BAYLOR (5-3-1) vs ARIZONA (5-2-1)
Sept. 19, 2024 • 7 p.m. CT • Watch: ESPN+ • Waco, Texas • Betty Lou Mays Field
BAYLOR (5-3-1) vs HOUSTON (3-3-1)
Sept. 22, 2024 • 1 p.m. CT • Watch: ESPN+ • Waco, Texas • Betty Lou Mays Field
STORY LINES
- Baylor continues conference play this week, competing against new conference foe Arizona on Thursday, Sept. 19, before turning around to host Houston on Sunday, Sept. 22.
- The 2024 season marks the 28th 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 third year of the Michelle Lenard coaching era, as she was selected as the Bears sixth head coach in program history in December of 2021.
- With the new Big 12 teams joining the conference this season, the Bears will only play 11 of the 15 other opponents this season. The Bears will face all four of the new schools, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah. BU will not face Cincinnati, UCF, Kansas or Kansas State in regular season play.
- The Bears are 5-3-1 to open the season, with all three of BU's losses coming against ranked opponents (No. 18 Mississippi State, No. 22 Iowa and No. 15 Oklahoma State). The Bears most recently tied Texas State in its last nonconference matchup of the season, 2-2.
- Baylor has a 33 person roster this season and features 25 returners and eight newcomers.
- Returning to the squad for the first time since the 2022 season in fifth-year Marissa Gray. After working for the past year and applying to PT school, Gray re-joined the Bears to use her fifth year of eligibility. She hasn't seen playing time since the 2019 season due to injury but returns to the pitch as a veteran on the backline.
- This season the Bears roster features two international student-athletes for the first time since the 2017 season. Salma Simonin returns to Baylor from Manchester, United Kingdom and Hilary Washington joins the Bears from Wellesley, Ontario, Canada.
- Twenty-three Bears have seen playing time so far this season with Hallie Augustyn leading the way with 796 minutes played.
- Tyler Isgrig leads the Bears so far this season in points with nine, off of three goals and three assists. She has played the fourth most minutes so far this season (746).
- Joining Isgrig with multiple goals this season are Ashley Merrill, Hallie Augustyn and Callie Conrad, while Hannah Augustyn and Kai Hayes each have one goal.
- In the Bears' 2-2 draw against Texas State, Isgrig netted her third goal of the season, while Hayes found the back of the net for the first time in her career. BU had the 2-1 advantage before the Bobcats scored the late equalizer with 14 seconds left in the match.
- Azul Alvarez has helped Baylor to three-straight shutout victories over the last three weeks. Her three individual shutouts through the first five games are the first by a single Baylor goalkeeper since Jennifer Wandt had four through five games to start the shortened 2020 season. She also made a career-high eight saves in the Bears loss against Iowa.
- Alvarez and Conrad have picked up the Bears' only Big 12 conference weekly award so far this season, being named Goalkeeper and Offensive Player of the Week (8/28).
- Baylor and Arizona are tied all-time with a 1-1 record, with the last meeting on Sept. 9, 2018, where the Bears fell, 1-3.
- Baylor holds the all-time record over Houston with a 6-1 record, defeating the Cougars last season in Houston, 3-2.
- BaylorBears.com -
