Driven to succeed

October 11, 2016

By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications

Whether she's on the soccer field, in the classroom or in the working world, senior Laura Courtney is driven to succeed in all aspects of life.

"I hate losing, which is actually one of my strengths as a leader," she said. "I always push to be the best version of myself in everything I do."

That competitiveness has led Courtney to success in college, which includes securing a full-time position with J.P. Morgan. Competitiveness led her to Lehigh in the first place.

From Bolton, Massachusetts, Courtney hadn't heard of Lehigh until the Mountain Hawks' coaching staff reached out to her. Laura's parents urged her to investigate, since Lehigh is such a strong institution.

The rest is history.

"The second I stepped on campus, I knew this was where I wanted to be," she said. "The whole campus is so beautiful, then talking to coach and the rest of the coaching staff, they really emphasized the importance of not only development as a soccer player, but also as a student-athlete."

The "fit" was evident from the get-go.

"Coming on campus and getting to know the team, I fit in with everyone," she said. "It's great to be able to play at such a great Division I program while also receiving the strong academics that Lehigh provides."

Entering as a freshman, Courtney's work ethic was already strong, but she immediately realized how much more was demanded of student-athletes in college. She was up to the challenge.

"College is a lot more physically demanding," said Courtney. "In high school, we're used to having club practices a couple times per week, games on weekends and traveling for showcases. Playing a sport in college, you can't really afford to have an off day."

To succeed within Lehigh Athletics, student-athletes need a joint commitment to the entire picture.

"Laura has always made academics and soccer her joint priorities since she arrived at Lehigh," said head coach Eric Lambinus. "She is equally committed to being as successful as possible in both areas, which allows her to prioritize her time accordingly. This allowed her to adjust to the demands of playing soccer at Lehigh. "
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On the field, Courtney has essentially been a starter since day one and has been an anchor for a perennially strong Lehigh defense. The Mountain Hawks allowed just 1.18 goals per game in 2013, 1.00 goals per contest in 2014 and 1.28 goals per game in 2015.

Lehigh began this season with eight straight shutouts. The shutout streak reached 758:34 to begin the season, and 832:31 dating back to last year. The Mountain Hawks were the last team in the nation to allow a goal, not giving one up until Sept. 25 at Colgate.

Courtney plays a significant role on the defense's success, not only in her play, but also in the way her competitiveness rubs off on her teammates.

"Laura is one of the hardest-working people on the team," said junior Adrian Vitello. "Whether it's in practice or in a game, she is always giving her 110 percent effort. Her passion to play, and win, is contagious and the team feeds off that energy. She has that ability to pick up the team when we need it most."

The competitiveness is always there. Courtney puts everything she has into everything she does.

"Laura is one of the most competitive student-athletes I have coached," said Lambinus. "Her impact, especially defensively, is that she brings a certain level of passion to the way she trains every day. It becomes contagious and makes it easier for her teammates to show their competitive nature."

Courtney's competitive nature has also led to success as a scholar-athlete. This past summer, the finance major interned at J.P. Morgan in New York. That internship turned into a job offer, which she recently accepted.

Many of Courtney's skills that have made her successful on the field, has led to success off the field as well.

"I worked in sales and trading, which I really enjoyed because it's in a competitive environment," she said. "It's fast-paced and featured working with a team, which collide with what I've developed from being on a team my whole life."

Lehigh helped prepare Courtney for the internship this past summer, and her Lehigh experiences will continue to pay dividends post-graduation.

"The connections I made through Lehigh were such a huge help going into my internship," said Courtney. "Throughout the summer, Lehigh alumni from the firm reached out and were willing to help me with anything I needed. My business classes also helped give me a good foundation for what I needed to know, although most of it was new to me."

Entering Lehigh, Courtney couldn't have imagined being in the business world. She originally wanted to be a lawyer, but realized it wasn't for her. While Courtney has helped raise the play of her teammates, her Lehigh women's soccer family helped her decide a major.

"What's so great about a team is you have older mentors who have been through it all," she said. "I heard teammates talking about their business classes, saying it's something I might be interested in, so I switched over to the business school."

One aspect of finance Courtney has really enjoyed is the practicality of the field.

"Taking what I've learned in finance classes and actually being able to understand what's being talked about on the news is interesting to me," she said. "A lot of what I did this summer was based on what's going on in ongoing markets."
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No matter what she's doing, Courtney's success has come down to a strong work ethic and drive to succeed. Playing soccer for so long and at such a high level, she's needed to be committed with a strong work ethic.

Courtney has learned the same is true in the working world.

"Learning how to hustle is a skill I've taken from soccer that will definitely be helpful in my career," she said. "This past summer, I worked a lot of hours. Working out to be in shape for preseason and being able to work at a job, I've been able to acquire the skill of knowing what it takes to get your work done, and do it well."

Courtney did such a good job in her internship that J.P. Morgan retained her. Lehigh helped prepare Courtney for success in her internship, which set the foundation for success in the working world.

"Business is a good fit for me because of the team aspect, and the competitiveness. I like that it's challenging," she said. "After I'm done with soccer, I want to have something that challenges me every day. I want to always be learning and working with people who will help me develop."

Courtney will leave her Lehigh women's soccer team at the end of this year, but she'll then join another team in the professional workplace. Lehigh helped mold Courtney into someone who's ready to tackle, and excel, at her next challenge.

"Not only does Laura want to be personally successful in all areas, but she also understands the importance of getting everyone on the same page, regarding how to approach getting better every day," said Lambinus. "Laura has developed into someone who can relate to others and guide them in the right direction.

"Those traits will serve her well moving forward in the business community."