SOC Falls to Oklahoma State, 1-0

Thursday, October 27

Waco, TX

7 PM

Baylor

4-11-2, 2-7-0

Oklahoma State

11-4-4, 4-2-3

Oklahoma St.

Baylor

SOC Falls to Oklahoma State, 1-0

10/27/2022 10:31:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score Box Score

Bears fall short of Big 12 Tournament

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Much like the previous three games, Baylor soccer couldn't build on a halftime tie and finish what it started in Thursday night's regular-season finale at Betty Lou Mays Field.
            Unable to find the back of the net despite outshooting Oklahoma State, 17-12, the Bears (4-11-2, 2-7-0) saw their season end with a 1-0 loss to the Cowgirls (11-4-4, 4-2-3) that knocked them out of the Big 12 Championship that starts Sunday in Round Rock.
            "I'm disappointed for the seniors," first-year head coach Michelle Lenard said, "because I felt like they deserved an opportunity to be in (Round Rock) this week. We just had too many opportunities slip away from us, and that's something that will sting for a while. It'll be a great learning opportunity for the returners, but it's tough for the seniors."
            Seniors Elizabeth Kooiman, Kayle Ables and Maddie Algya, who were honored after the game along with Taylor Moon, Marissa Gray and Alyssa Navarrete, combined for eight of the Bears' 17 shots.
            After a combined seven shots in the previous two games, including just two on goal, Baylor had four shots in the first half alone and got shots on goal from Kooiman and Algya in the last six minutes before intermission.
            "We did, we gave ourselves chances," Lenard said. "We needed to be a little bit more intentional with our runs in behind. I think we could have caused more harm in the first half."
            One of the Bears' best chances came in the 52^nd minute, when Ables hit the top woodwork on a free kick from just outside the box after a yellow-card foul on the Cowgirls' Blythe Beldner.
            Scoring the game's only goal, OSU's Megan Haines took a deep pass from Xcaret Pineda and got behind Baylor's defense with a counter attack, finding the net with a shot past goalkeeper Lauren Traywick from just inside the box.
            "We needed to find a way to come out and score, and they get one opportunity on a counter attack," Lenard said. "Unfortunately, I feel like that's kind of been it for us all season. And then, we're on the wrong end of some really terrible officiating, in my opinion.
            "We did what we wanted to do, come out, honor the seniors, give ourselves a chance to win. We had every opportunity to win and then we had opportunities to tie it up," Lenard said. "We just couldn't find the back of the net, which has kind of been it for us this year."
            With Kansas wrapping up a spot in the Big 12 tournament with a 2-0 win over Iowa State, Baylor needed to win Thursday's game and kept the pressure on the Cowgirls' defense by getting off seven shots in the last 12 minutes. But, ultimately, it wasn't enough, as the Bears failed to qualify for the Big 12 tournament for the first time since 2010.
            "The reality is the seniors have played either four full years or five full years, and their career here is not defined by this one game," Lenard said. "They have a lot to be proud of over the past four or five years. And a lot of that was this season as well, building something new and different, being a part of the future of the program. I'm just disappointed that it has to end this way."

WACO, Texas – Baylor soccer fell against Oklahoma State, 1-0, Thursday night at Betty Lou Mays Field.

The Bears end the season 4-11-2, 2-7-0 in conference play, after holding Oklahoma State scoreless through the first half.

THE RUNDOWN
The Bears came out strong and got off four shots in the first half, two of them on goal.

The Baylor defense held the Cowgirls scoreless until the 66^th minute, when they were able to find the back of the net to go ahead, 1-0.

Starting goalkeeper, Lauren Traywick led the charge through the first half, picking up three saves to stop the OSU offense.

Kayley Ables lined up a shot in the 52^nd minute that narrowly missed going in as it bounced off the top woodwork. Ables took the next two shots for the Bears before freshman Skye Leach lined up a shot that sailed just top of the goal.

Senior, Maddie Algya kept the Bears' hopes alive until the end when she took a shot from distance but just wasn't able to find the back of the net.

With the loss, the Bears miss the 2022 Big 12 Conference Tournament that begins Sunday in Round Rock.

HIGHLIGHTS