The career of one of the top collegiate soccer players in the nation might never have even started if Lauren Cheney had not been born with a serious heart defect.

Cheney, now a UCLA freshman, was diagnosed with an atrial septal defect, which is a congenital heart defect characterized by a hole in the upper chamber of the heart, when she was 8 months old. She then underwent open-heart surgery when she was 3 years old.

“We were very scared for her because she was so little for such a major surgery,” Cheney’s mother, Rita Cheney said. “She had an enlargement of the heart that would have become very serious over time.”

As part of her recovery, the doctors advised that Cheney be active in sports, and thus began Cheney’s illustrious soccer career.

She started playing soccer as early as 4 years old, mainly because her brother played it, and started competing at 5.

“Lauren was always outstanding amongst her peers even from 5 years old,” Cheney’s father, George Cheney said. “My wife and I spotted that she had something special so we gave her every opportunity and encouraged her.”

Although her parents recognize the significance of her surgery, Cheney shuns the attention, not viewing her heart surgery as something serious.

“The problem I had with my heart is pretty common, and I recovered really fast, so I don’t think it had much of an impact on me,” Cheney said.

In regard to her soccer accomplishments, Cheney possesses a similar demeanor, as she is unassuming, modest and humble despite leading the Pac-10 in almost every offensive statistical category.

Even though she was one of the most sought-after recruits ever to come out of high school, the Indianapolis native would be the last person to give herself any recognition for her accomplishments.

“I don’t really like individual awards because every person on the team is out there contributing,” Cheney said. “If I didn’t have good teammates, then I wouldn’t be anywhere. I wouldn’t call myself the star of the team or anything because soccer is a team sport.”

Cheney’s accolades testify to her superstar status even if she will not. Cheney was chosen the 2005 Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year, and was so dominant on the field that she got called to training camp for the U.S. National Team before even starting college.

She then played for the Under-20 National Team, notching 11 goals and five assists in 14 games, and helped lead the team to a fourth-place finish in the prestigious FIFA U-20 Women’s World Championship this past summer.

Although she missed the first four UCLA games while she was with the national team, Cheney quickly made up for her absence.

She leads the Pac-10 in goals scored with 17, and has by far the highest goals per game average of 0.94, propelling the Bruins to their current 19-3 record and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Cheney’s success has carried over to the postseason, as she has scored a goal in each of UCLA’s NCAA Tournament victories.

“With all her accolades at this point in her young career, she is very grounded,” coach Jill Ellis said. “She knows that she is good but would never admit it because she completely understands that this is a team game. She is confident, but is very humble and never arrogant about what she can do.”

To put her talent into perspective, Cheney is one of the only high school players ever chosen to play with the full U.S. National Team, attending three training camps with them.

“I can probably count on one hand the number of high school players that have been in with our full (national) team, and Lauren has been there and holds her own,” Ellis said. “At this point, her goal is to be an Olympian, and she has that potential no doubt. Lauren has all the makings of being one of the best players to put on a U.S. jersey.”

Cheney first garnered attention through her success on Indiana’s dominant club team Carmel United, yet she continued to shy away from focusing on her own achievements.

“Lauren hates being in the spotlight, and will never take personal accomplishments,” George Cheney said. “She always spreads them out into team accomplishments. It’s just her nature.”

Cheney got a chance to compete on an international stage when she played for the Under-21 U.S. National Team in the Nordic Cup in the summer of 2005. Ellis was U-21 team’s coach at the time, and was immediately impressed by what she saw in Cheney.

“She played with some of the best college players in the country and was holding her own,” Ellis said. “Lauren was the youngest player on the roster when we went to the Nordic Cup, and she was a starter.”

Cheney scored a goal in the final against Norway, helping the team capture the Nordic Cup title. Even with all her abilities, Cheney arrived at UCLA with the desire to learn from the players who had been here longer.

“My role is to absorb what the upperclassmen have to say and take from their knowledge and experience and put it into my game,” Cheney said. “I really try to go out there and work for them because they are seniors. As a forward I try to score goals, but I really see my role as playing for everyone else.”

Her maturity in having an attitude of modesty despite her talent distinguishes her from the typical freshman.

“I never considered her as a freshman because she has so much maturity on and off the field,” senior Stacy Lindstrom said. “She came in with great experience, but was very open to suggestions. She understands that she has something to bring to the table, but would never talk about her accolades.”

Cheney can already be looked to as a leader on the team even though she has only been a Bruin for several months.

“She encourages people with her voice, but also leads by example,” freshman Britney Scannell said. “She makes an impact on the team because she is a team player and doesn’t put herself on a pedestal.”

Already at such an elite level of play, it will be interesting to see how she is able to progress from here.

“Lauren’s starting point is higher than most players finish when they leave the program,” Ellis said. “She is good in every component of the game, and that is rare. She’s only a freshman, and it’s scary to think of what she is going to be like in three years.”

If her current attitude holds up, she will be even more dominant on the field but will still be giving credit to everyone except herself.