Baylor Soccer Set for Contests Against Louisiana Tech, Butler

[Gilmore, Katy]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – August 30, 2023

Baylor Soccer Set for Contests Against Louisiana Tech, Butler
Bears set to host La Tech in home opener Thursday, before travelling to Indianapolis

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. LOUISIANA TECH
Thursday, Aug. 31 at 7 p.m. CT
Betty Lou Mays Field
Video: Big 12 Now ESPN+



BAYLOR at BUTLER
Sunday, Sept. 3 at 12 p.m. CT
Bud & Jackie Sellick Bowl
Video: FloSports

BAYLOR BEARS

2023 Record: 1-1-1
Head Coach: Michelle Lenard (North Texas, 2003)
Career Record: 206-89-28 (16th season)
BU Record: 5-12-3 (2nd season)

LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGS
2023 Record: 2-1-1

Head Coach: Steve Voltz (Florida, 1999)

Career Record: 17-34-7 (4th season)

LA Tech Record: 15-18-7 (3rd season)



BUTLER BULLDOGS
2023 Record: 1-3

Head Coach: Tari St. John (Purdue, 2003)

Career Record: 178-127-36 (18th season)

Butler Record: 178-127-36 (18th season)



Story lines

  *   Baylor enters its third week of play with a home opener against Louisiana Tech on Thursday, Aug. 31. BU will then travel to Indianapolis, Ind. to face Butler on Sunday, Sept. 2 at 12 p.m. CT. After the trip to Indiana, the Bears will then remain home for six home games during the month of September.
  *   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 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.
  *   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
  *   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.
  *   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.
  *   The Bears opened the season with a 1-1 record during week one, where they defeated the Oregon Ducks, 2-0, before traveling to Nebraska and falling to the Huskers, 2-1.
  *   Three of the Bears first four goals this season were scored by newcomers, freshman Skylar Zinnecker and Callie Conrad and another from transfer Tyler Isgrig. Conrad also recorded an assist in the first week of play, making her the first freshman to score points in the in each of the Bears first two games of a season since Maddie Algya and Taylor Moon did so in 2018.
  *   Goalkeepers Makinzie Short and Ashlee Zirkel have split time in goal this season with Short making starts in the first two games and Zirkel starting against the Aggies.
  *   The Bears recorded 22 shots against Oregon, the most in a game since Sept. 16, 2021, versus SFA (24).
  *   Baylor recorded a 1-1 draw against Texas A&M last week, with last year’s leading point scorer, Ashley Merrill, netting her first goal of the season off of assists from Natalie Vatter and Tyler Isgrig. The Bears played in front of 6,743 fans at Ellis Field, the 9th largest regular season crowd in NCAA women’s soccer history.
  *   In the past 50 games at home, Baylor has a record of 29-12-9, that’s good for a .670 winning percentage that dates back to the end of the 2017 season.
  *   BU has never faced off against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs before.
  *   The Bears are 1-0 all-time against Butler, with the only meeting between these two teams occurring on Sept. 13, 2018, when Baylor won 2-0.



- 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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