to make connections, use her athleticism, and intelligence to make connections with her teammates that were also weapons - Megan Hinnenkamp (Florida Soccer Player & SEC Freshman of the Year) & Ekaterina Theoharidis (Northwest Missouri State Soccer Player) - was the glue to the team's success. With Wood not going too far from home committing to Big 12 Kansas Women's Soccer, we will still be able to catch her on the pitch and representing great Kansas City soccer.
HSSoccerKC (HS): What's your favorite thing about playing with your high school teammates?
Lauren Wood (LW): My favorite thing about high school soccer is I get to have fun with it and play with my teammates. I have fun just being around them and having good competition.
HS: Why did you choose to play soccer for your high school?
LW: My freshman year I had friends on the team, and I also wanted to experience soccer in a different way other than club soccer. I also wanted to be a part of something for Liberty North High School.
HS: What do you plan to study in college?
LW: Business
HS: Why did you choose to play collegiate soccer & continue your academics at the university you are committed to?
LW: I didn't want to stop playing soccer so I worked hard so I got that opportunity. I also wanted to keep growing and I knew that playing soccer would do that. I know it's going to be hard, but I want the challenge.
HS: What are you most looking forward to about playing college soccer?
LW: I'm looking forward to traveling a lot! I am also just excited that I will be surrounded by amazing soccer players everyday.
HS: What advice would you give to a younger player in KC wanting to play college soccer?
LW: Advice I have for younger players is to never give up. You have to keep working towards your goals 24/7. If you want it, work harder than you think you can.
HS: What makes KC such a great place for some of the best soccer talent in the United States?
LW: I think we just have amazing soccer players in KC. I also think we have coaches that push us to do better. We also just have amazing opportunities here to go play against other amazing teams.
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Lauren Wood, Liberty North 2024, signed her National Letter of Intent to play Collegiate Soccer at University of Kansas |
What Others are Saying
When asked to describe Lauren Wood, her club and high school teammates say she is passionate, hard working, and she is a leader.
Wood's soccer coaches and trainers share the positive attributes of the impressive player:
"Lauren enjoys the individual battles and challenges," shares Liberty North High School former head coach Steve Person, "and she has the bravado and edge similar to the dynamic players we just saw in the women's NCAA basketball tournament." When asked by the 2023 Missouri Class 4 Girls Soccer Champion coach what makes Wood an impact player he shared, "Lauren is a unique combination of pace and technical ability; creativity and competitiveness." Coach Person continues, "that individual talent and drive is very hard to deal with as an opponent." Wood's passion for the game is contagious and uplifts her entire team. "Will and 'want to' is very difficult to coach into someone. She is as competitive as they come and her teammates feed on that."
Coach Person reflects on Wood's role in her freshman through junior years at Liberty North, "in previous years, Lauren played the role of provider." Because in years past Liberty North had plenty of goal scorers, Coach Person relied on Wood to distribute. "Her natural inclination is to move freely in the midfield, connect the back half of the field with the front half of the team and provide the attack creativity, vision, and support." Even with a team full of goal hungry players, Wood still found the back of the net. "She was always capable of scoring goals, usually finished third in top goal scoring on the team." Coach Person remarks that without Wood the goals would not be there, "the team I coached were goal scorers, but they couldn't do their job without her supplying them the ball in difficult spots to defend."
After Coach Person retired from coaching the undefeated Liberty North team in the Summer of 2023, Coach Katy Lindsey took over the helm. Because of the loss of some high quality goal scorers due to graduating, Wood stepped up for her team her senior year in a new position, the center forward. "In her current role, she is taking on a lot more responsibility for the scoring, and making that shift isn't easy," shares Coach Person. "She plays forward in an unconventional way that makes her very hard to neutralize and you can see it in her current scoring stats; she is doing a great job of shouldering that role." Wood's role in the 2023 Missouri State Champion team was pivotal, but Coach Person contends that her presence is even more crucial this year. "Lauren is the focal point around which the rest of the team flows forward, she is the first defender making ball handlers uncomfortable high up on the field and has also shouldered nearly all the scoring duties."
With Wood's role being heavily depended on by her Liberty North team, also comes the responsibility of leadership. "Lauren has really matured & grown so much in the last year. Being a team leader means the younger players are looking to her on how to manage their own frustrations. Lauren is thriving by being other's guidepost."