Baylor Soccer Readies for Contests Against No. 16 Texas, UTSA

Wed Sep 13 14:55:13 CDT 2023

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – September 13, 2023

Baylor Soccer Readies for Contests Against No. 16 Texas, UTSA
Bears host Longhorns in conference opener, face Roadrunners for last nonconference matchup

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. TEXAS
Thursday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. CT
Betty Lou Mays Field
Video: Big 12 Now ESPN+

BAYLOR vs UTSA
Sunday, Sept. 17 at 6 p.m. CT
Betty Lou Mays Field
Video: Big 12 Now ESPN+

BAYLOR BEARS (4-2-1)

Head Coach: Michelle Lenard (North Texas, 2003)

Career Record: 209-90-28 (16th season)

BU Record: 8-13-3 (2nd season)

TExas LONGHORNS (6-1-1)

Head Coach: Angela Kelly (North Carolina, 1994)

Career Record: 284-154-51 (24th season)

UT Record: 124-70-31 (12th season)

utsa ROADRUNNERS (5-2-1)

Head Coach: Derek Pittman (Tusla, 1998)

Career Record: 95-104-31 (13th season)

UTSA Record: 44-37-13 (6th season)

Story lines

  *   Baylor soccer will host Texas in its conference opener on Thursday, Sept. 14, before facing UTSA at home in its last nonconference matchup Sunday, Sept. 17, at Betty Lou Mays Field.
  *   Thursday’s conference opener will be the annual Go Gold night at Betty Lou, where fans are encouraged to wear gold gear. There will be a football sideline experience drawing, gold rally towel giveaway and free Kona Ice for the first 50 students at the match.
  *   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.
  *   The Bears are off to their best start to a season since the 2018 campaign, sporting a 4-2-1 record.
  *   Through the first seven games of the season, the Bears have compiled shutout wins and are outscoring opponents, 17-5. BU’s 17 goals through the first seven games is also the most since the 2018 season when the Bears had 19 to start the season.
  *   Eight different players have scored this season as Baylor has used a balanced offensive attack and a stifling defensive effort to total 17 goals and four shutouts.
  *   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.
  *   The Bears faced both SMU and ACU last week, going 1-1 with a dominant, 7-0, win over the Wildcats on Sunday.
  *   BU’s seven goals against ACU was the first seven-goal game since Sept. 18, 2016, when the Bears beat Jackson State at home, 7-0.
  *   In the Bears win over ACU, Ashley Merrill recorded the first hat trick for the Bears, since Taylor Moon did so on March 27, 2021, vs Louisiana. She now ties Baylor records with three second-half goals and six second-half points. Her three goals in under four minutes is the fastest hat trick in Baylor soccer history. She also has now scored in four of the past five games for the Bears and ranks in the top-25 in the country with six goals on the season.
  *   Tyler Isgrig leads the Bears so far this season with points (13), after netting two more goals last week and adding two assists. Merrill follows closely behind with 12 points off of a team leading six goals.
  *   Micah Bealsey and Natalie Vatter netted their first career goals last week.
  *   In the past 50 games at home, Baylor has a record of 30-13-9, that’s good for a .663 winning percentage that dates back to the end of the 2017 season.
  *   BU is 9-17-5 all-time against Texas, with the last meeting last year in Austin where the Bears fell. 1-0. Seventeen of the Bears last 18 contests against the Longhorns have been decided by one goal or less.
  *   The Bears are 10-0-1 against UTSA, with the last contest on Sept. 1, 2017, when BU won 1-0. The Bears unbeaten streak against the Roadrunners dates back to 2006, with the lone tie occurring during the 2007 season.

- 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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