Lauren Good is at the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association women’s soccer championships, the only problem is she wishes she wasn’t alone.
Good, who was in her fifth and final season of eligibility with the RDC Queens, was named to the CCAA All-Canadian team and received her award at the national banquet hosted by Ahuntsic College in Montreal, Tuesday
“It’s nice to end my career on a high note and it’s good as goalies always don’t get recognized,” the Red Deer native said. “We don’t get recognized as much because we don’t score the big goals or make the big tackle.
“It’s nice but I wish the team was here … I think we deserved to be here but that’s the nature of the game.”
Good was named to the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference South Division All-Conference team but didn’t even think about being an All-Canadian.
“I was more focused on the team’s success,” she said. “That was most important, although it’s nice to get the recognition with this being my last year. But really I felt this was one of my easier years because of the team in front of me. They were so good and did a great job of preventing a lot of good chances.”
But when there was a chance Good was there. She put together a spectacular season for the undefeated Queens, who won their first South Division title with an 8-0-2 record. She finished with a 7-0-2 mark, five shutouts and a 0.56 goals-against average. She played four seasons with the Queens posting a 21-3-7 record, 16 shutouts and a 0.76 GAA.
While she was outstanding during the season she turned in an inspired performance in the ACAC playoffs as she played with a separated left shoulder and a broken right thumb.
She allowed just one goal in a 1-0 loss to Concordia in the semifinals and played the second half of a 2-1 shootout loss to Grande Prairie in the bronze medal match.
“I had to adapt my style of play,” she explained. “I couldn’t lift my left arm and I couldn’t move my thumb. I had to get my body in front of everything and couldn’t control the ball like I was used to, but my team really backed me up.”
Good grew up in Red Deer, playing minor soccer and eventually joined the Major League Renegades and the Queens. She played two years with RDC before joining the University of Calgary Dinos for two seasons.
In her first season with the Dinos she received a concussion in her second game and was out for the remainder of the season. She applied to get that eligibility back and it was granted giving her two years at RDC.
“My second year there I played and started all the games but there and played in the playoffs,” she explained.
She received her degree in kinesiology and decided to return to RDC for the 2014-15 season to take education.
“I also wanted to finish my eligibility off back at my old stomping grounds,” she said with a laugh. “I had so much fun with this program and a lot of the girls I knew were still here. I also knew Dave (head coach Colley) and Moria (Duley) is one of my best friends and we’ve played together our whole lives.”
Duley was an assistant coach with the Queens this season and also coached the Renegades U14 Tier I team with Good.
“I want to continue on with soccer as long as I can and I hope to be part of the RDC program if Dave will allow me to be,” she said, adding there’s something special about the RDC program.
“The university team has more depth and there’s always players behind you pushing you. The college is smaller but the group at RDC is much closer. There are no cliques …l we were a close knit group. This group was so much fun to be with.
“Krysten (Strand) and I played together for two years in Calgary and she came here this year and loved it. She said it made her fall in love with soccer all over again. The team made her feel so welcome. That’s a good way to recruit.”