SOC Set for Contests Against Houston, Iowa

BAYLOR VS HOUSTON
Thursday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m.
Houston, Texas
Carl Lewis International Complex
Video: ESPN+

BAYLOR VS IOWA
Sunday, Sept. 4 at 7 p.m.
Waco, Texas
Betty Lou Mays Field
Video: Big 12 Now ESPN+

BAYLOR BEARS
2022 Record: 1-2-1
Head Coach: Michelle Lenard (North Texas, 2003)
Career Record: 202-77-26 (15th season)
BU Record: 1-2-1 (1st season)

HOUSTON COUGARS
2022 Record:  1-1-1
Head Coach: Jaime Frias (Centenary LA, 2000)
Career Record: 50-44-7 (6th season)
Houston Record: 1-1-1 (1st season)

IOWA HAWKEYES
2022 Record: 2-2-0
Head Coach: Dave Dilanni (Spring Arbor, 1997)
Career Record: 303-83-29 (20th season)
Iowa Record: 82-65-11 (9th season)

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            As hard as Sunday's 6-0 loss to No. 1-ranked North Carolina was, first-year Baylor soccer coach Michelle Lenard said that the Bears can "learn more from that game than any game we play this season."
            "It's never fun to lose, and nobody wants to be on that side of things," said Lenard, whose BU team (1-2-1) will face Houston (1-1-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Carl Lewis International Complex in Houston.
            "But, there are a lot of positive takeaways for us in that moment. We're looking to carry that over into (Thursday's) game and the rest of the season and continue putting the pieces together."
            Instead of holding players back in a "low block" to limit North Carolina's chances, Baylor continued to play its style and got off 12 shots, including six on goal.
            "Michelle's thing was to just go for it," said junior midfielder Gabby Mueller, who scored with less than two minutes remaining to beat Florida, 2-1, last Thursday in the first of two games in Austin, "kind of like we've got nothing to lose, and to press them because previous teams that played them sat in a lower block. And we didn't want to do that."
            Baylor is still trying to transition from more of a defensive-minded strategy employed by former coach Paul Jobson to the aggressive, attacking strategy that Lenard believes in.
            "Obviously, Michelle coming in, is playing a completely different style from what eight out of 11 girls in the field are playing," said junior midfielder Ashley Merrill, one of three transfers from Dallas Baptist, where Lenard coached for the previous 14 years. "We're all trying to mesh together. We all have to be on the same page . . . each game, we're learning it more and more."
            On top of breaking in the new style, Lenard said it doesn't help that several players are out with injuries, including 2021 leading scorers Taylor Moon and Mackenzie Anthony.
            "When you get tired, you kind of slip back into old habits at times," Lenard said. "When you get pulled apart a little bit like we did against North Carolina, then you can slip back into old habits. And some of it, frankly, is depth in key positions as we're still waiting for some of our injured players to get back on the field. We're hanging in, we're competing, and then we start to fatigue."
            While junior goalkeeper Lauren Traywick has started three of the first four games and is expected to start Thursday's game, Lenard said Texas Tech transfer Madison Martin is "right there . . . and we trust Madison fully."
            "We want to make sure, whether it's our No. 1 or our No. 2, they're both getting reps," Lenard said. "So that in a moment, when we need to make a change for whatever reason, they're both capable.
            "Our hope is that in any position, no one ever feels that their position is solidified. You'll see a couple different starters in the first 11 as well on the field, because those players performed well, they're in good form or their particular skill set matches up well against our upcoming opponent. And the same is true at the goalkeeper position. So, nothing is settled."
            Playing its first home game under first-year head coach Jaime Frias, Houston opened the season with a 1-1 tie at Oklahoma and lost to Lamar, 3-0, before beating Sam Houston, 2-1, on Sunday to wrap up a three-game road trip.
            "Opponent doesn't matter, we want to get better every day," Lenard said. "I believe that we can win this game, but we know it's going to be tough. They're a growing and improving team as well, but we also want to make sure that we go and take care of games that are winnable for us. So, that's going to be our focus (Thursday). . . . The outcome matters, but we are far more concerned about the process."
            After ending a three-game road swing, the Bears will host Iowa (2-2-0) at 7 p.m. Sunday at Betty Lou Mays Field. Both games this week will be streamed on ESPN+.

STORY LINES

Baylor will split time on the road and at home this week as they will take on Houston Thursday, September 1 in Houston, before returning home to host Iowa on Sunday, September 4. Sunday's match against Iowa will be faculty and staff appreciation night at Betty Lou Mays Field.
The Bears and Cougars have previously met five times in program history. BU holds the all-time record over UH 4-1, with the last matchup between the two teams on Sept. 5, 2010 where Baylor won 1-0.
Against the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Bears are 1-1 all-time against them. The last matchup resulted in a 2-1 win for Baylor on Sept. 3, 2004.
BU played its 3rd and 4th games of the season last weekend in Austin, as they took on Florida and No. 1 North Carolina.
Head coach Michelle Lenard picked up her first win at Baylor in last Thursday's matchup, defeating the Gators, 2-1.
After a scoreless first half against Florida, Baylor started the scoring in the 57th minute as Ashley Merrill headed a ball in from a corner kick from Maddie Algya. The Bears held onto the lead until the 81st minute when Florida scored the equalizer. Not going down without a fight, Gabby Mueller found the back of the net in the 89th minute on a cross from Haven Terry to score the game winner and secure the Bears first win of the season.
Facing the No. 1 team in the nation in North Carolina, the Bears didn't shy away from their new playing style. Keeping up the attacking mentality, the Bears got off 12 shots on the Tarheels, which tied the most of any team this season, with six on goal. Ashley Merrill had the best chance of the game after she got off back-to-back shots in the 82nd minute, but the UNC goalkeeper came up with back-to-back saves.
BU has had 23 different players see playing time this season, with 11 of them being newcomers to the team.
Of Baylor's 15 newcomers, 11 of them played in the first four games of the season for the Bears: Skye Leach, Hallie Augustyn, Hannah Augustyn, Micah Beasley, Trinity Egerton, Kylie Finney, Annika Fredell, Madison Martin, Ashley Merrill, Blythe Obar and Jenna Patterson.
Sophomore Haven Terry now has a goal and an assist on the season, the first Bear to do so this season.
Ashley Merrill's 10 shots, seven on goal, lead the Bears to start the season.
Goalkeeper Lauren Traywick started both games in goal for the Bears last week, picking up a career-high nine saves against UNC.
For Gabby Mueller's game winning goal against the Gators, she was named Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week Honorable Mention.
Kayley Ables was the lone Baylor player named to the Preseason All-Big 12 team. A fifth-year senior for the program, she has been a key component to the Baylor backline, aka the "No-Goal Patrol."
Taylor Moon was named a preseason Forward to Watch this season by United Soccer Coaches.
With coach Lenard's new playing philosophy, BU defeated both LSU (3-1) and UTSA (2-1) in preseason exhibition matches with five different Baylor players scoring goals.
The NCAA has done away with overtime during the regular season this year, meaning that every game will end at the end of the 90-minute regulation time.

- BaylorBears.com -

SOC Set for Contests Against Houston, Iowa

Players Mentioned

Kayley Ables

Maddie Algya

Mackenzie Anthony

Hallie Augustyn

Hannah Augustyn

Micah Beasley

Trinity Egerton

Kylie Finney

Annika Fredell

Skye Leach

Madison Martin

Ashley Merrill

Taylor Moon

Gabby Mueller

Blythe Obar

Jenna Patterson

Haven Terry

Lauren Traywick

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