BEAUMONT, Texas - Head coach Nathan Kogut is about to get started in his first season at the helm of Lamar's women's soccer team. But, he has already added to his coaching staff as Kurt Albrecht, Colton Bryant will be the assistant coaches while Kelsey Brann will be the graduate assistant for the team.
 
"I am pumped by our new additions to our Lamar program and coaching staff," said head coach Nathan Kogut. "Whether it's on the playing field or on the sideline, we want high character people who value the student-athlete experience and have a desire to win championships. I believe we have succeeded with these three additions and am so glad that they are in place for our girls."

Kurt Albrecht - Assistant Coach

Arriving to Beaumont from Jackson, Miss., Albrecht was the head men's soccer coach of NCAA DIII Millsaps College for three seasons. While there, he guided the Majors to the SAA Conference Tournament semifinals. Before MC, Albrecht served as head coach of the Blueboys of Ilinois College in Jacksonville, Illi., from 2015-2019. He finished his tenure as the second all-time winningest coach in program history and also served as goalkeeper trainer.

Albrecht was a graduate assistant and JV head coach at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa from 2012-14 on the NAIA circuit. During his three seasons with the Fighting Bees, he helped coached the varsity team to their first winning season in five seasons as well as leading them to their first conference tournament final.
Prior to SAU, Albrecht was an assistant coach for two NCAA DIII programs. First, he was an assistant coach to Augustana College's women's soccer team from 2008-2009 leading them to a program-tying 15 wins in the season. Then, from 2009-12, he took part as assistant coach for the men's soccer program in which he guided them to the program's first ever conference championship and appearance in the NCAA Tournament. He was also able to coach All-American goalkeeper John Reglin.

For a few summers, Albrecht was part of summer camp on the campuses of Texas A&M, Northwestern, and Indiana University. Albrecht also spent time coaching professionally as both head coach of the Quad City Eagles and Palm City FC of the Women's Premier Soccer League and the Cape Coral Hurricanes of the National Premier Soccer League. In addition, Albrecht brings in club level coaching experience including stints as U17 and U18 head coach of the Mississippi Rush and the U16 Cape Coral Cyclones that were crowned Disney Champions.

Albrecht has a master's degree in Organizational Leadership from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa to go along with a BA degree in Psychology from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illi. He also has a National "C" License from the U.S Soccer Federation and the NSCAA Advanced National Diploma.

"I am so excited to have Kurt, his wife Elaina, and son Dekker move to Beaumont and become a part of our program here at Lamar. As I went through the search for our new staff, I kept getting drawn back to Kurt's past experiences, especially as a head coach the last few seasons. The experience he brings to our coaching staff is invaluable, and I am thrilled to get to work alongside him again and watch him get to work with our team."
- Nathan Kogut, LU head coach


Colton Bryant - Assistant Coach

Bryant joins LU after a stint as Assistant Coach to Jackson State's women's soccer program in 2021. He was previously the head coach of the first ever women's soccer team at Columbia State Community College in 2018. In the three seasons in Columbia, Tenn., the Chargers won back-to-back conference championships in 2019 and 2020 and achieve a national ranking of 14th in the latter season.

In 2018, Bryant was an assistant coach for the Nashville Rhythm of the Women's Premier Soccer League. Prior to that, he was a youth development specialist for the Massive Soccer Academy down in South Florida.

From 2012-2016, Bryant was a student assistant for the men's soccer team at University of Tennessee Southern of the NAIA. 2013 saw great success for the Firehawks as they went on a magical run to claim their first ever national championship as a program.

Bryant has also spent time abroad in Argentina earning a UCEL Certificate of Excellence. In addition, he was a coaching intern for the Newell's Old Boys, an Argentine program based out of Rosario, Santa Fe.

Bryant has a BA in Human Performance and Physical Education at UT Southern and a M.ED in Coaching Education and Athlete Development at Xavier University.

"I am very excited that Colton is joining us at Lamar. His infectious energy, enthusiasm, and soccer knowledge is something that I am glad that our girls will get to experience every day. He will be a huge boost to our recruiting efforts from his past experiences across the country, and also brings championship experience as a head coach. I can't wait to see the positive experience he has with our program."
- Nathan Kogut, LU head coach.


Kelsey Brann - Graduate Assistant

Kelsey Brann joins the staff as the graduate assistant for the Cardinals. She spent her final collegiate season as goalkeeper to the University of West Florida Argonauts in 2021. Brann played 432 minutes recording 13 saves and allowing three goals in net while producing a 5-1-0 record.

Prior to UWF, Brann spent three seasons with the Mean Green of the University of North Texas. For 53 games at UNT, Brann compiled a 37-11-1 record along with 26 shutouts. Her 2019 season saw her post 12 shutouts, which was second in the country. She would be voted 2019 C-USA Goalkeeper of the Year for her performance. In addition, Brann was twice named C-USA Third Team and once named First Team while being honored as a member of the All-Freshman Team in 2018.

At Atascocita High School, Brann earned two district goalkeeper of the year honors in 2014 and 2017. She led the Eagles to as far as the fourth round of the playoffs in her final season. Brann has also competed with the United States U15 and U17 soccer teams earning Bronze at the Olympics, silver in the CONCACAF and 7th in the World Cup.

"Kelsey comes highly recommended and her resume speaks for itself. Going into the staff hiring process, I knew we wanted people who had the playing experience to back up their coaching points, and Kelsey has that in spades! She has played in the NCAA Tournament, won conference championships, and has all the accolades to back her up. She is coming to Lamar to kick start her college coaching career, and our goalkeepers will be the beneficiaries of her past experiences. Our staff is so excited to have her join us here at Lamar."
- Nathan Kogut