Lauren Watson is a Texas Tech alum and former professional goalkeeper, playing for Keflavík FC (Iceland) and Assí FC (Sweden). Before heading to Europe, Watson was a three-year starter for the Red Raiders, capping off her senior year with NSCAA All-Central Region and First Team All-Big 12 honors. Watson discusses the difficulties of playing overseas, how she pushed through the challenges, and a bright memory from her time in Lubbock.
What was one of the worst moments in your playing career as a goalkeeper?
There were many ups and downs as a goalkeeper but one that stood out to me was my last season in Sweden. Playing overseas can be tough for many reasons. There is always going to be a language barrier and you are flying across the world to play for coaches and for a team that you have never met. When I arrived in Sweden, I was the only goalkeeper and I had no goalkeeper trainer. We did have a young 14-year-old goalkeeper that trained with us, however the level of competition was not appropriate for a goalkeeper this age.
It was tough to train without a proper goalkeeper trainer throughout the entire 9 months I lived in Sweden. There were countless practices that I had to “warm myself up” and I was either having to tell our assistant coach or another player on the team what kind of warm-up I needed before games. This even put a damper in my mindset before practices and games at times. Although our team was very talented and had successful moments, there was no trust between coaches and players. This was something I was foreign to after building trust and communication with my college team.
How did you overcome the setback?
Unfortunately, this was one that was tough to overcome only because there was only so much I could do. Most things were out of my control and I was under contract. I would say that my positive mindset through adversity playing overseas is what got me through this tough time. I contacted a local goalkeeper trainer in the small town I was living in and requested additional one-on-one sessions. Any training with someone who has previously been a goalkeeper helps tremendously.
My American roommate, Rebekah O’Brien, (she is still playing overseas in Sweden) was a great resource for me to have conversations with. There were also times that we would do extra training before practice, after practice, and sometimes on our off days. I’ve learned that you have to make the most of every situation whether it is good or bad!
What was one of the most successful moments you experienced as a goalkeeper?
Throughout my years as a goalkeeper, I learned that successful teamwork requires open communication, trust in each other, and selflessness. If each individual member of the team can demonstrate these qualities, there will never be a “losing” moment. I believe these qualities are especially important as a goalkeeper because our position requires us to lead from the back.
I put in countless hours of training on and off the field during my first two years in Lubbock and I was able to make a name for myself and show my team that I was the right person for the job. In my redshirt sophomore year of college we had a conference game against UT (University of Texas). This was a very tough game and this was another Texas rivalry team that we played every year. This moment stands out to me because my teammates witnessed how much I was willing to do to help the team be successful. Although we ended up losing this game in overtime, I showed my team and my coaches that I have these qualities. It was through my positive communication and sacrificing my body to prevent the other team from scoring that my team knew they could trust me as the last line of defense. This eventually led to extremely successful moments with my team during my college career at Texas Tech. Not only did we win the Big 12 Tournament in 2015, defeating West Virginia, who was ranked number 2 in the nation at the time, but we also advanced to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament the previous year in 2014.
Why was this moment was so important to you?
The amount of work you put into being a selfless teammate, the more your teammates will notice. This pushes others to show their selflessness and become the best version of themselves on the field. This is so important for a goalkeeper because if your teammates work hard and sacrifice for you, the chances of the other team beating you becomes extremely slim. For example, your defender chases down an attacker that is dribbling directly at you with no one around but at the last moment your defender is able to make a clean tackle to prevent the attacker from having any chance of scoring. That is true selflessness!