Sunday, November 18
Waco, TX
7:00 PM CT
Baylor
2
vs
1
Virginia
Players Mentioned
F/MF
/ Soccer
MF
/ Soccer
MF
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
GK
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
Photo by: Baylor Photography
No. 11 SOC Punches Ticket to Elite 8 in Program Record 20th Win
11/18/2018 10:33:00 PM | Soccer
Bears clinch program’s first-ever back-to-back trip into quarterfinals
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Rather than a lucky penny or some other charm, Paul Jobson grabbed a small piece of grass turf before he left Betty Lou Mays Field for the last time this season.
Why not? Second-seeded and 11th-ranked Baylor (20-5-0) finished off a perfect 13-0 home record with a 2-1 win over third-seeded and 12th-ranked Virginia (16-5-1) Sunday night before a crowd of 1,100 to reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.
"Everybody has that home magic, or whatever you want to call it," said Jobson, whose team finished 12-0 at Betty Lou, playing one game at the Simpson practice fields. "I just think this is a special place, and we really valued being here at home again with this crowd and with our fans the support we get from this university. It's where we want to be. But, I picked up a little bit of Betty Lou Mays Field, put it in my pocket, and we're going to take that with us this weekend up to Georgetown."
After winning three tournament games at home by a combined 7-2 margin, the Bears go on the road to face top-seeded and fourth-ranked Georgetown (20-0-3) at 11 a.m. CST Saturday in Washington D.C. The Hoyas advanced to their third Elite Eight with a 4-1 win over fourth-seeded Duke.
"It's really a dream," sophomore goalkeeper Jennifer Wandt said. "I was talking to my mom about this. When you're little, you grow up looking at teams like this. It's great, so hopefully we go and finish business this year."
The Bears did take care of business at home and set a school record with their 20th win overall, getting a first-half goal from senior Julie James and the game-winner on senior Kennedy Brown's first header goal of her career a little over eight minutes into the second half.
"Whether you know or not, Kennedy is not known for scoring goals with her head," Jobson said of Brown. "At this point in the season, it's whatever it takes to get it done. And she did that. I'm proud of her."
Just like Friday's 3-1 win over 13th-ranked Vanderbilt, Baylor struck early when James headed in a goal off a corner kick by Ally Henderson, who has assisted on four of the Bears' seven goals in the NCAA tournament and is now tied for the team lead with seven assists.
Virginia answered 10 minutes later when forward Meghan McCool got loose in the box and rifled a kick that glanced off a diving Wandt and into the net for the equalizing goal.
"I thought the first five, six minutes, we did really, really well, like we did on Friday night," Jobson said. "Unlike Friday night, I thought we really kept pressing. I just think Virginia is a fantastic team. Lot of credit to them and the season they had. They kept putting the pressure on us, but I think defensively we really weathered the storm.
Virginia kept the heat on in the second half, out-shooting the Bears, 8-2, and keeping the ball on Baylor's end of the field.
But, Baylor had the one counter strike, with junior forward Camryn Wendlandt making a run down the middle of the field and passing it to Raegan Padgett on the far wing. Padgett hit a perfect cross into the box that Brown headed into the right corner of the goal.
"Our coaches really emphasize counter attacks," Brown said. "I saw someone play the ball out to Raegan. And when she goes, I have to sprint, because she's so fast. She crossed a great ball in, and I was like, 'It's coming straight at my head, I've got to put it in.' It was just like we practiced it. We practice it every single week, and it finally clicked for us. What more could you ask for?"
Celebrating the eventual game-winning goal, Brown jumped on Wendlandt, "and she just body-slammed me down. I was like, 'This is the life.' It was awesome."
Keeping up a relentless attack, the Cavaliers got off half of their 12 shots in the last 21 minutes, including a free kick from just outside the penalty box that was blocked by a wall of Baylor defenders.
"We knew they were going to push people forward," Wandt said, "but we just cleared it out. I don't know if I was nervous (on the free kick). I was ready for it. I knew if something happened, it was my time. But, we had a wall of seven, and they added a couple extra people. So, she really had to put it in the perfect spot."
Baylor is one of just four teams to advance to the Elite Eight each of the last two seasons, joining Penn State, UCLA and defending national champion Stanford. The Bears' previous best was a Sweet 16 appearance in 2012.
"It hasn't really (sunk in yet)," Jobson said. "It's pretty incredible where we started here 11 years ago and how far this program has come. Just the support we've gotten from Baylor University and this community has been something really special."
THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas – No. 11 Baylor soccer (20-5-0) grinded out a hard-fought win over No. 12 Virginia (17-4-1), securing the program's first-ever back-to-back trip into the Elite 8 on Sunday evening at Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field.
Carrying a No. 2 national seed, the Bears maintained their perfect record at home in 2018, finishing off the season with a program record 13-0 standing.
Baylor came out firing, scoring in the first 15 minutes in each of its first three NCAA matches and scoring in the first six minutes in the second-straight outing.
BU caught the net in the sixth minute, with Ally Henderson taking the corner and finding Julie James for the header goal.
After Virginia found an equalizer goal in the 17th minute, the two sides stayed in lock step in a 1-1 tie through the opening period.
The Bears were able to take advantage on one of just two shots in the second period, with Raegan Padgett making a run down the right side and finding a window for a cross in front of the box.
Kennedy Brown cut through the UVA defense, heading a score in that would stand as the game-winner and clinch the 2-1 victory for the Bears.
STAT OF THE MATCH #1
13-0 – Baylor's home record in 2018, a program record for most home wins in a single-season
STAT OF THE MATCH #2
8 – Baylor is among the final eight teams in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history. This marks the third time ever and the first time since 2010-2011 (Oklahoma State) that a Big 12 team has advanced to the Elite 8 in consecutive seasons (Texas A&M, 2001-2002).
STAT OF THE MATCH #3
10 – the number of goals in 2018 for Julie James, giving BU two double-digit goal scorers (Camryn Wendlandt, 10) for the first time since 2012 (Dana Larsen, 11 & Lisa Sliwinski, 10).
STAT OF THE MATCH #4
20 – the number of wins for the Bears in 2018, passing the 2012 (19-1-5) squad for the most wins in program history.
TOP QUOTES
"That's really special. Everybody has that home magic, or whatever you want to call it. I just think this is a special place and we really valued being here at home again with this crowd and with our fans and the support we get from this university. It's where we want to be. But now, we've got to go on the road and really represent this school on the road." – Baylor coach Paul Jobson
"It's everybody's championship game, and you're throwing everything you have forward. That's what you've got to do and that's what you expect from a great team like that. Again, a lot of credit to Virginia and their coaching staff and the season that they've had. They're just a fantastic team, and just proud of our girls for the way that they came through tonight." – Baylor coach Paul Jobson
"The biggest thing for us is we don't want the season to end. We want to play with each other as long as possible. So just kind of holding that together. Just knowing that each player is playing for something more than just themselves, personal accolades and all that. It's special whenever you have people who all play for each other. That kind of gives us an extra edge on teams that don't do that." – Baylor senior forward Kennedy Brown
"It's great, it's really a dream. I was talking to my mom about this, when you're little, you grow up looking at teams like this. It's great, so hopefully we go and finish business this year." – Baylor sophomore goalkeeper Jennifer Wandt
NOTES
* Baylor improved to 8-4-2 all-time in the NCAA Soccer Championship, including a 5-1-1 mark under head coach Paul Jobson.
* Baylor and Virginia met for the first time, with the Bears improving to 1-0-0 in the all-time series.
* Baylor advanced into the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Soccer Championship for the second time, making its second-straight trip into the quarterfinals.
* Sunday's match was the first Sweet 16 match hosted by Baylor in Waco.
* Baylor is the furthest advancing team in the Big 12 and Texas for the second-straight season after Texas A&M's 3-0 loss to Tennessee.
* Julie James scored her 10th goal of the season and her 20th career score, becoming the ninth student-athlete in program history to score 20-plus career goals.
* Ally Henderson picked up her seventh assist on the season. She has assisted on four of Baylor's seven NCAA goals through the first three rounds.
* Raegan Padgett collected her sixth assist on the season, moving to 10 assists in her career.
* Kennedy Brown scored her second goal on the season and the fifth in her collegiate career.
* Baylor has scored 49 goals on the season, the most since the 2012 squad netted 58 scores.
WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor will travel to Washington, D.C., for a Saturday matchup with the No. 1 seed and No. 2-ranked Georgetown Hoyas at 11 a.m. CT/12 p.m. ET.
Baylor Bear Insider
Rather than a lucky penny or some other charm, Paul Jobson grabbed a small piece of grass turf before he left Betty Lou Mays Field for the last time this season.
Why not? Second-seeded and 11th-ranked Baylor (20-5-0) finished off a perfect 13-0 home record with a 2-1 win over third-seeded and 12th-ranked Virginia (16-5-1) Sunday night before a crowd of 1,100 to reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.
"Everybody has that home magic, or whatever you want to call it," said Jobson, whose team finished 12-0 at Betty Lou, playing one game at the Simpson practice fields. "I just think this is a special place, and we really valued being here at home again with this crowd and with our fans the support we get from this university. It's where we want to be. But, I picked up a little bit of Betty Lou Mays Field, put it in my pocket, and we're going to take that with us this weekend up to Georgetown."
After winning three tournament games at home by a combined 7-2 margin, the Bears go on the road to face top-seeded and fourth-ranked Georgetown (20-0-3) at 11 a.m. CST Saturday in Washington D.C. The Hoyas advanced to their third Elite Eight with a 4-1 win over fourth-seeded Duke.
"It's really a dream," sophomore goalkeeper Jennifer Wandt said. "I was talking to my mom about this. When you're little, you grow up looking at teams like this. It's great, so hopefully we go and finish business this year."
The Bears did take care of business at home and set a school record with their 20th win overall, getting a first-half goal from senior Julie James and the game-winner on senior Kennedy Brown's first header goal of her career a little over eight minutes into the second half.
"Whether you know or not, Kennedy is not known for scoring goals with her head," Jobson said of Brown. "At this point in the season, it's whatever it takes to get it done. And she did that. I'm proud of her."
Just like Friday's 3-1 win over 13th-ranked Vanderbilt, Baylor struck early when James headed in a goal off a corner kick by Ally Henderson, who has assisted on four of the Bears' seven goals in the NCAA tournament and is now tied for the team lead with seven assists.
Virginia answered 10 minutes later when forward Meghan McCool got loose in the box and rifled a kick that glanced off a diving Wandt and into the net for the equalizing goal.
"I thought the first five, six minutes, we did really, really well, like we did on Friday night," Jobson said. "Unlike Friday night, I thought we really kept pressing. I just think Virginia is a fantastic team. Lot of credit to them and the season they had. They kept putting the pressure on us, but I think defensively we really weathered the storm.
Virginia kept the heat on in the second half, out-shooting the Bears, 8-2, and keeping the ball on Baylor's end of the field.
But, Baylor had the one counter strike, with junior forward Camryn Wendlandt making a run down the middle of the field and passing it to Raegan Padgett on the far wing. Padgett hit a perfect cross into the box that Brown headed into the right corner of the goal.
"Our coaches really emphasize counter attacks," Brown said. "I saw someone play the ball out to Raegan. And when she goes, I have to sprint, because she's so fast. She crossed a great ball in, and I was like, 'It's coming straight at my head, I've got to put it in.' It was just like we practiced it. We practice it every single week, and it finally clicked for us. What more could you ask for?"
Celebrating the eventual game-winning goal, Brown jumped on Wendlandt, "and she just body-slammed me down. I was like, 'This is the life.' It was awesome."
Keeping up a relentless attack, the Cavaliers got off half of their 12 shots in the last 21 minutes, including a free kick from just outside the penalty box that was blocked by a wall of Baylor defenders.
"We knew they were going to push people forward," Wandt said, "but we just cleared it out. I don't know if I was nervous (on the free kick). I was ready for it. I knew if something happened, it was my time. But, we had a wall of seven, and they added a couple extra people. So, she really had to put it in the perfect spot."
Baylor is one of just four teams to advance to the Elite Eight each of the last two seasons, joining Penn State, UCLA and defending national champion Stanford. The Bears' previous best was a Sweet 16 appearance in 2012.
"It hasn't really (sunk in yet)," Jobson said. "It's pretty incredible where we started here 11 years ago and how far this program has come. Just the support we've gotten from Baylor University and this community has been something really special."
THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas – No. 11 Baylor soccer (20-5-0) grinded out a hard-fought win over No. 12 Virginia (17-4-1), securing the program's first-ever back-to-back trip into the Elite 8 on Sunday evening at Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field.
Carrying a No. 2 national seed, the Bears maintained their perfect record at home in 2018, finishing off the season with a program record 13-0 standing.
Baylor came out firing, scoring in the first 15 minutes in each of its first three NCAA matches and scoring in the first six minutes in the second-straight outing.
BU caught the net in the sixth minute, with Ally Henderson taking the corner and finding Julie James for the header goal.
After Virginia found an equalizer goal in the 17th minute, the two sides stayed in lock step in a 1-1 tie through the opening period.
The Bears were able to take advantage on one of just two shots in the second period, with Raegan Padgett making a run down the right side and finding a window for a cross in front of the box.
Kennedy Brown cut through the UVA defense, heading a score in that would stand as the game-winner and clinch the 2-1 victory for the Bears.
STAT OF THE MATCH #1
13-0 – Baylor's home record in 2018, a program record for most home wins in a single-season
STAT OF THE MATCH #2
8 – Baylor is among the final eight teams in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history. This marks the third time ever and the first time since 2010-2011 (Oklahoma State) that a Big 12 team has advanced to the Elite 8 in consecutive seasons (Texas A&M, 2001-2002).
STAT OF THE MATCH #3
10 – the number of goals in 2018 for Julie James, giving BU two double-digit goal scorers (Camryn Wendlandt, 10) for the first time since 2012 (Dana Larsen, 11 & Lisa Sliwinski, 10).
STAT OF THE MATCH #4
20 – the number of wins for the Bears in 2018, passing the 2012 (19-1-5) squad for the most wins in program history.
TOP QUOTES
"That's really special. Everybody has that home magic, or whatever you want to call it. I just think this is a special place and we really valued being here at home again with this crowd and with our fans and the support we get from this university. It's where we want to be. But now, we've got to go on the road and really represent this school on the road." – Baylor coach Paul Jobson
"It's everybody's championship game, and you're throwing everything you have forward. That's what you've got to do and that's what you expect from a great team like that. Again, a lot of credit to Virginia and their coaching staff and the season that they've had. They're just a fantastic team, and just proud of our girls for the way that they came through tonight." – Baylor coach Paul Jobson
"The biggest thing for us is we don't want the season to end. We want to play with each other as long as possible. So just kind of holding that together. Just knowing that each player is playing for something more than just themselves, personal accolades and all that. It's special whenever you have people who all play for each other. That kind of gives us an extra edge on teams that don't do that." – Baylor senior forward Kennedy Brown
"It's great, it's really a dream. I was talking to my mom about this, when you're little, you grow up looking at teams like this. It's great, so hopefully we go and finish business this year." – Baylor sophomore goalkeeper Jennifer Wandt
NOTES
* Baylor improved to 8-4-2 all-time in the NCAA Soccer Championship, including a 5-1-1 mark under head coach Paul Jobson.
* Baylor and Virginia met for the first time, with the Bears improving to 1-0-0 in the all-time series.
* Baylor advanced into the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Soccer Championship for the second time, making its second-straight trip into the quarterfinals.
* Sunday's match was the first Sweet 16 match hosted by Baylor in Waco.
* Baylor is the furthest advancing team in the Big 12 and Texas for the second-straight season after Texas A&M's 3-0 loss to Tennessee.
* Julie James scored her 10th goal of the season and her 20th career score, becoming the ninth student-athlete in program history to score 20-plus career goals.
* Ally Henderson picked up her seventh assist on the season. She has assisted on four of Baylor's seven NCAA goals through the first three rounds.
* Raegan Padgett collected her sixth assist on the season, moving to 10 assists in her career.
* Kennedy Brown scored her second goal on the season and the fifth in her collegiate career.
* Baylor has scored 49 goals on the season, the most since the 2012 squad netted 58 scores.
WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor will travel to Washington, D.C., for a Saturday matchup with the No. 1 seed and No. 2-ranked Georgetown Hoyas at 11 a.m. CT/12 p.m. ET.
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