Sept. 26, 2001
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at #3 Nebraska * Lincoln, Neb. * Friday, Sept. 28 * 7 p.m.
at Iowa State * Ames, Iowa * Sunday, Sept. 30 * 1 p.m.
The Baylor soccer team opens conference play this weekend with perhaps the toughest oppponent the Bears will face all season in third-ranked Nebraska, the two teams square off Friday at 7 p.m. in Lincoln. The Bears will then head to Ames, Iowa, to face the Iowa State Cyclones Sunday at 1 p.m.
Nebraska is coming off back-to-back Big 12 Conference titles (1999-2000). The Huskers have won the league title three times in the conference's five years and have claimed the Big 12 Tournament title five years running.
With a 5-0 record this season, Nebraska once again is atop the Big 12 standings entering conference play. The Huskers are led by the dual attack of senior midfielder Meghan Anderson and junior forward Christine Latham, the pair of players are tied for the team lead with four goals apiece. Anderson has a team-high three assists and 11 points, while Latham has notched two assists and 10 points.
Sophomore goalkeeper Erin Miller has started all five games, allowing six goals for a 1.24 GAA. Baylor is 1-7 all-time against the Huskers, including a 4-0 loss in last season's Big 12 Tournament semifinals. The lone win came in 1998, when the Bears beat Nebraska 1-0 in Waco in the final game of the regular season to claim the Big 12 Championship.
Iowa State enters the weekend with a 2-3 record before playing Iowa on Thursday. Sophomore forward Nicole Wilcox has keyed the Cyclone offense so far this season, leading the team with two goals and five points. Freshman midfielder Laura Schweer has two assists to lead the team in that category.
In net, Iowa State has alternated goalies. Freshman Karen Hasselman has played in four games and compiled a 2.74 GAA, while sophomore Elizabeth Chapman has played in three games and put together a 2.95 GAA.
Baylor has never lost to Iowa State in six match-ups. In the team's last meeting, Emily Fukuchi scored her first collegiate goal as the Bears beat ISU 3-0 in Waco last season. That game also marked the debut of goalkeeper Emily Koch.
Last Time Out
Baylor outshot Rice 21-2 as the Bears beat the Owls 3-1 Friday night in Waco. Freshman April Robertson scored her team-leading fifth goal of the season, scoring for the fourth straight game. Freshman Sarah Dearing recorded her first collegiate goal to put Baylor up 2-0, and junior Whitney Barrett provided insurance with the Bears' third score. Sophomore Stephanie Dempsey made her debut in goal for the Bears, replacing Emily Koch for the second half.
Sophomore midfielder Ryan Lee powered the Bears to a 3-1 win over TCU Sept. 17 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.
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 goals (8). Kacsmaryk also ranks sixth in career game-winning assists (3) and seventh in career points (24), while Miles ranks sixth in career points (25), 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 six 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.
Of those freshmen, 10 have seen action: Hilary Aylesworth, Rachel Barnier, Sarah Dearing, Mel Pannell, Katie Peterson, Janae Potter, 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 and possibly for the season when the freshman suffered a shoulder injury in the Bears' season opener Aug. 31.
Katie Peterson (ACL) is also lost for the season. Freshmen Tiffany Boshers and Sarah Gardner and sophomore Allison Coker are all redshirting this season.
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 and continues to play through severe pain.
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.
Home is Where the Wins Are
Since the program's inception in 1996, the Bears are a sparkling 38-8-4 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.
A Fresh Attack
Ten of Baylor's 14 goals and 21 of the team's 38 points have come from players who were not a part of the team last season. Leading the way are freshmen April Robertson (team-leading five goals and 10 points) and Ginny Rosario-Tull (second on the team with two goals and five points).
Five different freshman have scored at least one goal for the Bears this year (Sarah Dearing, Robertson, Rosario-Tull and Kristin Ruef). For more freshman records, see page six of these notes.
April Showering Goals On Opposition
Freshman April Robertson leads the team in scoring with five goals and 10 points this season. The last freshman to lead the team in either category was Molly Cameron, who set school records with 32 goals and 75 points in the program's first year (1996).
Through games of Sept. 24, Robertson was tied for third in the Big 12 Conference in goals with five. Robertson also tied for third in the conference with two game-winning goals and ranked sixth in points with 10.
For a complete listing of updated school records, see page six of these notes.
Rookie Robertson on Scoring Streak
Freshman forward April Robertson enters the weekend having scored goals in four straight games, tied for third in school history.
That puts her in territory that only Baylor greats Molly Cameron and Courtney Saunders had previously reached. Saunders and Cameron each compiled five-game scoring streaks, Saunders scored a total of seven goals in her five-game streak during the 1999 season, while Cameron recorded one goal in each of Baylor's first five games in 2000.
Saunders and Cameron (twice) each recorded four-game scoring streaks in 1996. Robertson has five goals in her four-game streak.
Bears Among Big 12's Best
Through games of Sept. 24, sophomore Ryan Lee was tied for sixth in the Big 12 in assists with three and sophomore Emily Fukuchi was tied for ninth in assists with two.
Sophomore goalkeeper Emily Koch ranked fifth in saves with 19 and fifth in goals-against average at 1.11.
In the Net
Injury problems have forced the Bears to employ four different goalies this season, a team record. Sophomore Emily Koch was projected to be the team's starter, but a bad back held her out of the season opener. Freshman Mel Pannell started in her place, but suffered a shoulder injury in Baylor's first game that put her out of action. That allowed sophomore Amber Watkins to get her first action as a Bear, finishing out Baylor's 3-0 loss to Arizona State.
Head coach Nick Cowell quickly activated Koch for the team's second game of the season. The sophomore is currently playing through pain and is unable to practice at all in hopes for avoiding further injury.
Sophomore Stephanie Dempsey became Baylor's fourth different goalkeeper this season when she took over for Koch in the second half Sept. 21 against Rice. Dempsey, who played in 18 games last season as a defender, was converted to goalkeeper after Pannell's injury and is playing the position for the first time at any level.
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.
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.
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.
Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field
The 2001 season marks the third year for the Bears at the newly renamed Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field. The former Baylor Soccer Stadium was renamed during the 2000 season in honor of the late Betty Lou Mays of Amarillo, Texas. Mrs. Mays was the wife of Troy Mays, a 1945 graduate of Baylor, the two were longtime supporters of Baylor athletics.
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.
Head Coach Nick Cowell
Head coach Nick Cowell, now in his third year at the helm of the Baylor soccer team, has steadily built a program that consistently rates as one of the best in the Big 12 Conference. In 2001, his challenge is take things one step further, the Bears are shooting for a spot in the NCAA field of 48, from whence they can challenge for the national title.
In Cowell's first year at Baylor, the team finished 14-7-1 overall and placed fourth in the conference with a 6-3-1 mark. Last season, the Bears again finshed fourth in the Big 12 and compiled an overall record of 10-6-3. Under Cowell, the team has made one NCAA appearance (1999) and barely missed out on another (2000).
Prior to coming to Baylor, Cowell spent eight years as head coach at Trinity University in San Antonio. During that time, he led his team to seven straight conference titles, including 49-straight conference victories and six trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
At Trinity, Cowell's success resulted in him being named the SCAC Coach of the Year five times. In 1992, he garnered Regional Coach of the Year honors. Prior to his work at Trinity, Cowell was at The College of Wooster where he had a 22-11-4 record in two seasons. He led the Lady Scots to the North Coast Athletic Conference title in 1990. Following that season he was named the NCAC and Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association Coach of the Year.
Cowell began the 2001 season ranked 24th in career wins among active coaches at four-year colleges, with a career record of 163-54-16.
Cowell Adds Pair of New Assistant Coaches
The 2001 season brings two new assistant coaches to the Baylor fold. Assistant coach Rj. Anderson and graduate assistant coach Becca Lief joined the Bears prior to the season, each bringing new talents to the program.
Anderson comes to Baylor from the University of Toledo, where he was women's head soccer coach from 1995-2000. Anderson brings over 35 years of soccer experience as a player, coach and official at both the national and international level.
Lief joins the Baylor staff from nearby SMU, where she started in goal for two seasons for the Mustangs. As goalkeeper coach, Lief's duties focus on helping the Bears' stable of goalies throughout the season.
