Nov. 8, 2001
Box Score
SAN ANTONIO, Texas - The Baylor soccer team saw its 2001 season come to an end with a 5-1 loss to ninth-ranked Nebraska Thursday night in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament, held at Blossom Soccer Stadium.
A beat-up squad of Bears (8-10, 4-6 Big 12) fought hard against Nebraska (15-3-1, 8-1-1 Big 12) and trailed by just one at the half. The Huskers took advantage of their superior size and strength to add three second-half goals and claim the 5-1 win, knocking the Bears out of the conference tournament for the third season in a row.
Baylor's tremendous effort came with starting defenders Rachel Kacsmaryk and Melissa Humke both on the sideline with ankle injuries and with midfielder Ryan Lee sitting out after receiving a red card in the team's final regular season match. Coupled with the numerous injuries the Bears have suffered this season, the three missing starters meant Baylor had just 15 players suited up and ready to play Thursday out of the 30 players on the team roster at the start of the season.
"This was a fantastic effort," Baylor head coach Nick Cowell said. "With the players we had available, we couldn't ask for anything more. That's what sports is all about, finding a level that you haven't been at before and playing there. These girls did that tonight."
Nebraska's Meghan Anderson put her team on top early with an unassisted goal 15 minutes into the game. A surprising Baylor first-half attack remained strong, however, and the Bears tied the goal at the 30:54 mark. Junior Whitney Barrett's corner kick from the left side hit off a NU defender and rebounded to Barrett. Barrett's second cross went across the field to junior Tamura Crawley, who quickly passed to freshman April Robertson in front of the goal. When Husker keeper Erin Miller came out to cut of the angle on Robertson's shot, the freshman forward passed to fellow rookie Ginny Rosario-Tull, who had an easy tap-in goal to tie the game at 1-1.
"I had a bad angle," Robertson said. "I looked up and saw the keeper. I saw Ginny open and gave her the ball."
Seven minutes later, the Huskers retook the lead on a contested goal by Kelly Rheem. Rheem's shot appeared headed into the goal, Baylor keeper Stephanie Dempsey leaped and punched it out. The referee, however, ruled that the ball had crossed the plane of the goal and therefore counted as a score, putting Nebraska back on top to stay.
In the second half, Shannon Tanaka, Kelly Haxton, and Rheem each scored as the Huskers pulled away for the 5-1 win. Nebraska outshot Baylor 31-8 on the game, but the Bears made their shots count with seven shots on goal, the Huskers managed just two more shots on goal than Baylor despite the 23-shot margin overall.
With her goal Thursday night , Rosario-Tull finished the season as the team's leader in goals (eight) and points (19). She becomes the first freshman to lead the team in either category since Molly Cameron set school records with 32 goals and 75 points in 1996, the program's inaugural season. The eight goals and 19 points are the most by a Baylor freshman since 1996, when Cameron, Courtney Saunders and Nikki Hales each recorded higher totals.
Suffering through decimating injuries, Baylor finished the 2001 season with a below-.500 record overall and in conference for the first time in the program's six seasons. The Bears lose only two seniors (Kacsmaryk and Alyson Miles) to graduation, however, and are prepared to bounce back in 2002.
"We still have a young team," Rosario-Tull said. "Everybody is coming back, and we'll be healthy."
"I think we're going to have a great season next year," said sophomore defender Casey Cleveland, who made her second start of the season Thursday. "We've worked through this year, and we're going to be ready to go."
