RUSTON - Louisiana Tech women's soccer coach Steve Voltz announced the addition of assistant coach Lauren Smith Thursday afternoon. Smith comes to Ruston after spending the 2022 season as an assistant coach at Pacific, where her coaching duties included creating and implementing technical and tactical drills for goalkeepers.
 
"We are fortunate to get someone like Lauren onto our staff," said Head Coach Steve Voltz. "Not only does she possess a strong playing and coaching background, and she will be a great addition to help with our goalkeepers. In addition, she brings a lot of the intangibles with her and will make us better off the field, especially in areas of mental health and student-athlete retention. Lauren is a great asset to a program's culture and what we focus on with our players daily. It was easy to relate to her during the interview process, as she shares our passion for the student-athlete, their development, and the game itself."
 
Before her year at Stockton, Calif., Smith spent three seasons as an assistant at Morehead State. She performed full-time coaching, logistics, recruiting duties, and schedule coordination and administrative responsibilities for the Eagles. The program recorded five shutouts during the 2021 season.

Smith spent four years as a goalkeeper with the Nebraska Cornhuskers (2015-2018), where she was recognized as Academic All-Big Ten in the classroom as a junior and senior while also achieving six-time status to the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll during her four years. The Cornhusker program racked up 37 wins and qualified for the NCAA Tournament during her sophomore campaign in 2016.

"I am truly grateful for the opportunity to join the staff at Louisiana Tech," said Lauren Smith. "The program's culture is fantastic, and that is a testament to the work done by Steve and Chris and the leadership and commitment shown by the players. I am excited to have the chance to do my part in helping this program achieve the success it is striving for both on and off the field."

Smith also worked with the athletics administration to create sports psychology resources for the women's soccer program. Smith also has experience working with youth soccer programs to train and evaluate players of all ages. 
 
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