The accolades have never stopped coming for freshman soccer player Lauren Cheney.

Before she ever stepped foot on campus in the fall, the forward from Indiana had already been named Parade Magazine and Gatorade National High School Player of the Year and was the consensus No. 1 recruit in the nation.

“Her impact on the soccer field was apparent to everybody,” coach Jill Ellis said. “I think the thing that Lauren brings, even though she’s just a freshman, is her ability to set the standard for those around her.”

After missing the first four games of UCLA’s season while competing with the U.S. under-20 national team, Cheney immediately made her mark scoring a goal in her first game as a Bruin.

With the loss of star forward Kara Lang to an ACL injury during the offseason, Cheney’s goal-scoring ability would prove vital to the UCLA offense and help fuel another deep postseason run.

Cheney maintained a torrid pace throughout the year, leading the Pac-10 with 39 points and setting freshmen records for goals (19) and game-winning goals (eight). She was also named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and was the first player in school history to be named first-team All-American as a freshman.

“With (Lang) going down, I think Cheney recognized her (scoring) responsibility,” Ellis said. “It’s tough sometimes as a forward to come in and have that big of an impact on a team, but she’s a goal scorer and that’s what she did for us.”

Cheney not only starred for UCLA this season, but she also made her debut for the full senior national team in January and scored her first international goal in April against Mexico. She has a chance to compete in this summer’s World Cup, but if not, she will likely represent the U.S. in the Pan American Games.

“I’m excited to see her develop into a leader and a cornerstone of our program,” Ellis said. “She’s going to be one of the premier players in college soccer as a sophomore next year and that’s very exciting for us as a program.”