FRISCO, Texas – The Lamar Cardinals are predicted to win their second straight Southland Conference Women’s Soccer Championship, after receiving 126 points in the pre-season poll. Coaches and SIDs from the Southland’s nine-member institutions cast their ballots, with Head Coach Nathan Kogut’s squad receiving 14 out of a possible 16 first-place votes.
The Cardinals placed a league-high six student-athletes on the preseason all-conference teams, including six on the first team. Reigning SLC Goalkeeper of the Year Nicole Panis, and reigning SLC Defender of the Year Arely Alaniz highlight a strong returning core for Lamar.
Last year, in his debut season in Beaumont, Kogut was named Southland Coach of the Year, and Tournament MVP Christine Kitaru led the Cardinals to glory, doing the double as both Regular Season and Tournament Champions. The Cardinals won a tight SLC Tournament semi-final game 1-0, thanks to a Laura Linares free kick before a come-from-behind victory saw Lamar defeat Texas A&M-Commerce 4-1 in the Championship game. Having punched their ticket to the postseason, Coach Kogut’s squad would go on to face LSU in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, ultimately falling 3-1 to the eighth-seeded Tigers, in what was Lamar’s 3rd ever appearance in the big dance.
The other first-place votes went to HCU and Northwestern State, with two each, though interestingly neither squad was picked to finish in the top three overall. Texas A&M-Commerce (97) had a stellar debut season at the Division I level and are projected to finish second in the Southland this time around, whilst Southeastern was picked to finish third overall. Just three points separated the third-ranked Lions (84) from the fifth-placed Demons (81), with the Huskies (82) sandwiched in between them. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (68) is slated to finish sixth, ahead of McNeese (53), UIW (33), and Nicholls (23) to round out the predicted order of finish.
The 2023 season kicks off on Thursday, August 17th, with six SLC teams in action on that day, and another two playing their opening fixtures a day later. The 2023 Southland Conference Soccer Tournament will take place in Corpus Christi, Texas, on November 1st, 3rd, and 5th.
The Southland Conference preseason poll is voted on by each school’s head coach and soccer sports information director. Each voter ranks their predicted order of regular-season finish, not including their own team. First-place votes are worth eight points, second-place votes are worth seven, and so on to one point for eighth place.
2023 Southland Soccer Preseason Poll
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1.
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Lamar (14)
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126
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2.
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Texas A&M-Commerce
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97
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3.
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Southeastern
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84
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4.
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HCU (2)
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83
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5.
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Northwestern State (2)
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81
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6.
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Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
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68
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7.
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McNeese
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53
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8.
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UIW
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33
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9.
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Nicholls
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23
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