PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore Leela Bakhshi (Plymouth, N.H.) of the Plymouth State University women's tennis team and freshman Bryant Amaral (Coventry, R.I.) of the men's soccer team have been named the PSU Female and Male Athletes of the Month for September, respectively, sponsored by the New Hampshire Army National Guard.
 
Bakhshi helped the Panthers get off to an outstanding 6-2 start, while Amaral, a goalkeeper, anchored the men's soccer defense with 37 saves and two shutouts in six appearances during a 4-4-1 month.
 
Bakhshi led the women's tennis team in both singles and doubles victories, compiling a combined 14-2 record. She went 7-1 in singles play and 7-1 in doubles, providing consistent production to help the Panthers match their highest season win total since 2021 in the opening month alone.
 
She opened the month with a straight-set singles win over UMaine Augusta on Sept. 3, then demonstrated her ability to battle through tight matches with third-set super-tiebreak victories over Plattsburgh State on Sept. 11 and Thomas College on Sept. 16. She followed with a dominant finish to the month, winning her final three singles matches in straight sets, including 6-0, 6-0 shutouts against VTSU Lyndon and Southern Maine while dropping just one game in a 6-1, 6-0 win at Saint Anselm.
 
Bakhshi was equally effective in doubles play, partnering with senior Anyah Fields (San Diego, Calif.) for six wins in seven matches after opening the season with a victory alongside sophomore Sidney Huff (Port Orchard, Wash.). The duo earned a 7-5 win at UMass Boston on Sept. 19 before recording back-to-back 6-0 shutouts against VTSU Lyndon and Saint Anselm. The Panthers' 4-3 victory over NCAA Division II Saint Anselm on Sept. 24 was particularly significant, marking just the second win in program history against the Hawks and the first since 1993. Plymouth State had not won a team point against Saint Anselm since 2019. The Panthers closed September with a 7-0 sweep of Little East Conference (LEC) foe Southern Maine to secure their sixth victory of the month and improve to 2-1 in conference play.
 
Amaral made an immediate impact in his first collegiate season, starting all six matches in which he appeared and recording 37 saves over 540 minutes in goal. He finished September with a 1.67 goals-against average and a .787 save percentage, along with two shutouts and a 2-3-1 individual record.
 
Amaral made nine saves in his debut, a 1-0 setback to New England College on Sept. 1, then recorded his first shutout of the month in a 2-0 road win over Colby-Sawyer on Sept. 9, making five saves to help the Panthers secure the victory. He allowed just one goal and made six shots in a narrow 1-0 loss at Rhode Island College, matched a personal-best with nine saves in a setback at WestConn, then followed with another clean sheet against LEC-rival VTSU Castleton on Sept. 26, stopping four shots in another 2-0 win. His performance earned him LEC Goalkeeper of the Week honors on Sept. 28.
 
Amaral continued his strong play with four saves in a 4-4 draw against the University of New England on Sept. 30. He earned LEC Rookie of the Week honors on Oct. 5 after that performance and a four-save shutout in a 1-0 road win over Eastern Connecticut on Oct. 3. The victory marked Plymouth State's first road win in the series since 2006.
 
The women's tennis team (6-4, 2-3 LEC) hosts WestConn in a Senior Day match on Saturday (Oct. 10) at 11 a.m., while the men's soccer team (5-5-1, 2-3-0 LEC) welcomes Fitchburg State to Arold Field on Tuesday (Oct. 13) for a 3 p.m. kickoff.