Lamar University first sponsored soccer in 2007. The team has had five head coaches since its beginning.
P. Matthew "Mat" Dillon, the first head coach, led the Lady Cardinals in their initial season, 2007.
Dewi Hardman served as head coach from 2008 to 2011. Under Hardman, the Lady Cardinals improved from eighth place in 2008 to a third place conference finish and second conference tournament appearance in 2011.
Orlando Cervantes led the Lady Cardinals from 2012 to 2015. The team finished 2012 with a second-place finish in conference and runner-up in the conference tournament.
Steve Holeman was head coach for six seasons (2016-2021). While at Lamar, Holeman completed his second season with the Lady Cardinals in 2017 with three firsts for the team. The Lady Cardinals won the Southland Conference regular season championship, the Southland Conference tournament championship, and participated in the NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Tournament for the first time in program history. The Lady Cardinals lost their first NCAA Division I tournament match 0–1 in an on goal play.[3] In 2019, the Lady Cardinals repeated winning the Southland Conference regular season championship, the Southland Conference tournament, and participated in the NCAA tournament losing to 14th ranked UCLA 1–4.[4] Holeman was named Southland Conference women's soccer coach of the year in 2017 and 2019.
Nathan Kogut, was named head coach on April 20, 2022, replacing Steve Holeman who resigned in February, 2022 to become head coach for the Texas State team. Kogut was named Southland Conference coach of the year in 2022. He was named Southland Conference coach of the year again in 2023.[5] In Kogut's first year with the Cardinals, the Lady Cardinals won the Southland Conference regular season and the 2022 Southland Conference women's soccer tournament championship. They returned to the NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament for the third time losing to LSU 1–3.[6] In Kogut's second year with the Cardinals, the Lady Cardinals won the Southland Conference regular season, and repeated as 2023 SLC tournament champions, the first back to back tournament championship in Southland Conference women's soccer tournament history. The team earned the conference automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament losing to 5th seeded Texas Longhorns 0–2 in Austin, Texas.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Construction on the Lamar Soccer Complex began in June, 2009. The first match at the stadium was against the New Mexico State Aggies on September 25, 2009. Approximate field dimensions are 115 yards x 70 yards. The stadium has permanent bleacher seating for 500. Covered benches are available for both teams. The stadium is equipped with lighting, an electronic score board, programmable irrigation, and a fertilization system.
The Lamar Soccer and Softball Complex building, approximately 10,000 sq ft in size, is located between the soccer stadium and the Lamar Softball Complex. It has locker rooms for home and visitors, training facilities, and coaches' offices for both sports. It also has ticketing and concessions. The 2014 and 2018 Southland Conference Women's Soccer Tournaments were held at the stadium.
Cardinal Stadium, now named Provost Umphrey Stadium following a major renovation, was the home field for the team's initial 2 seasons (2007 and 2008).
The 2024 Lamar Lady Cardinals soccer team represented Lamar University during the 2024 NCAA Division I women's soccer season. The Lady Cardinals were led by head coach Nathan Kogut, in his third season. They played home games at Lamar Soccer Complex. This was the team's 18th season playing organized women's college soccer including their 17th playing in the Southland Conference and a brief one year membership in the Western Athletic Conference in 2021–22. The Lady Cardinals compiled a 5–8–6 overall record finishing in seventh place in the 2024 Southland Conference regular season with a 3–3–4 conference record. The season ended with a 2024 SLC tournament 1–2 loss to #4 seeded Texas.
Preseason poll
The Southland Conference released their preseason poll on August 9, 2024. The Cardinals were picked to finish first in the conference.[21]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
The 2023 Lamar Lady Cardinals soccer team represented Lamar University during the 2023 NCAA Division I women's soccer season. The Lady Cardinals were led by head coach Nathan Kogut, in his second season. They played home games at Lamar Soccer Complex. This was the team's 17th season playing organized women's college soccer including their 16th playing in the Southland Conference and a brief one year membership in the Western Athletic Conference in 2021–22. The Lady Cardinals clinched a tie for their fourth Southland Conference regular season championship with a win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on October 20. A tie match with Texas A&M-Commerce and Incarnate Word on October 22 gave the Lady Cardinals the outright conference regular season championship.[28] The Lady Cardinals were ranked in the top 25 in a national poll for the first time in program history when they were ranked #24 in the Top Drawer Soccer Week 12 (October 30 to November 5) poll.[29] The season ended with a 2023 NCAA DI tournament 0-2 loss to #5 seeded Texas.
Previous season
The Lady Cardinals won the 2022 Southland Conference regular season championship with a 10-1-1 conference record as well as the 2022 Southland Conference women's soccer tournament for the third time in program history. They received the conference auto-bid to the 2022 NCAA Division I women's soccer tournament. The Lady Cardinals' season ended with a 1–3 first round loss to the 8th seeded LSU. The Lady Cardinals overall record was 15–2–2.
Preseason poll
The Southland Conference released their preseason poll on August 11, 2023. The Cardinals were picked to finish first in the conference.[30]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
The Lady Cardinals finished 10–8–2 overall and 6–2–2 in 2021 Western Athletic Conference play to finish second in the Southwest Division. Their season ended losing in the 2021 Western Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Tournament semi-finals.
Preseason poll
The Southland Conference released their preseason poll on August 11, 2022. The Cardinals were picked to finish third in the conference.[37]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
The 2021 Lamar Lady Cardinals soccer team represented Lamar University during the 2021 NCAA Division I women's soccer season. The Lady Cardinals were led by head coach Steve Holeman, in his sixth season. They played home games at Lamar Soccer Complex. This was the team's 15th season playing organized women's college soccer, and their 1st playing in the Western Athletic Conference. The Lady Cardinals finished the season in second place in the WAC Southwest division, 10–8–2 overall, and 5–2–2 in divisional play. The team won its first round match against New Mexico State 1–0 in the Western Athletic Conference women's soccer tournament. The team's season ended with a loss to Grand Canyon 0–1 in the tournament semi–final round.
Note: Stadium capacity restrictions continued during the season due to COVID-19 precautions.[41]
Previous season
The Lady Cardinals finished 8–4–0 overall and 7–3–0 in 2020 Southland Conference play to finish second in the conference. Their season ended with a first round loss in the 2020 Southland Conference Women's Soccer Tournament.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
^"Save Record, Shutout Record, and Repeat Regular Season Title for Big Red". Lamar University Athletics. October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023. With a 1-0 victory, the Cardinals (13-2-2, 8-0-1) not only set a new program record for shutouts in a season but have repeated as Southland Conference regular season champions by clinching at least a share of the title. ... With Texas A&M-Commerce defeating Nicholls on Friday night and having another game on Sunday, the Cardinals now find themselves still up six points in the standings. A loss or a tie by TAMU-C against UIW on Sunday guarantees LU clinching the championship outright.
