Baylor Soccer Prepares for Season Opener

[Gilmore, Katy]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – August 16, 2023

Baylor Soccer Prepares for Season Opener
Bears to face Oregon, Nebraska on the road

For more information contact: Katy Gilmore; 254-252-2182, katy_gilmore at baylor.edu<mailto:katy_gilmore at baylor.edu>

Media link for 2023 Baylor soccer season:
https://baylor.box.com/s/ywfgr2gsxh8uzfn90ufbe2qjfs18yerl


BAYLOR VS OREGON
Thursday, Aug. 17 at 7 p.m. CT
Papé Field
Video: Pac-12 Network

BAYLOR VS NEBRASKA
Sunday, Aug. 20 at 1 p.m. CT
Hibner Soccer Stadium
Video: Big-10+

BAYLOR BEARS
Head Coach: Michelle Lenard (North Texas, 2003)
Career Record: 205-88-27 (16th season)
BU Record: 4-11-2 (2nd season)

OREGON DUCKS
2023 Record: 0-0
Head Coach: Graeme Abel (Brescia, 2001)
Career Record: 19-17-18 (4th season)
Oregon Record: 19-17-18 (4th season)

NEBRASKA HUSKERS
2023 Record: 0-0
Head Coach: John Walker (Queens University, 1987)
Career Record: 348-189-58 (29th season)
Nebraska Record: 348-189-58 (29th season)



Story lines

  *   Baylor opens its 2023 season on the road with a match against Oregon on Thursday, before traveling to Nebraska to wrap things up on Sunday. The Bears are starting their season on the road for only the ninth time in program history and are 3-4-1 in those contests.
  *   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.
  *   With the NCAA now allowing a third paid assistant for coaching staffs, volunteer assistant and goalkeepers coach, Cameron Carter, was promoted to assistant coach in July of 2023.
  *   With the new Big 12 teams joining the conference this season, the Bears will only play 10 of the 13 other opponents this season. The Bears will face all four of the new schools, Cincinnati, UCF, Houston and BYU. BU will not face Oklahoma, Oklahoma State or West Virginia in regular season play.
  *   Coming off a 2022 campaign that featured a 4-11-2 record, BU finished ninth in the conference.
  *   Baylor has a 31 person roster this season and features 16 returners and 15 newcomers.
  *   BU has nine starters returning, Madison Martin, Jenna Patterson, Reneta Vargas, Blythe Obar, Ashley Merrill, Ava Colberg, Morgan Greensage, Hallie Augustyn and Hannah Augustyn.
  *   Baylor lost four starters from the 2022 squad.
  *   Joining the 2022 squad are four transfers, Makinzie Short (Oklahoma), Natalie Vatter (Ole Miss), Hannah Boughton (Missouri) and Tyler Isgrig (TCU).
  *   The 11 incoming freshmen are, Salma Simonin, Adriana Merriam, Callie Conrad, Brianna Chesley, Theresa McCullough, Georgia Mulholland, Skylar Zinnecker, Claire Kniss, Kaitlin Swann, Caroline Staubach and Riley Franklin.
  *   The NCAA has done away with overtime during the regular season, meaning that every game will end at the end of the 90-minute regulation time.
  *   This season the Bears roster features an international student-athlete for the first time since the 2017 season when the Bears had two. Salma Simonin comes to Baylor from Manchester, United Kingdom.
  *   BU faced two opponents during preseason play, defeating Oklahoma, 3-2, and Tarleton 4-0. The Bears matchup against OU was likely the last time these two teams will face each other as conference opponents, although it was a preseason match.
  *   Ashley Merrill picked up where she left off last season, scoring three of the Bears goals in the preseason contests. Also finding the back of the net against Oklahoma and Tarleton were transfer Tyler Isgrig, Jenna Patterson and Micah Beasley.
  *   Merrill and Reneta Vargas were the team’s leading point scorers last season with 10 and are both back this season.
  *   The Bears are 1-0-1 all-time against Oregon, with the last meeting on Sept. 12, 2021, when BU and the Ducks tied 2-2 in double overtime.
  *   BU’s old Big 12 Conference foe, Nebraska holds the all-time record over Baylor (13-8-3), with the last meeting on August 26, 2021, when the Huskers won, 2-1.


- BaylorBears.com -

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Katy Gilmore | Associate Director of Athletic Communications
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
O: 254-710-2743 | C: 254-252-2182

[cidimage002.png at 01D79F3C.9D2300D0]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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