| Kara Lang | |
|---|---|
 |
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| College | UCLA |
| Conference | Pac 10 |
| Sport | Soccer |
| Position | Forward |
| Class | Redshirt junior |
| Career | 2005–present |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg) |
| Nationality | CAN |
| Born | October 22, 1986 Calgary, Alberta |
| High school | St. Thomas Aquinas HS, Oakville, Ontario |
Kara Elise Lang (born October 22, 1986) is a Canadian soccer player. At only 22, Lang is already Canada's second-leading all-time international women's goalscorer.
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She was born in Calgary, Alberta and raised in Oakville, Ontario.[1]
Kara was ranked as the #1 recruit in the 2005 recruiting class, and chose to attend the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) where she is studying communications with an aim of a future career in broadcast journalism. Lang was named as a preseason All-American, which is a notably achievement for a freshman. The UCLA Bruins, under head coach Jillian Ellis, compiled an overall record of 22-2-2 in the 2005-2006 season, was ranked 4th nationally, and won the PAC-10 title on the strength of excellent team defence.
Lang started her college career with a splash, scoring a hat-trick in her second game. In the 2005 NCAA tournament, Lang was at her finest, scoring 8 goals in 6 games.[2] Lang's UCLA Bruins met the University of Portland in the NCAA final, where Lang came up against one of her international teammates, Christine Sinclair; Portland won the title with a 4-0 win. Lang finished her Freshman year at UCLA with 17 goals and 6 assists in 24 games, finishing second in team scoring behind Danesha Adams.
She took a medical redshirt in the 2006 season after tearing an ACL during the offseason, and will have three more years of athletic eligibility at UCLA.
2007; Played in 17 matches starting 16 ... Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 selection ... Scored both goals in a 2-1 overtime victory over Portland on Sept. 28, her first college match since the 2005 NCAA Final (missed the entire 2006 season with an ACL injury) ... Ended the season with 17 points on seven goals and three assists ... Tallied the game-winning goal in a 2-0 victory over Washington State on Nov. 9 ... Also scored the Bruins' second goal in a 3-2 double-overtime victory over Portland in the NCAA Quarterfinals ... Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 Academic selection.
2008; Played in 24 matches, starting in 23. Scoring 5 goals and assisting on 9. Helped UCLA to an unbeaten season of 18-0-2 (9-0 in conference play). Earned second-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII honors. Scored a goal and 2 assists in the 1st round of the College Cup. Lost 1-0 in the semi finals to UNC.
Lang was affiliated with the Vancouver Whitecaps club in the W-League, after signing with the club in 2003.[3] The Whitecaps were the 2004 W-League Champions, and 3rd place finishers in 2005. Lang has scored 9 goals in 19 career games for the Whitecaps from 2003 to 2005.
On 25 March 2009 signed a contract with Pali Blues, she will play in the United Soccer Leagues W-League[4]. She scored her 1st goal for the club on May 17th vs the Real Colorado Cougars.
On Monday, March 15 2010, the Vancouver Whitecaps confirmed that the 23-year-old midfielder/forward has signed a one-year deal for the USL W-League season, which starts May 30.[5] She last played for the club in 2006. Lang is coming off her second right-knee ACL tear, sustained in September 2009 during her senior season at UCLA.
Lang holds the women's football world record for youngest player to score a full international goal. She scored against Wales at the Algarve Cup on 3 March, 2002 at age 15 years, 132 days. Her senior debut, two days earlier, was a Canadian record for youngest senior women's cap.
The 2002 FIFA U-19 World Championships held in Edmonton, Alberta was the coming-out party for Lang. As a 15-year-old, Lang scored three goals in six games and added a crucial penalty-kick goal under intense pressure in the semi-finals against Brazil. Although Canada would lose in the final against their rivals in the United States in a heart-breaker, Kara captured the hearts and imaginations of many fans in Canada.
At the age of 16, Lang played in all six of Canada's games at the FIFA Women's World Cup 2003. Lang scored two goals in the World Cup (a tally each against Japan in the group stage, and against Sweden in the semi-finals). Lang's memorable free-kick goal in the semi-finals came in the 64th minute to give Canada a 1-0 lead against Sweden, but they would lose the game 2-1 and eventually finish in 4th place at the event.
Lang was an integral part of the 2004 CONCACAF U-19 Qualifying tournament in Ottawa, Ontario, where she played as a central defender at the request of head coach Ian Bridge. Lang proved to be a dominant force in defence paired with Emily Zurrer, and Canada captured the tournament title with a thrilling 2-1 extra-time victory over the United States. Despite high hopes, Canada lost in the quarterfinals against China in the 2004 U-19 World Championships in Thailand after being down a player for almost the entire game.
In the 2006 CONCACAF U-20 Qualifying tournament, Lang set a record for fastest goal (four seconds) when she scored from the opening kickoff against Mexico on 22 January, 2006.[6] With many returning players from the 2004 U-19 team, Lang and her teammates will be looking to avenge their Thailand disappointment with a strong showing at the upcoming FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship to be held in Russia in August 2006. Kara participated in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2007in China.
On August 6, 2008, Kara scored what proved to be the winning goal for Canada in a 2-1 victory over Argentina at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Lost in the quarter-finals to United States.
National Team Statistics
| Team | Caps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Women's Senior Team | 88 | 33 |
| Women's U-20 Team | 33 | 12 |
Major Tournament Statistics
| Year | Tournament | Games | Goals | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | CONCACAF Women's Gold Cup | 5 | 4 | Runners-Up |
| 2002 | FIFA Women's U-19 World Championships | 6 | 3 | Runners-Up |
| 2003 | FIFA Women's World Cup | 6 | 2 | 4th Place |
| 2004 | CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying | 5 | 0 | 3rd Place (DNQ) |
| 2004 | CONCACAF Women's U-19 Qualifying | 5 | 2 | Winners |
| 2004 | FIFA Women's U-19 World Championships | 4 | 1 | Quarter-Finalists |
| 2006 | CONCACAF Women's U-19 Qualifying | 3 | 1 | Runners-Up |
| 2008 | FIFA Women's World Cup | 3 | 0 | 3rd in group |
| 2008 | Olympic Games | 4 | 1 | Quarter-Finalists |
| 2010 | Cyprus Women’s Cup | Winners |
Club and College Statistics
| Season Totals | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | Min | Shots | SOG | |
| 2003 | Vancouver Whitecaps | W-League | 4 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 265 | -- | -- | |
| 2004 | Vancouver Whitecaps | W-League | 5 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 285 | -- | -- | |
| 2005 | Vancouver Whitecaps | W-League | 10 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 783 | 39 | -- | |
| 2005 | UCLA Bruins | NCAA | 24 | 17 | 6 | 40 | -- | 101 | 41 | |
| 2007 | UCLA Bruins | NCAA | 17 | 7 | 3 | 17 | -- | 50 | 19 | |
| 2008 | UCLA Bruins | NCAA | 24 | 5 | 9 | 19 | 1711 | 90 | 35 | |
| 2009 | Pali Blues | W-League | 2 | 1 | ||||||
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   | Official UCLA profile - Player Bio: Kara Lang - Women's Soccer - UCLA OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE |
| | Canada Too Much For Mexico (CSA) - CanadaSoccer.com | Official Site of the Canadian Soccer Association |
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