BEAUMONT, Texas – The Southland Conference-leading Lamar University Cardinals return to the LU Soccer Complex Thursday evening to host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The match kicks off at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
PREVIOUSLY
The Cardinals (7-4-2, 4-1-1 SLC) jumped into first place in the standings after shutting out UIW, 1-0, last Thursday.
Marissa Gross scored her fifth game-winner of the season in the fourth minute off an assist from
Diem Sealy. Goalkeeper
Keely Thomas recorded four saves in her third shutout of the year.
THOMAS THE GOALKEEPER
Keely Thomas earned her second SLC Goalkeeper of the Week honor following her four-save shutout performance against UIW. She currently leads the league in goals-against average (0.51) and ranks second in save percentage (.875). Both marks rank among the top 20 nationally, at 20th and 14th, respectively.
HOW DID YOU JUMP FROM FOURTH TO FIRST?
Big Red sat in fourth place entering its match behind UIW (12 points), Northwestern State (12) and McNeese (11). Aside from Lamar's win over UIW, NSU allowed three second-half goals in a 3-1 loss to Houston Christian, while McNeese did not have a match Thursday.
GROSS RANKED IN THE PROGRAM, LEAGUE AND NATION
Gross has scored eight goals this season, tying her for the league lead with Paige Baumgartner (Northwestern State) and Alexandra Knight (Southeastern Louisiana). Her five game-winning goals this season are tied for eighth in program history and fifth nationally.
NATHAN APPROACHING A MILESTONE
Head coach
Nathan Kogut needs one win to reach 50 for his coaching career. He would become the second Cardinals coach to achieve the mark, joining Steve Holman (2016-21), who won 66 games. During Kogut's tenure, the Cardinals have won two SLC regular and tournament titles, made the NCAA tournament twice, and recorded 38 shutouts, two shy of the Holman era.
ALL-TIME VS. TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI
The Cardinals hold a 10-5-1 record against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi but have lost the last two meetings on the island
. Last season, despite scoring the opening goal a program-record 25 seconds into the match, Lamar fell to the Islanders, 3-2. Big Red has enjoyed greater success at home in the series, posting a 4-1-1 record.
ABOUT THE ISLANDERS
The Islanders (4-7-4, 1-4-2 SLC) played to a 1-1 draw with East Texas A&M Thursday. Ashley Wilson scored the Islanders' goal, while goalkeeper Addie Brown recorded six saves. Katie Porter is among the league leaders with seven goals and has added two assists.
UP NEXT
The Cardinals return to the road Sunday to take on Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond, La. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
