By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
 
Taking a big step toward earning a berth in the Big 12 Tournament, Baylor soccer (7-5-2, 2-3-1) got two goals and an assist from TCU transfer Tyler Isgrig in knocking off Iowa State, 4-2, Thursday night at Betty Lou Mays Field.
 
"We're right in the middle of Big 12 conference play, and it's a part of the season where we're starting to get wore down," said Isgrig, who took over the team lead with 19 points on six goals and a team-high seven assists. "I think that it puts us in the right head space and gives us confidence . . . to be able to finish off our schedule and put us in a better place to go into the Big 12 tournament."
 
In a matchup of the two teams that failed to make last year's conference tournament, Iowa State (4-9-1, 1-5-0) took the early lead when Salomé Prat found the left corner of the net with an unassisted goal in the 21^st minute.
 
That lead lasted less than three minutes, with Isgrig netting her fifth goal of the season and the equalizer on an assist from freshman Callie Conrad. And then, freshman Salma Simonin knocked in the go-ahead goal from close range off assists from Blythe Obar and Ashley Merrill.
 
"Even when they scored, I felt like it was just a matter of time before we were going to score," said Lenard, whose team won its second-straight game and ran its unbeaten streak to three.
 
"I think you could see that early on, at the beginning of the game, our commitment to getting forward, getting the ball in the box, getting bodies in the box. And even though we didn't score immediately off of it, we gained some momentum that put them on their heels and gave us confidence."
 
The pivotal moment of the game came in the first minute of the second half, when Isgrig blasted a shot past Iowa State goalkeeper Avery Gillahan to make it a 3-1 game.
 
"As we talked about at halftime, the next goal changes everything," Lenard said. "If we give up a goal, then it's a dogfight to the end of the game. And if we get a goal, it's a high mountain for them to climb. So, we wanted to come out with a lot of energy and try to score early. And what a spectacular goal for Tyler."
 
Isgrig, who matched the six goals she scored last year as a freshman at TCU, said she was "just really feeling it tonight."
 
"I was trying to use what (assistant coach Cole Ouren) and Michelle have been telling me all week at practice," Isgrig said, "just trying to get more crosses in and attacking the box. I was really just like, 'Might as well take my shot today.' That was my mindset going into the game."
 
Coming in the 61^st minute, Isgrig had a breakaway in the box and a through ball to Merrill for an easy goal and 4-1 lead. It was Merrill's team-high eighth goal of the season and 44^th of her career, including 32 in two years at DBU.
 
"That goal from Tyler and then the through to Ashley, both of those were really, really quality goals," Lenard said, "just to give us a little bit of cushion and get some kids off the field and get some experience for some of our younger players."
 
Prat scored her second goal of the night to cut the Cyclones' deficit to 4-2, but the Bears never let up on the pressure and got good looks from freshmen Adriana Merriam, Kaitlin Swann and Theresa McCullough in the last six minutes of the game.
 
Next up for Baylor is a trip to Orlando, Fla., to face Big 12 newcomer UCF (8-4-0, 4-2-0) at 12 p.m. CT Sunday. The Knights, who fell 3-1 at home to Texas on Thursday, have four conference wins against teams in the bottom half of the standings.
 
The Bears are eighth in the conference standings with seven points, tied with West Virginia and Oklahoma.
 
"They're obviously going to want to rebound from (the loss to Texas)," Lenard said. "They are a very defensively organized team that looks to counter. We've got to be disciplined in our build because they'll press very similarly (to Iowa State). Tonight was good preparation for that. They're patient, wait, wait, wait, then apply high pressure and try to hit you on a counter attack."



THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas – Baylor soccer took down Iowa State, 4-2, Thursday night at Betty Lou Mays Field. 
 
After Iowa State struck first, with a goal in the 21^st minute, Baylor wasted no time scoring the equalizer, as Callie Conrad fed the ball to Tyler Isgrig who found the Bears first goal of the match in the 23^rd minute. 
 
With the game knotted at 1-1, Baylor was able to find their first lead of the match just under five minutes later, when freshman Salma Simonin found her first-career goal. With assists from Blythe Obar and Callie Conrad, Simonin was able to head in the ball to give the Bears the 2-1 advantage in the 28^th minute.
 
The rest of the first half remained quiet as the Bears got off three more shots and BU goalkeeper Ashlee Zirkel was only forced to make three saves.
 
Wasting no time getting things started in the second half, Isgrig took care of business herself, as she found a brace in the 46^th minute. With the 3-1 lead, Simonin got off two more shots before Isgrig connected with Ashley Merrill who netted her eighth goal of the season in the 61^st minute.  
 
Iowa State was granted three-straight corner kicks in the 63^rd minute, but their second goal wouldn't come until the 83^rd minute when the Cyclones cut the Bears lead in half. 
 
A trio of freshman, Adriana Merriam, Kaitlin Swann and Theresa McCullough, all had good looks for BU in the final six minutes, but four goals would be all the Bears would need to secure the 4-2 win over Iowa State.

HIGHLIGHTS

• The Bears totaled 14 shots from nine different Bears
• Tyler Isgrig recorded two goals and one assist, her second six point game of the season
• Ashley Merrill netted her eighth goal of the season. This is the first eight-goal season for an individual player since Mackenzie Anthony had eight in 2021
• Salma Simonin recorded her first career goal
• The Bears have now won seven of the last eight matches against the Cyclones
• With the now 21-8-2 record over Iowa State, the Bears' 21 head-to-head wins is the most over any opponent in program history
• BU now holds a 2-3-1 conference record
• Ava Colberg and Hallie Augustyn each played the full 90 minutes
• Ashlee Zirkel picked up her second conference win of the season, while making three saves

 
QUOTABLE
Head coach Michelle Lenard on the playing style … 
"I think we demonstrated (our playing style) today, especially compared to over the weekend. We stuck with our game model of the full 90 minutes. Of course, there were some scary moments, but there's always risk involved in the way we want to play. And I think we executed it really well and we created some really nice goals. So, I'd say that's one of the best games we've played."
 
Tyler Isgrig on what the win means …
"Picking up these two wins, one on the road and one tonight is really going to help us with some confidence, especially going to UCF to play a good opponent this weekend. I think it puts us in the right headspace, gives us confidence and picks us up to finish off the season and puts us in a better place to get into the tournament."

WHAT'S NEXT
The Bears will head to Orlando, Fla. to face UCF on Sunday, Oct. 8.