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Baylor Soccer Returns Home
vs. Missouri (7-8-1, 1-5-1 Big 12) * Waco, Texas * Friday, Oct. 24 * 6 p.m.
vs. Iowa State (4-8-3, 1-5-1 Big 12) * Waco, Texas * Sunday, Oct. 26 * 1 p.m.

The Bears will return home this weekend for their first home game since Oct. 5 to continue conference play against Missouri and Iowa State on Friday and Sunday respecitvely. The Bears have only played five of their 15 games in Waco this season. Their four remaining schedueled games will all be played at Betty Lou Mays' Field on the Baylor campus.

Missouri heads into the weekend off a huge victory over No. 4 Texas A&M last weekend in Columbia. The Tiger's five goals was a season high for the team lead by junior Melissa Peabody. Peabody recorded three goals in the contest, the most crucial coming in the fifth minute of overtime to boost the Tigers past the Aggies.

Iowa State comes into Sunday's contest after two tough loss last weekend to Texas 1-0 and No. 4 Texas A&M 2-0. The Cyclones are lead by redshirt freshman midfielderKate Kirwan. Kirwan hasrecorded six goals and three assists in 15 games this season. Defensively Beth Chapman has started every game in net forIowa State. She has 72 saves against her 24 goals allowed. They will play Texas Tech on Friday night in Lubbock.

Last Time out
* SUNDAY: Baylor 1, at Oklahoma 1 The Bears drew their first tie of the season 1-1 against Oklahoma after recording a team season high 37 shots Sunday afternoon at John Crain Field.

The Bears' 37 shots were good enough to rank second all-time in Baylor soccer history. The only time they have recorded more shots as a team in a single game was against Kansas on Sept. 14, 1997 in a contest the Bears won 1-0.

Oklahoma (8-4-4, 3-2-3 Big 12) got on the board first when sophomore forward Becky Nelson found the back of the net in the 12th minute giving the Sooners a 1-0 advantage. Senior Logan Womack placed a pass onto the foot of Nelson who fired the shot past Baylor goalkeeper Monica Housden. It was Nelson's fifth goal and 12th point on the year.

The Bears (6-8-1, 1-5-1 Big 12) were held scoreless for the next 77 minutes until junior defender Kristin Ruef recorded her first goal of the season knotting the score at one. Ruef broke through the Sooners' defense off a pass from teammate April Robertson and placed the ball past Oklahoma goalkeeper Catherine Wade. Robertson recorded her fourth assist on the year, giving her the most assists on the team.

The Bears' flurry of shots was matched by a strong Oklahoma defense lead by Wade who recorded 15 saves on the night for the Sooners. The Bears had 18 shots in the first half, 13 in the second, five in the first overtime and one in the second giving them a total of 37 in the game.

Sophomore midfielder Tiffany Boshers lead the attack for the Bears recording a career high ten shots. Her performance was good enough to put her in a six-way tie for 11th place all-time in most shots by a Baylor player in a single game.

Sunday's double-overtime decision was the second for the Bears in the 2003 season. Earlier in the year, the Bears lost in dramatic fashion to Kansas 1-0 in Lawrence. With tonight's tie, the Bears are now 2-1-6 all-time in double-overtime contests.

Bears Among Big 12 Stat Leaders
Three Bears rank among the Big 12 individual statistical leaders, through games of Oct. 20. The complete list of individuals:
Monica Housden: t-5th in shutouts (3), 9th in shutouts per game (0.20), 3rd in saves (71), 4th in saves per game (4.73), 8th in goals-against average (1.60)
Ginny Rosario-Tull: t-4th in game-winning goals (3), t-6th in goals (8), t-6th in goals per game (0.53), 4th in shots (53), 6th in shots per game (3.53)

Air Force \Goal Ranks Among Fastest in NCAA History
Air Force's Sunday night goal, scored just 14 seconds after Baylor's third goal of the night was good enough to rank in the NCAA top 10 fastest consecutive goals by an opposing team. Freshman forward Missy McConnell scored the final Baylor goal at 86:46 Sunday night against Air Force. The Falcons immediately responded when sophomore forward Hilary Robbins knocked in a rebounded shot to beat Baylor goalkeeper Monica Housden. The goal places them in a three-way tie for eighth place all-time.

Baylor Picked 10th in Big 12 in Preseason Poll
Baylor was picked to finish 10th in the Big 12 Conference this season as the league's coaches compiled their annual preseason poll. Texas was picked to win the 2003 Big 12 title, followed by defending conference champion Texas A&M and defending conference tournament champion Nebraska. Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma, Kansas, Oklahoma State and Iowa State placed ahead of the Bears, with Texas Tech rounding out the field in 11th place. The Bears finished the 2002 season in 10th place in the Big 12.

Bears in the Pros
Former Baylor all-America goalkeeper Dawn Greathouse completed her third season as a member of the Woman's United Soccer Association (WUSA) in 2003. Greathouse, an all-American for Baylor in 1998, spent all of 2001 and part of 2002 season with the Washington Freedom. She appeared in five games for the Freedom early in the season, but was released and signed by the San Jose Cyber Rays, with whom she completed the rest of the season. Greathouse spent all of 2003 with San Jose, appearing in two games.

Greathouse is one of three Baylor-related players to have participated in the WUSA's first three seasons. Courtney Saunders, a1998 all-American at Baylor, spent the inaugural season with the Philadelphia Charge, while former assistant coach Rebecca Hornbacher was a member of the Boston Breakers in 2001.

Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field
The 2003 season marks the fifth year for the Baylor soccer team at Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field. The former Baylor Soccer Stadium was retitled 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.

The stadium seats 3,000 fans, making it the largest soccer-only facility in the Big 12. Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field is is set in the plush backdrop of the Brazos River on University Parks Drive. The field is part of the Jim and Julie Turner Riverfront Athletic Park, which includes the Baylor Ballpark, Getterman Stadium and the Baylor Tennis Center. All four venues share the parking lot with the Ferrell Special Events Center.

Head Coach George Van Linder
George Van Linder is in his first season as head coach of the Baylor women's soccer program in 2003. He comes to Baylor from SMU, where he led the Lady Mustangs to four straight conference championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances. Under Van Linder, SMU finished in the Top 25 three times and compiled a four-year mark of 59-21-10 (.711) and a conference record of 24-3-2 (.862).

In 2002, SMU finished with a 13-6-4 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, as well as winning its fourth-consecutive WAC championship. The Mustangs finished the year with a No. 20 national ranking by the NSCAA. Van Linder was named the 2000 WAC coach of the year after leading the Mustangs to a 13-5-1 record and their second-straight conference title.

In 1999 he led SMU to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and a No. 17 national ranking with a final record of 17-6-1. For his team's outstanding accomplishments, Van Linder was tabbed Central Region Coach of the Year by Soccer Buzz at the conclusion of the season. Prior to his stint at SMU, Van Linder spent five seasons at Butler, the final three (1996-1998) as head coach of the women's program. He was named the 1996 Midwestern Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year after he led Butler to the MCC regular-season and tournament championships. The Bulldogs were ranked No. 22 in the final poll, the highest national ranking in program history.

Van Linder also has worked extensively with the Olympic Development Program. He coached the Indiana youth squad from 1994-98. He spent 1999 and 2000 working with the North Texas ODP team. Van Linder led the 2000 squad to a second-place finish at the national championships. With his proven success as an ODP coach, Van Linder has spent the last four years working with the top high school players in the Southeast as the Region III Olympic Development Staff Coach.

Van Linder is a native of Galesburg, Mich., and a 1990 graduate of Western Michigan University where he played on the soccer team for two seasons. He and his wife, Chris, are expecting their first child early in the soccer season.

Van Linder Adds Assistant Coaches
Head coach George Van Linder added two other new faces to the Baylor coaching staff for this season with the hiring of assistant coaches Jean Delaski and Mario Rincon.

Delaski comes to Baylor from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, where she served as head women's soccer coach for five seasons. During that time, she led the Jaguars to four conference tournament appearances. Delaski was named Mid-Continent Conference Coach of the Year in 2000.

Prior to her time at IUPUI, Delaski played four seasons at Butler University (1993-1996), where she first played under Van Linder as a senior. A four-year starter, Delaski was a first-team all-Midwest Collegiate Conference defender in 1995 and helped lead the Bulldogs to back-to-back MCC titles in 1995 and 1996. Delaski spent the 1997 season as a graduate assistant at Butler under Van Linder before taking the head job at IUPUI.

Delaski also has worked as an assistant coach for the Indiana Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program from 1997-2002 and served as director of the IUPUI Soccer Camp for three years. She played in the women's USISL pro league for the W-1 Jackson Calypso during the summers of 1997 and 1998. During the summer of 1999, she competed with the Indiana Blaze.

Rincon joins the Baylor program from Duke, where he spent the 2002 season as an assistant with the Blue Devil women's soccer team. At Duke, Rincon's responsibilities included recruiting, scouting, travel and working with the team's goalkeepers. His 2002 Blue Devil recruiting class was ranked eighth in the nation.

Prior to Duke, Rincon spent one year as an assistant with the Miami women's soccer program. His coaching resume also includes three years as a women's assistant at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., three years as head boys' coach at Pope John Paul II High School in Boca Raton, and years of club coaching with the Team Boca Soccer Club. Additionally, Rincon has worked as a member of the Olympic Development Staff in Florida (1997-2000, 2001-2002) and in North Carolina (2002-2003).

Rincon also served one year as a team administrator and scout for Major League Soccer's New York/New Jersey Metrostars. During that time, he assisted in evaluation for the MLS draft and advance scouting, as well as coordinating the team's travel arrangements.