Hall of Fame
Lauren “Lo” Thompson Brown became the first Otterbein women’s soccer player to earn first team All-American honors after the 2006 season. In 2003 and 2006, Lauren contributed to Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) record-breaking seasons for most shutouts (14) and goals-against average of 0.25 and 0.36, respectively. The records still stand in comparison to other OAC teams, but are now behind the marks set by the 2009 and 2010 Otterbein squads.
Lauren earned OAC “Defender of the Year” honors in 2005 and 2006 while earning recognition at the state and regional level as well. The 2006 Cardinals suffered significant injuries, including season-ending injuries to key players, but were held together by the experience of Lauren en route to the OAC regular-season championship. She anchored a defense that earned 47 shutouts while compiling a 63-10-9 record at Otterbein. The team won OAC Championships and made NCAA Tournament appearances in 2004, 2005, and 2006.
Lauren immediately went into coaching after her playing career was finished. For the two years after graduation, Lauren worked as the graduate assistant coach at Otterbein in helping lead the program back to the Sweet 16 and a No. 7 national ranking in 2008. Since then, she has coached at her high school alma mater.
Thompson’s coaching success continued to the high school ranks, as she helped lead St. Francis DeSales to the conference championship and a district runner-up finish the year following her Otterbein departure. From there, she guided Pickerington North to three league titles in four years, including state final four appearances in 2010 and 2012.
Lauren educates off the field as well, serving as a math teacher at Fairfield Career and Technical School in Carroll, Ohio. She and her husband, Matt, a 2008 Otterbein graduate, reside in Blacklick.
