Lauren Karinshak comes from a musical family where everyone is really close. As she got older and started getting more serious with soccer.

Karinshak didn’t really start playing soccer until high school, after years of playing volleyball and, uniquely, ice hockey.

One of the highlights of her life is when she went to Nationals with her club volleyball team. Though they lost to Hawaii, the experience was amazing for her since it was her first year on the team. After this loss, she picked up soccer and committed all of her time to it with help from her father.

“My dad actually played soccer in college,” she said. “He played at USC, he was an outside back and he really, really enjoyed it so he pushed me to play.”

She started goalkeeping her freshman year after previously playing striker. She appreciates when coaches are tough on her because she learns the most when she’s under pressure

“I had a goalkeeper coach that played at the national level,” she said. “It was really intense, he didn’t treat me like a girl…It kind of built me as a player. He really taught me just the basics of goalkeeping which is really, really important.”

She admits that being a goalkeeper can be boring at times, but that just means that the defense is doing their job. She believes that staying focused on the game is the most important part of the job and where some fall short.

Like several other GS athletes, GS was one of the first schools to reach out to her. She fell in love with the campus and the location. 

“Georgia Southern was actually the first school that recruited me,” she said. “You go to big camps…and they never really look at you unless they’re talking to you. The National Guard was putting on this one camp…so I went and Georgia Southern was the first school to approach me which was really, really cool.”

Her grandfather lives 45 minutes away from campus, so she frequently travels back and forth during her free time.

Karinshak had a highly decorated high school career complete with two state championships and three region titles.

She made a strong transition to college in her freshman campaign, where she appeared in every game. Her sophomore year, she accumulated 74 saves and finished with an 8-2 record.

This season, she is on track to surpass these numbers as she already sits at 32.

Karinshak is grateful that Interim Head Coach Josh Moffet has taken over the program her senior year. 

“We’ve had really good teams for the past three years…but Josh brings in a really, really good vibes,” she said. “He helps us in soccer and outside of soccer. We really, really have the potential to win conference and everybody sees that and it’s just so exciting. It’s my senior year and I want to get the ring.”

Amanda Arnold, The George-Anne Sports Editor, gasports@georgiasouthern.edu