BEAUMONT, Texas — Lamar soccer ranked 7th in the Midwest region of the U.S. Soccer Coach's Poll, finding success as a team and individually.
Most recently, senior goalie Nicole Panis received the Southland Goalkeeper of the Week honor for the fourth time this season.
"Back at home it's not something we do or have, and it's nice you get a name for yourself, but it's not only me," said Panis. "My defenders are also doing a great job."
Panis is originally from the Netherlands and found herself in Beaumont her sophomore year. Now, she holds the new school record for shutouts with 17 for the Cardinals.
"She's the ultimate game changer in the back, and I think it allows us and it gives us the confidence that we can play any way we want to," said Lamar soccer coach Nathan Kogut.
"I'm, like, really a positive person, so I try to help my team as well to stay positive, like help them through the game," said Panis. "If they play a bad pass, keep them encouraging to keep going."
"For myself, I don't think about much," said Panis. "I try to clear my head as much as possible, just focus on the game and just let my body take over."
Panis is chasing down the record for most wins in program history. She's tied with alumnus Lauren Lovejoy at 26 career wins.
"When I took the job, everybody talked about her," said Coach Kogut. "It was, you know, you've got a really good goalkeeper. It was very clear that she had big goals and was on us to help her reach them, but she was very locked in to what we were doing. She didn't want to go anywhere. This was home, and she just wanted to be the best, and she's trained that way all fall."
"Of course, like, you always want to do better, and one of my goals is to become the best goal of the conference," said Panis. "The last two years, I became second goalie, so this time, like, I'm really going for the first place."
Nicole Panis doing her job in the back. So Big Red stays upfront.