Box Score

Lauren Piercy is going to do what Lauren Piercy does.

In what Baylor coach Paul Jobson described as "only a move that Lauren Piercy can make," the junior forward faked out an Iowa State defender with a spin move to her left and rifled a shot from 12 yards out that found the tiniest of windows just inside the near post to give the Bears a 1-0 overtime victory over the Cyclones Sunday afternoon at Betty Lou Mays Field.

"We saw it a couple of times where you just thought she was going to break free and find that half a step, that little gap, to put the ball into," Jobson said. "She kept after it and kept after it and was finally rewarded."

Piercy's golden goal, her 10th career game-winner, helped the Bears (7-2-1, 1-1-0) split games on the conference-opening weekend after a 2-1 OT loss to fifth-ranked West Virginia on Friday.

Knowing that four of the next five are on the road, Sunday's matchup against Iowa State was about as much of a "must" win as you can get just two games into conference play.

"When you're at home, you need to get results," Jobson said. "Coming out of Friday night, having not gotten that result, that really put the pressure on today, for sure. . . . I don't care what Iowa State's record is, they're a good team. They're organized, they do what they do really well, and they're hard to break down. And you could tell, we had a hard time finding the back of the net. It took a special performance by a special player to make it happen."

Neither team mounted much of a serious threat in the first half, with the Bears out-shooting the Cyclones, 5-2, and getting two on goal.

Baylor picked up the attack in the second half, peppering off 10 second-half shots, with Iowa State goalkeeper Antonia Reyes forced to make several diving saves.

"We are a defensive-minded team, but we want to defend in our offensive end of the field and create more attacks," Jobson said. "Ultimately, that's what we'd love to do is become an attacking team because we're defending so well."

A counter-attack team, Iowa State (2-8-1, 0-2-0) is extremely fast up front, "and I thought our defenders defended that really, really well." Freshman goalkeeper Jennifer Wandt only had two saves in her fourth solo shutout of the season, but "came up with big plays as far as clearances, being able to play back to her," Jobson said.

Midfielders Julie James and Ally Henderson and center midfielder Aline De Lima "did a great job, just because the game gets so stretched out sometimes," the Baylor coach said.

"The midfielders probably ran 10 miles today. That's not an exaggeration, they probably ran 10 miles. And that's a ton of work only 36 hours or so after playing the No. 5 team in the country."

Baylor kept the pressure on in the overtime period, with Piercy getting called for offsides barely 30 seconds in and then taking a shot that sailed high over the goal.

Jackie Crowther set up the golden goal with a run down the left side before feeding Piercy, who was positioned in front of the net, on the left side of the penalty box area. Piercy gave an Iowa State defender the slip and ripped a shot that barely eluded a diving Reyes.

"Jackie served one in, and the entire time I was like, `All right, we've got to somehow put a shot on,''' said Piercy, who recorded her second goal of the season and 15th of her career. "I saw the defender reading it like I was about to pass it, so I cut and shot. Usually, goalies don't always think to go near post on those kinds of shots, and I like to shoot quick to catch them off-guard. So, that's what I try to do."

Baylor finished with decisive edges in shots (17-6), shots on goal (6-2) and corner kicks (6-3) and was also called for 12 fouls to Iowa State's three, with Henderson picking up a yellow card. Crowther and Piercy led the way for the Bears with four shots apiece, with Crowther picking up her second assist of the season and sixth of her career.

After opening league play at home, Baylor will now play four of its next five and five of its last seven games on the road. The Bears will cross the Red River to face Oklahoma (2-8-1, 0-1-0) at 7 p.m. Friday in Norman, Okla., and then 22nd-ranked Oklahoma State (8-1-2, 1-0-0) at 1 p.m. next Sunday, Oct. 1, in Stillwater.

"The weekends don't get any easier," Jobson said, "but I think it definitely gives you a lot more confidence when you get on the bus Thursday to head to Oklahoma."

The Bears kept up its dominant defensive form, outshooting the Cyclones (2-8-1, 0-2-0), 17-6, including a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal and 6-3 edge in corners.

Freshman goalkeeper Jennifer Wandt notched her fourth solo shutout of the season, improving to 5-2-0 on the year.

After staying gridlocked through the end of regulation, the teams switched into extra time, with Baylor coming out firing.

After an offsides call on Baylor in the box just 30 seconds into the overtime period and a high shot over the crossbar by Lauren Piercy, the Bears broke off a run down the left sideline in the 96th minute led by Jackie Crowther.

The junior forward found Piercy running in front of goal in the middle of the penalty box.

With an ISU defender on her back in the left side of the box, Piercy crossed her up, spun to her left, and threaded an attempt through a razor thin gap between ISU's goalkeeper and the left post, securing the BU victory.

NOTES
*Baylor improved to 15-7-2 in the all-time series with the Cyclones.
*Lauren Piercy scored her second goal of the season and the 15th of her career, marking her 10th gamewinner.
*Jackie Crowther notched her second assist of the season and the sixth of her career, moving her season points total into a tie for the team-leading mark of eight points, tying Aline De Lima.
*Jennifer Wandt finished with two saves, taking her total in conference play to nine.

TOP QUOTES
"When you're at home, you need to get results. Coming out of Friday night, having not gotten that result, that really put the pressure on today, for sure. We're looking at schedules ahead of time, and you're looking at West Virginia and Iowa State in a weekend -- that's tough. I said before the game, I don't care what Iowa State's record is, they're a good team. They're organized, they do what they do really well, and they're hard to break down. And you could tell, we had a hard time finding the back of a net. It took a special performance by a special player to make it happen, and that's what it takes to beat Iowa State. We were fortunate to get that today." -- Baylor head coach Paul Jobson

"Jackie served one in, and the entire time I was like, `All right, we've got to somehow put a shot on.' Jackie was even calling for the ball back, just in case, because she knew I was there. I saw the defender kind of reading it like I was about to pass it, so I cut and shot." -- Baylor forward Lauren Piercy

STAT OF THE MATCH
10 -- the number of gamewinners in Lauren Piercy's collegiate career, tying Nikke Hales (1996-1999) for No. 4 on Baylor's career game-winning goals list.

WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor hits the road for five of the next seven matches to close out the regular season, starting with a weekend across the Red River that features a Friday matchup with Oklahoma in Norman and Sunday showdown with Oklahoma State in Stillwater.

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