Sept. 19, 2001
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vs. Rice * Friday, Sept. 21 * 7 p.m.
As part of an active weekend of Baylor athletics, the Bears host Rice Friday night at 7 p.m. at Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field.
Other athletic events taking place during Parents' Weekend include: the Baylor Invitational (cross country) Saturday morning at the Texas Farm Bureau, volleyball vs. Colorado Saturday at 3 p.m. at the Ferrell Center, and football vs. New Mexico Saturday at 6 p.m. at Floyd Casey Stadium.
The Rice Owls head to Waco with a 1-2 mark in this, their first season of varsity action. The Owls won their program debut 3-2 over Army thanks to a goal by freshman forward Ashley Anderson in the 89th minute. Since then, Rice has lost consecutive 2-1 decisions to Houston and Southwest Texas State.
Friday evening's match will be the Owls' first road game in program history, Rice was to play at North Texas last Sunday, but that game and a match Sept. 12 vs. Stephen F. Austin were canceled following last week's terrorist attack.
Anderson has been the team's primary offensive threat this season, having scored seven of the team's 14 points this season. That total leads the team, as do Anderson's three goals and one assist.
Since this is Rice's first season of varsity soccer, Friday's game will be the first match-up of the two teams.
Last Time Out
Sophomore midfielder Ryan Lee powered the Bears to a 3-1 win over TCU Monday in Waco. Lee assisted on Baylor's first two scores, then scored an insurance goal late in the game to ice the win. The Bears, hampered by injuries of various degrees, relied on their depth in recording the win. Most notable among the injuries was the absence of senior co-captain Alyson Miles, who missed the game with an infected toe. Monday's contest was the first game Miles has missed in her three-plus seasons at Baylor, her consecutive-games-played streak ended at 66, fifth in school history.
The Lady'Back Invitational, in which the Bears were to participate Friday and Sunday, was canceled in the aftermath of this week's terrorist attacks on New York.
Live Updates at GoBaylorBears.com
Unable to make it to the game? Get on the Internet and go to www.GoBaylorBears.com. There, you will find live statistical updates for each of Baylor's remaining home games. The box score and play-by-play will automatically be updated with the official stats following each play.
Working Their Way Up The Charts
Senior co-captains Rachel Kacsmaryk and Alyson Miles each rank among the team's all-time leaders in several statistical categories.
The two seniors are tied for sixth in career points (24) and career goals (8). Kacsmaryk also ranks sixth in career game-winning assists (3), while Miles is tied for seventh in career game-winning assists (2) and holds the fifth-longest consecutive-games-played streak in school history (66) (see later note).
For a complete listing of updated school records, see page four of these notes.
Fountain of Youth Secret to Baylor Success
Of the 30 players on the Baylor roster, only five are upperclassmen (two seniors, three juniors). The team features 12 sophomores and 13 freshmen, and with the youth movement has come an influx of speed and energy.
Nine of those freshmen have seen action: Hilary Aylesworth, Rachel Barnier, Sarah Dearing, Mel Pannell, Katie Peterson, April Robertson, Ginny Rosario-Tull, Kristin Ruef and Lori Viggiano. Six players (Pannell, Peterson, Robertson, Rosario-Tull, Ruef and Viggiano) have each started at least one game. Rosario-Tull leads the freshmen, having started all five games this season, while Robertson and Ruef have started four games apiece.
Five freshmen (Barnier, Robertson, Rosario-Tull, Ruef and Viggiano) have appeared in all five games this year.
Aside from the freshmen, junior transfer Barbara Torres and sophomore goalie Amber Watkins have each seen their first action as Bears this fall. Torres sat out the 2000 season after transferring from Georgetown. Watkins served as valuable insurance behind goalkeeper Dawn Greathouse last season.
Injury Trouble
Baylor lost goalkeeper Mel Pannell for at least four weeks when the freshman suffered a shoulder injury in the Bears' season opener Aug. 31.
Sophomore Emily Koch, who had seen no action of any sort all fall due to her own injury, was cleared for play the next day and started Sept. 2. She recorded her first collegiate shutout in that game despite playing with a bad back.
An infected toe cost senior co-captain Alyson Miles a chance at the school record for consecutive games played. Miles had played in all 66 of Baylor's games since she arrived at Baylor, but saw her streak end Sept. 17 when she sat out against Rice. Miles' streak ranks as the fifth-longest in school history.
Bears Among Big 12's Best
Freshman April Robertson entered the weekend tied for third in the Big 12 Conference in goals with four. Robertson is also tied for second in the conference with two game-winning goals and ranks sixth in points with eight.
Sophomore Ryan Lee is tied for third in the Big 12 in assists with three, and sophomore Emily Koch ranks third in saves with 18.
A Fresh Attack
Eight of Baylor's 11 goals and 17 of the team's 29 points have come from players who were not a part of the team last season. Leading the way are freshmen April Robertson (team-leading four goals and eight points) and Ginny Rosario-Tull (second on the team with two goals and five points).
Home is Where the Wins Are
Since the program's inception in 1996, the Bears are a sparkling 37-8-4 at home. Four of those losses came in 1999, in the team's other five seasons, Baylor has not lost more than one game a year at home.
Bears Ranked Among Region's and Nation's Best Yet Again
Soccer Buzz magazine ranked Baylor eighth in the Central Region in its preseason rankings, and the NSCAA placed the Bears fifth in the region Sept. 3. Baylor finished 2000 third in the region and receiving votes in the national polls.
Crawley Named Preseason All-Big 12
Junior defender Tamura Crawley was named to the 2001 All-Big 12 Soccer Preseason Team by the league's coaches. Crawley earned second-team all-conference honors in 2000 after being named to the Big 12's first team in 1999. Crawley is also a two-time all-region selection, as named by Soccer Buzz magazine. She was named to the preseason all-conference team last season, as well.
2001 Recruiting Class Brings Honors for Bears
The Baylor soccer team's 2001 recruiting class ranked eighth regionally and 35th in the nation, according to Soccer Buzz magazine.
Since head coach Nick Cowell's arrival, the Bears have ranked among the nation's best at recruiting. In 1999, Baylor did not receive national or regional recognition, in 2000, the team improved to 26th in the nation and fifth in the region. The 2001 season marks the Bears' second straight season among the nation's elite.
Bears in the Pros
Three athletes with Baylor connections participated in the inaugural season of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), the world's premier women's professional soccer league. Goalkeeper Dawn Greathouse, an all-American for Baylor in 1998, spent the 2000 season with the Washington Freedom, while fellow all-American Courtney Saunders is a member of the Philadelphia Charge. Former assistant coach Rebecca Hornbacher joined the Boston Breakers.
Baylor Picked Sixth in Big 12 in Preseason Poll
In a poll of the league's coaches, Baylor was picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 Conference. Defending national champion Nebraska is the preseason favorite to win the Big 12, followed by Texas A&M, Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma (tied for fourth) and Baylor. Kansas, Colorado, Iowa State, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State round out the bottom half of the league.
The Bears finished the 2000 season in fourth place in the Big 12. Baylor lost to third-ranked Nebraska in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament and narrowly missed the program's third-straight selection to the NCAA Tournament.
Exhibition Season
In April, the Baylor soccer team was one of six schools to face the Mexico Women's National Team as it toured the United States. The Bears beat Mexico 3-1 at Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field in front of 1,810 fans, a school record.
Whitney Barrett scored in the 15th minute, assisted by Ryan Lee, to put Baylor up 1-0. The Bears scored again 12 minutes later when Candace Reilly recorded Baylor's second goal of the night. After Mexico cut the lead to 2-1 six minutes into the second half, Emily Fukuchi powered the ball into the net from 60 feet out to make the final score Baylor 3, Mexico 1. Baylor kicked off the fall with a preseason scrimmage against SMU, blanking the Mustangs 3-0 in Waco on Aug. 24. The Bears' large freshman class shone brightly in the exhibition, as two of Baylor's three goals were scored and assisted on by freshmen. Ginny Rosario-Tull, Candace Reilly and Rachel Barnier each pushed across goals, while Kristin Ruef and Sarah Dearing contributed assists. Freshman goalie Mel Pannell recorded seven saves in picking up the shutout.
