AUSTIN, Texas - Lamar University's soccer team put up a valiant effort against the No. 5 seed Texas Longhorns in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. But two first-half goals by UT would be too much to overcome as LU fell 2-0. This ends the Cardinals' season at 15-3-3.
While the Cardinals were outshot 31-13 in the match, they were able to keep pace in the shots department in the second half as they only had nine shots in contrast to UT's 10. Trinity Clark and Cariel Ellis each finished with four shots while Isela Ramirez put up three off the bench. Nicole Panis recorded 10 saves in goal for the Cardinals including six in the first half.
The first of those six saves occurred in the second minute of the contest. The Cardinals held the Longhorns to four shots in the first 19 minutes before a penalty kick goal put UT up 1-0. That seemed to ignite a barrage of Longhorn shots as they put up 15 more including the second goal in the 42nd minute.
Meanwhile, LU put up four shots, but three of them were saved by the keeper. As the second half started, LU tried to get on the scoreboard with three more shots on goal only to be denied. As the time ticked down, LU's season came to an end.
Even with the loss, the Cardinals had a historic season. They broke school records with 11 shutouts, including five in a row and a 16-match undefeated streak, upset a nationally-ranked top 25 team, and Panis broke the school record for most saves in an LU career. Posting a 9-0-1 record in the Southland Conference to win their second straight regular season title, they also became the first SLC school to repeat as conference tournament champions.
"While I'm disappointed to see our season end, I am so proud of this team," said head coach Nathan Kogut. "It has been an absolute honor to be around this group of champions and winners. We were unfortunate to fall behind, but our kids went toe to toe for most of the game against one of the best teams in the country. All the credit to Texas because they're a talented team, but I can't say enough about how good our team is. I can't wait to get back together in January and build towards another title run"
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