Scholar Stories: Soccer Adversity, Teamwork Prepare Brideau for Future in Consulting
11/17/2022 10:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer, Features
Continuing the series that began in 2016-17, each Wednesday MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, presented by Absopure.
By Ainsley Carpenter
Lauren Brideau knows how valuable she is as a member of the University of Michigan women's soccer team. However, she was not always able to clearly see how she fit into the group.
Brideau, a senior from Austin, Texas, is far from the first athlete to struggle with the transition from high school to college. Many student-athletes have trouble finding their place in a new team dynamic, especially at Division I schools where every member was the best of the best on their high school and club teams.
"Everyone is the best of the best at what they do," said Brideau, "that's why we're all at Michigan. I was the best on my team, the captain for seven years, and played 90 minutes even when I was injured."
Brideau led her high school team to two district championships and deep runs at the Texas state championship tournament before leaving to train at Development Academy. Her position on her high school and club teams was unquestioned; coming into college, though, Brideau had to figure out where she fit into a whole new team dynamic. Though she is just as integral at Michigan as she was in high school, her role as a teammate has changed in many ways.
Brideau has appeared in eight games and even counted one career start during her time at Michigan, but admits that she was never considered a "major-minute player." She recounts struggling with the transition to Division I athletics and with her new role, now more supportive than standout. By her junior season, she fully embraced the change.
"I eventually took a step back and realized that my role on the team was more than the minutes I had on the field," said Brideau.
This has been especially true this past season, as she had been out with an ACL tear. Despite the injury, Brideau has proved to be undoubtedly invaluable at U-M. She describes herself as a mentor who has lifted girls up when they have been down, entertained recruits on visits and kept some teammates from giving up when the pressure got to be too much. She even recalls giving teammates her cleats and uniform shorts when they have needed them, despite knowing that doing so would keep her off the field that game.
"It was my first time stepping back and being that player on the bench, which I've never been before, and realizing that there is still value in that and that a lot of people need that player," Brideau said.
In embracing her role as a mentor, friend, and occasional equipment donor, Brideau has given the support to her teammates that they have given her throughout the years.
The senior boasts an impressive resume outside of soccer. Brideau is an Industrial Operations Engineering major with a business minor in Michigan's Stephen M. Ross School of Business; she also is a co-president of the industrial engineering honors society, an IOE ambassador and in engineering honors, where she is working on her capstone project.
Her academic activities alone are incredibly time-consuming, and on top of her athletic commitments, the workload sounds almost impossible. When asked how she balances it all, Brideau notes that her rigorous academic background prepared her well, but that she also relies heavily on her teammates, professors, TAs and Michigan Athletics staff.
"My professors really want to help me, and I think having a good relationship with a lot of my professors has definitely helped me when I'm on the road ... they know me and they want to help me succeed," Brideau said.
Brideau also relied heavily on the Michigan soccer coaching staff to support her as a student and accommodate her rigorous academic load if needed.
"If you're not playing or if you don't agree with where you stand on the team in (the coaches') eyes, it's very easy to just like shut them out," she said, "and I think I did quite the opposite in that I fully embraced them and I did what was needed of me, what the team needed of me as well. I have a fantastic relationship with my coaches."
Given the nature of her injury, no one would have blamed Brideau for stepping back from the team her senior year. However, she has stayed involved and even put her name in the running for team captain this year. She lost the race, but was awarded a partial scholarship by head coach Jennifer Klein. Brideau cites the award as a major source of pride and a highlight of her time in college, calling it one of her "greatest accomplishments" at U-M. But why stay so involved, or enter the captain's race despite knowing that her college career was over?
"The student-athlete in me was never going to quit, never going to give up," she said, noting her close bonds with teammates and her knowledge of the value she adds every day.
"I have an identity on this team beyond my minutes on the field, and that also kept me going, just knowing that I'm still going to have value even though I'm not on the field with everyone."
Brideau's hard work and positive outlook have paid off. She has accepted a full-time offer as a management consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers after graduation, heading back to Austin to pursue the career she has always wanted after giving her all to soccer. Consulting, with its crazy hours and frequent travel, has some clear similarities to collegiate athletics. Brideau said teamwork is another aspect she cannot wait for.
"What also comes from being on a sports team is understanding how important culture is to how much you love what you do every day," she said. "Sports are a grind, it kind of sucks sometimes, but if you're with people you love and people you really enjoy being with, you can do anything."
