Women's Soccer
Inside Women's Soccer
Lauren Lukis
Women's Soccer Coach
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Lauren Lukis, a 1999 graduate of Clark University who began her collegiate career as a player at Bentley, is in her seventh year as head coach at Bentley University in 2009 and is the third coach in the program’s history.
Lukis had a successful first season at the helm, leading the Falcons to new heights as Bentley was ranked nationally in 2003 (No. 20 on Oct. 22nd) for the first time in the program’s history. Bentley finished its first season under Lukis at 10-6-2, 7-5-2 in the NE-10.Lukis, a Holliston native, came to Bentley after two years as an assistant coach at Brandeis University (2001-2002) and one at UMass-Lowell (2000). She’s also coached at Ashland Middle School (basketball), Ashland High School (assistant track) and Holliston High School (assistant track) and remains active coaching at area camps, including the Azzurri Bentley Summer Camp. Lukis has earned a national coaching diploma from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
"Lauren has all the qualities that I believe a successful head coach needs," said Bentley Athletics Director Bob DeFelice upon her hiring. "She is highly competitive, knows the game and will demand the best from her players. We look forward to helping Lauren continue to build our women’s soccer program."
Lukis, 31, played two seasons at Bentley, helping the Falcons to their first .500 season (8-8-3 in 1995) and first winning season (13-5-2 in 1996). A starting midfielder both seasons, she amassed 20 points in 39 career games. She also was a two-year letterwinner in track while at Bentley.
She finished her collegiate career at Clark, where she was also a two-year starter before receiving her degree in psychology. In 1998, the Cougars finished 17-2-1, were ranked third in Division III, and captured the league championship.
Lukis remains active as a player, with Azzurri in the Eastern Massachusetts Division I Women’s Soccer League, the Rhode Island Rays of the W-League, and the Massachusetts Regional Select Team. She’s been a ten-year starter for Azzurri, a five-year starter for the Rays, and a co-captain of both clubs. With the Select Team, she competed in the 2002 and 2003 U.S. Soccer Festival in Houston and the 2003 Donnelly Cup in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
In 2004, Lukis competed with the Mass. Select Team in the Regional Tournament in Binghamton, N.Y. Lukis was named to the Region I team for her performance in Binghamton and later named the captain of the squad, which participated in the U.S. Soccer Festival held in Milwaukee.
Her success on the field continued as a member of the Senior Select Women’s Soccer Team. She has led the team to consecutive Region I titles for the past three seasons as a four-year captain of the team and earned Most Valuable Player honors in the 2005 Region I Tournament. Lukis and her Massachusetts teammates represented Region I at the Donnelly Cup in 2006 and 2007 and will do so again in 2008.
As a result of her outstanding play during the Region I tournament, Lukis was named to the USASA National Select Team (also known as the USA National "B" Team). She was one of just 36 players to make the squad and participate in the USASA National Select Team Camp, which was held in July 2005 at the Home Depot Center.
Lukis currently resides in Waltham.
The Lukis Record
|
Overall |
Northeast-10 | ||||||||
|
Year |
W |
L |
T |
PCT |
W |
L |
T |
PCT |
Finish |
|
2003 |
10 |
6 |
2 |
.611 |
7 |
5 |
2 |
.571 |
7th |
|
2004 |
3 |
13 |
0 |
.188 |
2 |
12 |
0 |
.143 |
15th |
|
2005 |
0 |
12 |
4 |
.125 |
0 |
12 |
2 |
.071 |
14th |
|
2006 |
5 |
13 |
0 |
.278 |
2 |
12 |
0 |
.143 |
14th |
|
2007 |
8 |
9 |
3 |
.475 |
5 |
6 |
3 |
.464 |
t-8th |
|
2008 |
4 |
14 |
1 |
.237 |
2 |
11 |
1 |
.179 |
14th |
|
Total |
25 |
54 |
10 |
.337 |
16 |
46 |
8 |
.286 |
|
Molly Bircher
Assistant Coach
Mary Bircher begins her first season as Lauren Lukis’ assistant coach in 2009.
Prior to joining Lukis’ staff, Bircher served as the assistant coach at Lasell College in Newton, Mass., last season. Bircher helped guide the Lasers to an overall record of 10-6-2 and a 7-3-2 record in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference. While at Lasell, she assisted head coach Vito LaFrancesca in recruiting and scouting and also assisted in implementing the team’s technical and tactical training methods.
During her time at Lasell, she also served as assistant coach for F.C. Greater Boston Bolts’ U-12 team. From January, 2008 through July, she was the assistant coach for the Bolts’ U-18 team. During her tenure, the Bolts won the 2008 Massachusetts state championship and advanced to the Region I semifinals. The Bolts also achieved a ranking of fourth in Region I and 20th in the nation.
Since 2007, Bircher has also served as assistant coach for the varsity soccer team at Mount St. Joseph’s Academy in Allston, Mass.
Bircher is a former standout player at John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio. She was named team Rookie of the Year in 2001, team Offensive MVP as a junior and was selected both All-Ohio Athletic Conference and All-Academic as a junior and senior. She was also team captain as a senior.
Bircher is still active as a player. Since 2005 she has played in the Eastern Massachusetts Women’s Soccer League’s Division I, and in the summer of 2008, she played for the Western Massachusetts Lady Pioneers.
Bircher graduated from John Carroll in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in middle childhood education. She earned her master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Boston College in 2007 and currently resides in Medford.
