Saturday, October 28
Round Rock, Texas
1 PM
Baylor
vs
Cincinnati
SOC Prepares for Big 12 Championship
10/27/2023 3:41:00 PM | Soccer
Bears open up the postseason against Cincinnati
BAYLOR at BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP
vs. Cincinnati
Saturday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. CT
Round Rock Multipurpose Complex
Video: Big 12 Now ESPN+
BAYLOR (9-6-3)
Head Coach: Michelle Lenard (North Texas, 2003)
Career Record: 214-94-30 (16th season)
BU Record: 13-17-5 (2nd season)
CINCINNATI (3-7-7)
Head Coach: Erica Demers (Oakland, 2004)
Career Record: 53-45-26 (7th season)
UC Record: 3-7-7 (1st season)
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Other than a top-six conference finish and first-round bye, Baylor soccer got exactly the matchup the Bears wanted for the Sprouts Farmers Market Big 12 Championship that begins Saturday in Round Rock.
Sixteen days after a frustrating 2-2 draw with Cincinnati that included a goal in the last five minutes off a set play, the eighth-seeded Bears (9-6-3, 4-4-2) get a chance at revenge against the ninth-seeded Bearcats (3-7-7, 2-3-5) in a first-round matchup at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex.
"I think we deserved to win that game," said senior midfielder Ashley Merrill, whose team-high 11 goals rank fourth in the Big 12. "I think they think that, too. They know that. They scored on two set pieces, two balls in the air, just 50-50 chances. In the run of play, they didn't score. We controlled that game a lot more than them. So, I'm not fearful at all."
Cincinnati's Sarah Kate Rath netted the game-tying goal at the 85:40 mark after Skye Leach was called for a foul. And then, in the final minute, UC defender Ashley Barron kicked away a header by Baylor freshman Skylar Zinnecker that appeared to cross the goal line.
"Certainly, the girls think it did," second-year Baylor head coach Michelle Lenard said after the game.
"We're grateful to have another opportunity to play Cincinnati," she said. "We felt like we let that one slip away. So, focus on that, take it one day at a time and we'll see what we can do this week."
After missing last year's postseason tournament in Lenard's debut season, Baylor clinched their spot in the 10-team tournament on the final day of the regular season with a 3-2 road win over Houston. The Bears recorded five more wins than last year (4-11-2) and more than doubled their goals scored, 31-15.
"It's an important step," Lenard said of making the tournament, "but we're still about two spots lower than we would have liked to have been in and could have been. Difference between a tie and a win in one game, and we finish in the sixth spot and we have a first-round bye. That's really where we are, right in the middle of the pack. That's a big improvement from last year, but our goal is to climb to the top. While it's a step, it's just the first one."
Merrill said qualifying for the tournament was the "bare minimum>"
"Obviously, (we're) proud, but we're a good enough team that that's not really an accomplishment," she said. "I think it's just nice because now we have a clean slate. It's just an opportunity to prove people wrong, prove that we're better than these teams that are above us, too. We've got Cincinnati and then (top-seeded) Texas Tech, and I think we can win both those games and keep going forward."
The Big 12 coaches also gave Merrill and the Bears a little extra motivation, leaving her off the All-Big 12 first and second teams that were released on Thursday. Seven midfielders were selected between the two teams.
"I think we have players who get overlooked," Lenard said. "I think it plays in our hands a little bit. I still think we're a little bit underestimated. That's okay, we're going to go try to prove it. and that's what we're focused on right now."
Callie Conrad was Baylor's lone selection, earning a spot on the All-Big 12 Freshman Team. She scored a second-half goal against Cincinnati and ranks third on the team with nine points on two goals and five assists.
"I think her versatility helps," Lenard said. "She's strong, she's good in the air, she stands out. She doesn't look like a freshman. She also plays, probably, the most minutes of any freshman for us as well. Versatility is always going to stick out to most coaches."
While Baylor is plus-eight in goals scored (31-23), Cincinnati is minus-eight (13-21) and is led by Megan Smith, Ellie Flower and Laura Zemberyova with three goals apiece.
TCU transfer Tyler Isgrig is second on the Baylor team in goals scored (six) and points (19), recording a team-best seven assists. Last year, Isgrig played for a Horned Frog team that lost to West Virginia, 1-0, in the tournament championship.
"I feel like I already know what the experience is like," Isgrig said, "and especially that anything can happen on any day. Anything can happen at any point in the tournament. Anything is up for grabs at that point. I just hope everyone else understands that."
The Baylor-Cincinnati winner advances to the quarterfinals and will face top-seeded and fifth-ranked Texas Tech (14-0-4, 8-0-2) at 2 p.m. Monday, with the semifinals on Wednesday and the championship set for 7 p.m. next Saturday, Nov. 4.
STORY LINES
vs. Cincinnati
Saturday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. CT
Round Rock Multipurpose Complex
Video: Big 12 Now ESPN+
BAYLOR (9-6-3)
Head Coach: Michelle Lenard (North Texas, 2003)
Career Record: 214-94-30 (16th season)
BU Record: 13-17-5 (2nd season)
CINCINNATI (3-7-7)
Head Coach: Erica Demers (Oakland, 2004)
Career Record: 53-45-26 (7th season)
UC Record: 3-7-7 (1st season)
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Other than a top-six conference finish and first-round bye, Baylor soccer got exactly the matchup the Bears wanted for the Sprouts Farmers Market Big 12 Championship that begins Saturday in Round Rock.
Sixteen days after a frustrating 2-2 draw with Cincinnati that included a goal in the last five minutes off a set play, the eighth-seeded Bears (9-6-3, 4-4-2) get a chance at revenge against the ninth-seeded Bearcats (3-7-7, 2-3-5) in a first-round matchup at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex.
"I think we deserved to win that game," said senior midfielder Ashley Merrill, whose team-high 11 goals rank fourth in the Big 12. "I think they think that, too. They know that. They scored on two set pieces, two balls in the air, just 50-50 chances. In the run of play, they didn't score. We controlled that game a lot more than them. So, I'm not fearful at all."
Cincinnati's Sarah Kate Rath netted the game-tying goal at the 85:40 mark after Skye Leach was called for a foul. And then, in the final minute, UC defender Ashley Barron kicked away a header by Baylor freshman Skylar Zinnecker that appeared to cross the goal line.
"Certainly, the girls think it did," second-year Baylor head coach Michelle Lenard said after the game.
"We're grateful to have another opportunity to play Cincinnati," she said. "We felt like we let that one slip away. So, focus on that, take it one day at a time and we'll see what we can do this week."
After missing last year's postseason tournament in Lenard's debut season, Baylor clinched their spot in the 10-team tournament on the final day of the regular season with a 3-2 road win over Houston. The Bears recorded five more wins than last year (4-11-2) and more than doubled their goals scored, 31-15.
"It's an important step," Lenard said of making the tournament, "but we're still about two spots lower than we would have liked to have been in and could have been. Difference between a tie and a win in one game, and we finish in the sixth spot and we have a first-round bye. That's really where we are, right in the middle of the pack. That's a big improvement from last year, but our goal is to climb to the top. While it's a step, it's just the first one."
Merrill said qualifying for the tournament was the "bare minimum>"
"Obviously, (we're) proud, but we're a good enough team that that's not really an accomplishment," she said. "I think it's just nice because now we have a clean slate. It's just an opportunity to prove people wrong, prove that we're better than these teams that are above us, too. We've got Cincinnati and then (top-seeded) Texas Tech, and I think we can win both those games and keep going forward."
The Big 12 coaches also gave Merrill and the Bears a little extra motivation, leaving her off the All-Big 12 first and second teams that were released on Thursday. Seven midfielders were selected between the two teams.
"I think we have players who get overlooked," Lenard said. "I think it plays in our hands a little bit. I still think we're a little bit underestimated. That's okay, we're going to go try to prove it. and that's what we're focused on right now."
Callie Conrad was Baylor's lone selection, earning a spot on the All-Big 12 Freshman Team. She scored a second-half goal against Cincinnati and ranks third on the team with nine points on two goals and five assists.
"I think her versatility helps," Lenard said. "She's strong, she's good in the air, she stands out. She doesn't look like a freshman. She also plays, probably, the most minutes of any freshman for us as well. Versatility is always going to stick out to most coaches."
While Baylor is plus-eight in goals scored (31-23), Cincinnati is minus-eight (13-21) and is led by Megan Smith, Ellie Flower and Laura Zemberyova with three goals apiece.
TCU transfer Tyler Isgrig is second on the Baylor team in goals scored (six) and points (19), recording a team-best seven assists. Last year, Isgrig played for a Horned Frog team that lost to West Virginia, 1-0, in the tournament championship.
"I feel like I already know what the experience is like," Isgrig said, "and especially that anything can happen on any day. Anything can happen at any point in the tournament. Anything is up for grabs at that point. I just hope everyone else understands that."
The Baylor-Cincinnati winner advances to the quarterfinals and will face top-seeded and fifth-ranked Texas Tech (14-0-4, 8-0-2) at 2 p.m. Monday, with the semifinals on Wednesday and the championship set for 7 p.m. next Saturday, Nov. 4.
STORY LINES
- Baylor soccer heads to the 2023 Sprouts Farmers Market Big 12 Soccer Championship in Round Rock as the No. 8 seed and will play No. 9 seed Cincinnati on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 1 p.m. at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex.
- The 2023 season marks the 27th season of the Baylor Soccer program. During that time, BU has won four Big 12 titles, advanced to two Elite Eights and had four All-Americans to go with countless All-Big 12 and Academic All-Big 12 honorees.
- This season also marks the second year of the Michelle Lenard coaching era, as she was selected as the Bears sixth head coach in program history in December of 2021.
- The Bears are 9-6-3 on the season so far and have recorded the most wins in a season since the 2018 campaign when BU made it to the Elite Eight and recorded 20 wins.
- The Bears have compiled seven shutout wins so far this season and have scored 31 goals. BU's seven shutouts are the most in a season since 2021 when the Bears finished with eight.
- BU's 31 goals this season are also the most since that 2018 season when they totaled 49 and the Bears won a Big 12 title.
- Eleven different players have scored this season. Ashley Merrill leads the way with 23 points from a team-leading 11 goals and one assist. Isgrig's 19 points come from six goals and seven assists.
- Merrill's 11 goals on the season are now the most from an individual player in a single season since Dana Larsen recorded 11 during the 2012 season.
- With Isgrig's seven assists on the season, it marks the most by a Bear since 2018 when Ally Henderson Ashkinos and Jackie Crowther both had seven as Baylor rolled to a 20-6 ledger that season.
- Five newcomers have scored goals so far this season: Callie Conrad, Skylar Zinnecker, Theresa McCullough, Natalie Vatter and Salma Simonin.
- Fifteen different Bears have recorded a point this season.
- Goalkeepers Makinzie Short and Ashlee Zirkel have split time in goal this season, with Zirkel starting in seven of the last eight conference matchups.
- Six Bears have recorded their first-career goals so far this season.
- The Bears had not recorded a loss through the past five games and held a 3-3-2 record in conference play before narrowly falling to No. 21 TCU, 1-0, last Sunday.
- BU's seven goals against ACU this season was the first seven-goal game since Sept. 18, 2016, when the Bears beat Jackson State at home, 7-0.
- Also, in the win over ACU, Ashley Merrill recorded the first hat trick for the Bears, since Taylor Moon did so on March 27, 2021, vs Louisiana.
- Merrill now ties Baylor records with three second-half goals and six second-half points. Her three goals in under four minutes is the fastest hat trick in Baylor soccer history. She also has now scored in six matches so far this season.
- BU and Cincinnati last faced off on Oct. 12 at Betty Lou Mays Field in Waco, Texas, when the teams recorded a 2-2 draw after full time.
- Baylor is looking for its first Big 12 title since 2017 when it takes the field in Round Rock against Cincinnati. The Bears have had success in the Big 12 Championship over the years, posting a 15-14-1 record over the years. BU ranks third in the Big 12 in total wins in Big 12 Tournament history. Only Texas A&M and Nebraska have more Big 12 Tournament victories in their history.
- BU is one of just five schools to hold a winning record in Big 12 Tournament history.
- This is the Bears first trip back to the Big 12 Tournament since the 2021 season when they faced West Virginia as the No. 3 seed and fell in the first round.
- BaylorBears.com -
Players Mentioned
F
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
MF
/ Soccer
MF
/ Soccer
MF
/ Soccer
F/MF
/ Soccer
GK
/ Soccer
MF
/ Soccer
D
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
GK
/ SoccerBaylor Soccer: Highlights vs. Colorado | October 5, 2025
Sunday, October 05
Baylor Soccer: Highlights vs. Iowa State | October 2, 2025
Friday, October 03
Baylor Soccer: Highlights at Kansas State | September 28, 2025
Sunday, September 28
Baylor Soccer: Highlights at Kansas | September 25, 2025
Friday, September 26
