| 6 |
Lauren Karas |
|
|
|
Two-year starter who earned the role in 2006,
when she ranked fourth nationally in goals-against
average (0.41) and made a career-high nine saves in
annual showdown with Santa Clara (both teams were
ranked number one at the time, in different polls) ...
combined with sophomore Kelsey Lysander and
freshman Nikki Weiss to give Irish potentially the
best three-player depth at the goalkeeping position in
the program's 20-year history in 2006 ... combined
good shot-stopping ability and reaction time with 5-
foot-9 presence and vocal leadership ... adept at
handling ball with her feet ... tough in the air due to
agility and size ... ranks third all-time in GAA at
Notre Dame with a 0.65 mark ... her 53 career wins
is the third highest total among Irish goalkeepers ...
she also ranks second in career winning percentage
with a .892 mark ... her 13 solo shutouts in 2006 are
tied for seventh-best in the NCAA record book and
trail only LaKeysia Been's 18 in 1997 during Notre
Dame women's soccer history ... in 2006, posted top
season win percentage in Notre Dame history
(.942/24-1-1; besting three others who were 23-1-1)
while matching Jen Renola's record win total from
1996 (24-2-0) ... her 0.41 goals-against average in
2006 trails only Beene (0.36, in '97) and Wagner
(0.39, in 2000) in the Notre Dame record book while
her 18 total shutouts in 2006 tied that ND record
(alongside Beene's 1997 total and Renola's from '95)
... her 2,170 minutes played in 2006 rank third in
Notre Dame history, behind Renola (2,285; in '96)
and Beene (2,231, in '97) ... her career postseason
stats (19 GP/15 GS) include a 0.72 GAA and 14-2-
1- record in just over 1,616 minutes of play ...
member of U.S. Under-16 National Team player pool
and part of Olympic Development Program Region
III team from 2000-04 (played for North Texas state
ODP from '99-'04)... received Golden Glove Award
as top goalkeeper at 2003 ODP national tournament,
making 15 saves for North Texas ODP team in
semifinal win over New Jersey (2-0) before stopping
12 shots in title-game loss to future classmate Ashley
Jones and Cal-South squad (1-0; in Las Vegas) ... alsoearned Golden Glove Award while
playing with Region III team at
2004 Como Champions Cup in Italy
... posted 1-0 shutout of U.S. U-17
National Team ('03, in Boca Raton,
Fla.) ... attended elite Adidas ESP
Camp ('02, '03) ... made big save to
help Sting win 2001 state title,
adding two clutch saves in shootout
at 2001 Region III semifinals (vs. GSA Fury, in
Memphis) ... helped Sting win 2001 Dallas Cup
Spring Classic ... graduated from Notre Dame in
May 2008 with a degree in marketing.
AS A SENIOR: Led the BIG EAST with a 0.31
GAA during 2007 league play (3 GA) ... posted a
17-3-1 record while helping the Irish to the NCAA
semifinals ... had 35 saves on the season ... made
several key plays in hard-fought win at #7 Florida
(2-0, 1 SV) ... logged final 27 minutes of 4-2 win
over Princeton (1 GA) and then picked up her 19th
career solo shutout in 4-0 win over DePaul ... had
season-high five saves in 3-1 win at Seton Hall ...
had best all-around game of Notre Dame career in
NCAA round-of-16 win at UNC (3-2), allowing
one goal in live-ball situation while making five saves
and coming off her line to make sliding save at the
top of the box in the 90th minute ... played in a total
of 23 games, starting 22.
AS A JUNIOR: Finished fourth among the
nation's leaders in goals-against average (0.41; 3rdbest
in ND history) while helping Irish go 25-1-1
and reach 2006 NCAA championship game ...
registered top season win percentage (.942; 24-1-1)
in Notre Dame record book, while tying Renola's
record for goalkeeper wins in one season ... had a
hand in 18 total shutouts (tying another ND 'keeper
record) while her 13 solo shutouts ranked seventh in
the NCAA record book and second all-time among
Irish goalkeepers (Beene had 18 in '97) ... her 2,170
minutes played were third-most in Notre Dame
history and represented nearly 90 percent of the total
minutes in the 2006 season ... helped Irish finish
third nationally in team GAA (0.40) while leading
the nation with an ND-record 19 total shutouts (the
Irish held 24 of 27 teams to 0-1 goals and none had
more than two) ... appeared in 26 of the 27 games,
with 25 starts, 46 saves and 11 goals allowed (.807
save pct.) ... bookended identical 483-minute
personal shutout streaks around a goal allowed to
6th-ranked West Virginia on Sept. 29 ... challenging
first two weeks of season saw her post win at 24thranked
Mississippi (2-1; save) and at home versus
19th-ranked USC (2-0) before earning goalkeeper
MVP honors at the ND Classic due to her careerbest
nine saves in the showdown with fellow topranked
Santa Clara (3-1) ... also named to BIG
EAST weekly honor roll following her strong efforts
versus USC and SCU ... maintained two-goal
cushion versus the Broncos in the 88th minute, after
diving left to push the ball around the post and deny
Kiki Bosio's shot from the top of the box ...
preserved 1-0 lead at Michigan in 74th minute,
racing out to meet Judy Coffman's breakaway with a
save off her left knee (2-0 final) ... posted 2-0
shutout of Rutgers and then made two saves while
snuffing out several other chances in scoreless tie at
Connecticut ... saved all four shots she faced in BIG
EAST quarterfinal win over St. John's (3-0), adding
pair of saves in semifinals versus #25 Marquette (2-
0) before title-game win over 17th-ranked Rutgers
(4-2; SV, GA, 76 min.) ... had pair of saves in NCAA
second-round battle with Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1-
2) and again in quarterfinal versus 8th-ranked Penn
State (4-0) ... her strong second half helped hold off
5th-ranked Florida State in NCAA semifinals (2-1; in
Cary, N.C.).
AS A SOPHOMORE: Appeared in 18 games
and made nine midseason starts while stepping in
during Erika Bohn's injury ... her 0.60 GAA (6 GA
in 908 minutes) matched the team's season GAA ...
made 19 saves while recording 8-1-0 record, with
four solo shutouts and nine shared ... named BIG
EAST goalkeeper of the week after 4-0 win over
Cincinnati and career-best seven saves in 3-0 win at
Louisville ... her other top wins included games
versus 20th-ranked Michigan (2 SV; 3-0) and #10
Connecticut (4-0; played first half) ... held the fort in
tense overtime game at Rutgers (1-0; SV) ... made
postseason appearances during BIG EAST
quarterfinal versus Georgetown (6-0; SV, played 2nd
half), BIG EAST title-game win over 15th-ranked
Connecticut (5-0; SV, 13 min.), and NCAA wins over
Valparaiso (6-0; 2 SV, 19 min.) and 22nd-ranked
Michigan State (3-0; SV, 24 min.) ...
AS A FRESHMAN: Made five starts and three
appearances off the bench while posting a 1.24 GAA
(5 GA) and making 11 saves in 365 minutes ... won
all four of her decisions and shared two shutouts ...
helped Irish rank fourth in nation with 0.51 team
GAA ... played second half of opening win over
Baylor (2 GA; 7-2) ... won first start in tough
conditions at Arizona State, with pair of saves in 2-1
win ... picked up win two days later in her home
state, after playing first half versus Texas Tech (3-0) ...
played second half and saved all three shots as
'keeper of record in 3-1 win over Pittsburgh ...
started two days later in 4-0 win over Wisconsin-
Green Bay (4 SV) ... played first 62 minutes at West
Virginia (1 GA; 3-1), coming off the bench two days
later in 3-0 win over Providence ... also started in 3-
1 win over Seton Hall ... played second half of 2005
spring exhibition versus Mexico, with pair of huge
saves as Irish rallied for 2-2 tie.
PREP & PERSONAL: Her stellar career at
Flower Mound High School included 0.82 GAA in
73 games and nearly 5,500 minutes played (440
saves, 56 GA, 34 shutouts) ... named all-state as a
junior (1.03 GAA, 141 SV/17 GA) ... two-year
captain and 2002 team MVP ... three-time district
goalkeeper of the year ('02-'04), closing in 2004 with
0.63 GAA (123 SV, 10 GA, 8 shutouts) ... named
academic all-state in 2004 ... lettered two years in
track and field, as record-setting triple jumper (34-
9.5; 4th in district) ... member of the National Honor
Society ... her father, Dan Karas, was a baseball first
baseman at Temple ... daughter of Dan and Denise
Karas ... full name is Lauren Elizabeth Karas ... born
May 15, 1986, in Summit, N.J.
Karas' Career Statistics
| Year |
GP-GS |
SV | GA | Min. | GAA | ShO |
W-L-T |
| 2004 | 8/5 | 11 | 5 | 364:16 | 1.24 | 0 (2) | 4-0-0 |
| 2005 | 18/9 | 19 | 6 | 907:05 | 0.60 | 4 (9) | 8-1-0 |
| 2006 | 26/25 | 41 | 10 | 2,169:25 | 0.41 | 13 (5) | 24-1-1 |
| 2007 | 23/22 | 35 | 17 | 1,859:57 | 0.82 | 6 (5) | 17-3-1 |
| Totals | 75/61 | 106 | 38 | 5,300:43 | 0.65 | 23 (21) | 53-5-2 |
