Goalkeeping is one of the most challenging positions not just in soccer, but in all of sports. However, Franklin Regional’s Aris Lamanna has made it look easy blocking shots in between the pipes for the Panthers.

The senior goalkeeper had a historic campaign last year, tying the program record for most shutouts in a season with 11. She carried that stellar play over to the spring, where she was named to the “elite goalkeeper” list at the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) event in Houston.

“It’s really competitive, extremely competitive,” she remarked. “There are multiple conferences in the ECNL, so it was really cool to play against those conferences and see what their teams are all about.”

After her standout performance, college interest started to pick up significantly. She received offers from nine different universities, including Old Dominion, High Point, George Washington, and Coastal Carolina, just to name a few.

Ultimately, she wanted a program that would give her the best change at turning pro. After weighing her options, she realized the best place to continue her career would be down south, at Coastal Carolina.

“I was at the ECNL event in Houston, and head coach Jo Chubb saw me,” she added. “She reached out to Steven (Samuel), who is the goalkeeper coach and he reached out to me.

“I had a few mixed thoughts about it, but he asked me to come on a visit and I decided to do that.”

Once she stepped foot on campus, she instantly fell in love. She enjoyed the beautiful weather, and loved the palm trees that cover the area. But, although the weather was a nice touch, it was the coaching staff who sold her on the decision.

“Jo (Chubb) is coming from Arizona State University, which is a Power 5 school, so I felt like I was being recruited by a Power 5 coach,” the future Chanticleer noted. “I also have aspirations of going pro, and she said that she can get me there, so that really helped.”

With that reassurance, Lamanna can now redirect her focus on this season. The Panthers are coming off an 11-6-2 season in 2022, which ended in a 1-0 loss to Mars in the WPIAL quarterfinals.

“Last year, I tied the record for shutouts in a season,” Lamanna commented. “I’m trying to break that. Hopefully I can go beyond - 12 would be the goal, but getting as many as I can would be awesome.”

Lamanna has already notched three shutouts this season. She had one in the season opener against Kiski Area in a 3-0 decision, then stoned Penn-Trafford in a 1-0 overtime victory before pitching a 1-0 shutout at Gateway on Wednesday.

Still, Lamanna and the Panthers have much more that they want to accomplish. One of their goals this year is to go further in the WPIAL playoffs after being bounced out in the second round in each of the last three years.

“Keeping our effort up and having less injuries than in past years,” Lamanna shared about what will be key in making a deep playoff run. “We’re trying to have some rest days and keep people fueling properly.”

With the recruiting process behind her, she is eager to begin the next phase of her soccer career. However, she is excited for much more than just soccer when she heads off to Coastal Carolina.

“Meeting like-minded people, and just knowing that I’ll have a family going into school. Also, bonding with people who share a love of soccer, I’m really excited for that,” she mentioned.