SOC to Celebrate 2018 Big 12 Championship

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            On a night when Baylor soccer will celebrate last year's Big 12 championship, the Bears will try to bounce back from a frustrating weekend and get back in the race for another conference title when they host Texas (8-6-0, 3-2-0) at 7 p.m. Saturday at Betty Lou Mays Field.
            "Anytime we can get family together, it's always an opportunity to get excited," said Baylor coach Paul Jobson, whose team is 6-4-3 overall and 2-2-0 in the Big 12. "It's always fun to celebrate championships. It's hard for this team to focus too much on that because we've really moved past it. But, it's always exciting to bring back some alumni and family back."
            Carrying the momentum of a 4-2 win over West Virginia, Baylor took a 1-0 halftime lead on TCU last Thursday when freshman Elizabeth Kooiman headed in a goal off an assist from Raegan Padgett. But, the game was canceled because of lightning and will be started over with a 7 p.m. start Sunday in Fort Worth.
            "We had to kick off three hours after the original kickoff, but they had lightning through midnight . . . so it wasn't happening either way," Jobson said. "With our game, unlike baseball, there's no continuation rule. Unless you play 70 minutes, you have to restart. Seventy minutes is considered a full match."
            While the cancellation was frustrating, senior forward Camryn Wendlandt said it's actually a blessing with her coming off an injury that sidelined him for four games.
            "It being my senior year, it gives me 45 more minutes to play soccer," she said. "It's OK, we get another 90 minutes against (TCU) and they're a good team. Anything we can do before the Big 12 Tournament . . . is going to prepare us for postseason. We just have to look at it like that because it's out of our control."
            On Sunday, Baylor took another 1-0 first-half lead on a goal by Kooiman, who had a hat trick in the win over West Virginia. But, Oklahoma tied it up with about 14 minutes left in regulation and then won it 2-1 with a golden goal in the fourth minute of the first overtime period.
            "Losing was definitely hard, hard to swallow," Kooiman said, "but we definitely can come back strong this weekend. . . . We had chances, we just need to start putting those away."
            The Bears finished with an 8-5 edge in shots on goal, including three by Kooiman, but OU goalkeeper Nikki Panas came up with seven saves.
            "I think we're playing really well. We've got to really lock down some key moments," Jobson said. "We've got to lock down opportunities in front of our goal and score a little bit more of our chances. And I think we've got to lock down a little bit more on the defensive end in front of the goal. But, I think all in all, we're playing some great soccer right now. Really proud of how hard they're working and the things they're putting together each and every match."
            Texas, which has lost two in a row, is led by a pair of elite offensive threats in junior forward Haley Berg (6 goals, 7 assists) and sophomore forward Julia Grosso (7 goals, 4 assists). Junior goalkeeper Nicole Curry has a 0.89 goals-against average and has had six shutouts.
            "They have some elite athletes," Jobson said. "They've got some kids that are really good, got speed, they move the ball really well. I think they're a team of momentum. Their momentum is up and down. So, if they've got the momentum, if we can break that and take it over a bit, I think we can have some really good opportunities."
            The first 500 fans for Friday's game will receive Big 12 championship banners, with the Big 12 Championship trophy also on display and available for pictures.
            Friday's game will be streamed live by Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

WACO, Texas – Baylor Soccer (6-4-3, 2-2) is back at Betty Lou Mays Field and will take on Texas (8-6, 3-2) at 7 p.m. on Friday. The Bears will celebrate their 2018 regular season Big 12 Championship that evening with championship banners given to the first 500 fans in attendance. The trophy will also be on display for pictures throughout the match.

Baylor will have a quick turnaround with a match at TCU (8-4-1, 2-1-1) at 7 p.m. on Sunday. The Bears' game against the Horned Frogs on Oct. 10 was declared a no-contest due to weather and will be replayed. The match will be free admission to all fans.

The Bears look for their first win over the Longhorns in Waco since prevailing 2-1 in double overtime on Oct. 19, 2012. Since 2007, every match between Texas and Baylor has been decided by one goal or less.

Three of the last four contests against the Horned Frogs have gone into overtime. While Baylor owns a 12-2-3 overall record against TCU, the Bears are 3-2-3 against the Horned Frogs since 2014.

Tickets are available on BaylorBears.com/tickets or by calling 254-710-1000.

The Legacy Fund membership is an exclusive support club that enhances the Baylor Soccer program. Becoming a Legacy member allows you to get an insider look at Baylor soccer and to support the team in every aspect of the program's success. For more information on the Legacy Fund, visit baylorbears.com/bearfoundation or call 254-710-3197.

Keep up with the team all season long by following Baylor Soccer on the team's official Twitter (@BaylorFutbol), Facebook (Baylor Soccer), and Instagram (@BaylorFutbol).

STORY LINES

Baylor returns home to host Texas at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18. BU will celebrate its 2018 Big 12 Championship that night as the first 500 fans in attendance will receive Big 12 Championship banners. The 2018 Big 12 Championship trophy will also be displayed and be available for pictures.
The Bears will make up their match against TCU on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. The match was declared a no-contest on Thursday, Oct. 10 due to weather. The game will start anew and admission to the match is free for all fans.
BU is coming off a 2-1 overtime loss at Oklahoma on Sunday. Elizabeth Kooiman netted her fourth goal of the season to lead the Bears in goals. It also marked the first goal in the first half by Baylor since Sept. 6 at Wyoming. Raegan Padgett picked up her second assist on the year.
The Bears are now 3-1-3 in overtime matches this season.
Baylor leads the conference and is 26th nationally with 8.00 shots on goal per game. The Bears also lead the Big 12 with a .479 shot accuracy.
BU is No. 45 in this week's RPI. The Bears are fifth in the Big 12 behind Kansas (14), Texas Tech (17), Oklahoma State (25) and West Virginia (38). Rounding out the league are Texas (48), Oklahoma (54), TCU (59), Kansas State (151) and Iowa State (179).
Baylor has been a second half team offensively this season with 15 goals in the second half / overtime. BU has netted only four goals in the first half of matches - Wendlandt (14) Northwestern State; Gorman (33) Northwestern State; Mitchell (6) Wyoming; Kooiman (13) West Virginia.
Baylor earned the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award after posting a 3.63 GPA in 2018-19. Of the nine Big 12 schools that received the award, BU had the highest GPA with Kansas and Kansas State tied for second with a 3.47.
Five of Baylor's 19 goals this season have been scored off corner kicks. Four of them have happened in consecutive matches. All five goals have been netted by a different player – Eva Mitchell (Wyoming), Raegan Padgett (Gonzaga), Giuliana Cunningham (Kansas State), Michaela Gorman (Kansas), Elizabeth Kooiman (West Virginia). Two of those have been golden goals. In 2017 and 2018, BU combined for 11 goals off corner kicks.

SOC to Celebrate 2018 Big 12 Championship

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Players Mentioned

Giuliana Cunningham

Michaela Gorman

Elizabeth Kooiman

Eva Mitchell

Raegan Padgett

Camryn Wendlandt

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