BEAUMONT, Texas - Sunday was a battle of the top two teams in the Southland Conference between the Lamar University soccer team and Texas A&M-Commerce. In brutal wind conditions, this match had everything, including a penalty kick save, two free kick goals, a late equalizer, and an all-time school record in saves tied by Nicole Panis. But when the final whistle blew, the Cardinals and the Lions would wind up finishing in a 2-2 draw. LU, whose 11-match winning streak ended, but still has their 12-match undefeated streak intact, remains on top of conference standings at 12-2-2 overall and 7-0-1. 

LU finished outshooting AMC 27-12, including a 14-8 shots on goal ratio. Alana Clark and Maddie Janolo were the goal scorers for the Cardinals while Cariel Ellis and Hollie Massey each picked up an assist. With six saves on the day, Panis tied the all-time school record of 328 career saves previously held by Bailey Fontenot. AMC goalkeeper Gillian McKenzie would thwart off 12 of LU's shot attempts. 

LU won the toss and elected to defer in the second half with the wind behind them. From the opening kick, that wind would prove to be pivotal as the Lions kept the Cardinals on their heels as they would outshoot them 8-6 in the first half. After 31 scoreless minutes, a free kick goal in the 32nd minute gave AMC a 1-0 lead. The Cardinals had two chances to tie going into the locker room but were off with their attempts. 

But in the second half, the Cardinals now had the wind behind them, and they would explode for a 21-4 shot advantage. After five early shots from Big Red, a yellow card to the Lions in the 60th minute gave a free kick opportunity. While the free kick was off the crossbar, Clark was there to grab the rebound and score for LU to knot things up at one. 30 seconds later, the Lions drew a penalty kick in the box. However, Panis prevented the go-ahead goal and kept the game tied. It was in the 76th minute when Panis picked up her sixth and record-tying save. 

Momentum was on LU's side until the 81st minute when LU picked up a yellow card and AMC capitalized with another free-kick goal to give themselves a 2-1 lead. But the Cardinals would not back down as in the 86th minute, Ellis fed Massey the ball, which left Janolo open. The pass was made and Janolo struck one to equalize at two apiece. Once again, the Cardinals had momentum and fired up four shots. Unfortunately, two saves and one off the ironworks meant the game ended in a 2-2 draw. 

"I am incredibly proud of our fight this afternoon," said head coach Nathan Kogut. "It's truly a tale of two halves when it comes to the wind, and they took advantage of their chance when it came against the wind. We were unfortunate to hit the post twice, but that's soccer. We picked ourselves off the mat and fought to get the draw and stay in control of our championship chase. We know we can be sharper, and we get back to work this week to face another tough battle in Corpus next week."

With only two weeks left in the season, the Cardinals have two more games to go. Their last road game will be in Corpus Christi next Friday night at 7:00 p.m. 

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