SOC Prepares for Final Home Stand of the 2019 Season

Friday, October 25

Waco, TX

11 a.m.

Baylor

Texas Tech

Photo by: Baylor Photography

SOC Prepares for Final Home Stand of the 2019 Season

10/23/2019 4:37:00 PM | Soccer

GAME NOTES

Bears host Texas Tech and Iowa State over the weekend

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            This is how crazy the Big 12 soccer race is going into the stretch run: Baylor (7-5-3, 3-3-0) is tied for seventh and can still win its second-straight league title.
            "I don't know if I've ever seen it this wide open with three games left," said coach Paul Jobson, whose Bears host 17^th-ranked Texas Tech (11-2-2, 3-1-2) at 7 p.m. Thursday and then Iowa State (3-12-0, 0-4-0) at 1 p.m. Sunday for Senior Day.
            "I think sitting where most of us are, we're excited about that. But, if you're sitting in one of the top two spots, you wish it wasn't as wide open. . . . The thing is, there's three games left, and a lot of it is in our hands. If we take care of business, we're going to put ourselves in a really good place."
            Baylor would have to get some help from Oklahoma (8-6-3, 3-3-1), which plays league-leading and No. 13 Oklahoma State (12-1-3, 5-1-1) on Friday and Texas (9-6-0, 4-2-0) next Thursday, to win its third Big 12 regular-season title. But if the Bears win out against Tech, Iowa State and Oklahoma State next Thursday, that should be enough to get into the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight year.
            "We have to take care of business ourselves. We learned that the hard way in 2016 when we were on the outside looking in," Jobson said, "and realized that if we had just taken care of ourselves a little more, we didn't have to worry about a committee. First things first, we have a great Texas Tech coming in here. If we take care of business against a great team like that, then we put ourselves in a better position."
            Bouncing back from one-goal losses to Oklahoma and Texas, Baylor stayed in the hunt with a 4-0 win over TCU last Sunday in a game that was rescheduled because of lightning. In a game that was delayed almost three hours by more lightning, senior forward Raegan Padgett had her first multi-goal game, netting one in each half.
            "It was a challenge, just because we had we had been sitting around for a couple hours," Padgett said. "It was kind of a test for our team about how we can really focus in and get the job done. And we did just that."
            After sophomore Elena Reyna netted her second goal of the season and fourth of her career, senior defender Danielle Hayden scored just the second goal of her career on a penalty kick in the 83^rd minute.
            "Anytime a defender scores, it's a big deal," Hayden said. "I wouldn't mind if Coach Paul put me up there a little bit more."
            Despite season-ending injuries to forwards Jade King and Ally Griffin – Tech's leading scores in 2018 and 2017, respectively – the Red Raiders have remained in the hunt for their first-ever conference regular-season title. They won the Big 12 Tournament in 2015 as a fifth seed with a 1-0 win over sixth-seeded Kansas.
            "They have some key players out with injuries, but still finding ways to win games," Jobson said of Tech, which remained unbeaten in league play before a 2-1 loss to TCU last Friday in Fort Worth. "They're a quality team, they're well-coached. We have to be prepared for minute one, all the way up to minute 90, to be able to compete with them."
            Padgett and Hayden will be honored Sunday along with fellow seniors Maggie Burton, Kylie Ross, Camryn Wendlandt, Audrey Johnston and Halee Sowinski.
            "I've been trying to block it out," Padgett said, "but just recently, I've been thinking about it a lot more. Two games here and three games left in the regular season, it really doesn't seem like much in the grand scheme of the last 15 years that I've played. I'm just trying to enjoy it and just play my best for the team with the time that I have left."

WACO, Texas – Baylor Soccer (7-5-3, 3-3) returns to Betty Lou Mays Field to host its final two regular season home games of the year. The Bears will take on No. 17 Texas Tech (11-2-2, 3-1-2) at 7 p.m. Thursday before hosting Iowa State (3-12, 0-4) at 1 p.m. Sunday for Senior Day.

Baylor is coming off a 4-0 win over TCU in Fort Worth on Sunday night. Raegan Padgett recorded the first multi-goal match of her career with a pair of goals in the win. She now leads the Bears with five goals on the year. Defensively, Baylor held the Horned Frogs to two shots on goal, a total that ties for the lowest of the season.

BU is 17-5-3 against Texas Tech, winning the last three contests against the Red Raiders. Three of the last four meetings between these teams in Waco have ended in double overtime draws.

Against the Cyclones, the Bears boast a 17-7-2 record with an 8-2-2 mark at home. The Bears have won six of the last seven contests against Iowa State.

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 prepares for its final regular season home stand as Texas Tech (Thursday, 7 p.m.) and Iowa State (Sunday, 1 p.m.) come to Waco.
Sunday's match against the Cyclones will be Senior Day with seven Bears honored (Maggie Burton, Danielle Hayden, Kylie Ross, Camryn Wendlandt, Audrey Johnston, Raegan Padgett and Halee Sowinski).
The Bears are coming off a 4-0 win at TCU. It's the largest margin of victory on the season for BU and is the third time this year that Baylor scored four goals in a game.
Padgett netted a pair of goals against the Horned Frogs, marking her first multi-goal match of her career. She now leads BU with five goals on the season. Padgett is the third Bear this year to have a streak of four matches with a point (Oct. 3 - present).
A pair of defenders found the back of the net over the weekend for Baylor. Sarah Norman scored her first goal against Texas, and Danielle Hayden netted her second career goal off a PK at TCU.
The BU defense held TCU to only two shots on goal, which tied for the lowest of the season (Drake, Wyoming).
Baylor leads the conference and is 26th nationally with 8.07 shots on goal per game. The Bears also lead the Big 12 with a .486 shot accuracy.
BU is No. 48 in this week's RPI. The Bears are sixth in the Big 12 behind Kansas (17), Oklahoma State (22), Texas Tech (23), and West Virginia (34), Texas (43).
Rounding out the league are TCU (51), Oklahoma (68), Kansas State (153) and Iowa State (203).
Baylor has been a second half team offensively this season with 19 goals in the second half / overtime. BU has netted six goals in the first half of matches - Wendlandt (14) Northwestern State, Gorman (33) Northwestern State, Mitchell (6) Wyoming, Kooiman (13) West Virginia, Kooiman (13) Oklahoma, Padgett (33) TCU.
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.