By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
 
WACO, Texas – Unable to make adjustments "on the fly," Baylor soccer didn't get its first shot on goal until the last 30 minutes and lost to the Arizona Wildcats, 1-0, Thursday night at Betty Lou Mays Field.
 
One of four newcomers to the Big 12, the Wildcats (6-2-1, 1-1-0) completely dominated the first half and then got on the board in the 59^th minute, when Gianna Christiansen scored from close range inside the box off an assist from Shanti Weddington to pick up their first conference win.
 
"We can't put that much pressure on (goalkeeper Azul Alvarez) to always have to make all these saves," said junior forward Tyler Isgrig, who had two of Baylor's five shots on goals. "The one they scored, there wasn't much she could have done. They were inside the box. We, as a team, have to lift her up and help her get out of those situations."
 
In a two-minute flurry that saw the Bears (5-4-1, 0-2-0) get off three shots, Isgrig just missed the equalizer when her shot got past goalkeeper Olivia Ramey but hit the left post with five minutes left in the game.
 
"We're in a bit of a scoring drought here, trying to figure that out," said Baylor coach Michelle Lenard, whose team has scored just two goals in a four-game winless streak. "I don't know how much closer we can get than hitting the post and goal-line saves. I think there was more than one goal-line save. It's frustrating and difficult. We've got to create more chances, so that if we miss a few, we've got some more opportunities."
 
Isgrig and North Carolina transfer Kai Hayes took back-to-back shots in the 67^th and 68^th minutes, with Ramey somehow saving a ball that appeared to cross the goal line.
 
"I don't know how it didn't go in," Lenard said. "But as far as knowing for sure whether it did, I can't say until I go back and look at film."
 
After getting off just two shots and none on goal in the first half, the Bears were much more aggressive in the second half, with five of their nine shots on goal. Arizona out-shot Baylor 21-11 and had nine shots on goal.
 
"We knew they had athletes, too, and they were going to try to run in behind and use their athleticism to their advantage," Isgrig said. "I don't think I was surprised. It's just on us to adjust to that and try to overcome that or be the aggressors in that moment. We have to take it upon ourselves to not let them be aggressive, to be the ones to do the attacking and putting pressure on them to begin with."
 
Alvarez, who had missed the last game and a half with a concussion, tied her career high with eight saves. She kept it a 1-0 game with about four minutes left, when she dove to her right to deflect a shot off frame by the Wildcats' Nyota Katembo.
 
"I'd like her not to have to make as many big saves," Lenard said of Alvarez, "but she's got a great presence, and she did what she needed to do. We always ask goalkeepers to make the saves they're supposed to make and make a couple big ones to keep us in it. And she did that. We really can't blame our defense right now. They did just about everything they could."
 
Completing a four-game home stand, the Bears will host Houston (3-4-1, 0-2-0) at 1 p.m. Sunday in a game that will be streamed by ESPN+. The Cougars have been outscored 7-0 in conference play, losing to Arizona State, 2-0, after getting blown out by UCF, 5-0.
 
"It was evident that we didn't problem-solve as a team until at halftime," sophomore forward Skylar Zinnecker said. "Whether that's bringing somebody back from the forward line and just putting out the fire until halftime, until we get that tactical adjustment . . . I think that's where us, maybe who aren't captains, need to step up and take that responsibility."


THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas – Baylor soccer dropped its conference contest against Arizona, 1-0, Thursday night at Betty Lou Mays Field. 
 
The first half was almost all Wildcats as Arizona put up 11 shots in the first half to Baylor's two. Adriana Merriam and Theresa McCullough put up BU's only first half shots. 
 
Azul Alvarez was perfect in goal in the first half, being tested four times and coming up with four saves, including back-to-back saves in the 30^th minute. 
 
Baylor came out of halftime putting up the first shot off the boot of Tyler Isgrig in the 47^th minute, but it was Arizona who struck first. 
 
After an assist from UA's Shanti Weddington, Gianna Christiansen found the back of the net to put the Wildcats up 1-0 in the 59^th minute. 
 
Baylor put its first shot on goal in the 63^rd minute but the Wildcats goalkeeper came up with the save. Six more shots continued to test Arizona but Olivia Ramey in goal for the Wildcats remained perfect. 
 
Kai Hayes almost scored her second goal in as many games in the 67^th minute but a save at the goal line stopped the ball from completely eclipsing the line. The Bears had another great chance in the 85^th minute when a shot from Isgrig went off the left woodwork but didn't find the back of the net. 
 
Down to their last chance, BU won a corner kick in the 90^th minute but the Bears weren't able to capitalize and fell, 1-0. 

HIGHLIGHTS

• Kai Hayes played a career-high 73 minutes
• Adriana Merriam played a career-high 77 minutes
• Tyler Isgrig had a team leading four shots, two on goal
• Theresa McCullough had two shots, one on goal
• Five different Bears all recorded one shot, with Kai Hayes and Skylar Zinnecker putting up BU''s only other shots on frame
• Azul Alvarez played all 90 minutes in goal
• Alvarez tied a career-high with eight saves

QUOTABLE
Head coach Michelle Lenard on the game …
"Regardless of who's coming up next, we've got to finish. Teams are coming out with a specific game plan against us, and we need to be able to adjust faster."

Tyler Isgrig on the chances she had during the game …
"I would say the chances I had weren't really easy. I feel like I tried to create those, we got it in that area and then [the team] just let me try to work. I felt like I tried everything I could in that moment to at least counteract their physicality and some of their aggressiveness"

Skylar Zinnecker on dealing with not getting the results they've been wanting … 
"This team wants it, so I think we use this game as motivation. We're only two games into Big 12 play and this was exactly halfway through regular season play [so] it's still so early. Taking a loss on our field [is] just not what we want to do here at home, but we have another home game Sunday so we're just kind of using this loss [as] that momentum to go forward."

WHAT'S NEXT
Up next, the Bears will host the Houston Cougars for its third conference game on the season on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 1 p.m. CT.