Baylor Soccer Prepares for Back-to-Back Home Contests

[Gilmore, Katy]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Sept. 11, 2024

Baylor Soccer Prepares for Back-to-Back Home Contests
Bears to host Oklahoma State, Texas State
For more information contact: Katy Gilmore; 254-252-2182, katy_gilmore at baylor.edu<mailto:katy_gilmore at baylor.edu>



BAYLOR (5-2) vs No. 15 OKLAHOMA STATE (6-0-1)

Sept. 12, 2024 • 7 p.m. CT • Watch: ESPN+ • Waco, Texas • Betty Lou Mays Field



BAYLOR (5-2) vs TEXAS STATE (3-3-1)

Sept. 15, 2024 • 7 p.m. CT • Watch: ESPN+ • Waco, Texas • Betty Lou Mays Field



Story lines

  *   Baylor prepares for a four-game home stretch beginning with its conference opener against No. 15 Oklahoma State on Thursday, Sept. 12, before closing its nonconference slate on Sunday, Sept. 15, against Texas State.
  *   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 5-2 to open the season, falling to No. 18 Mississippi State in the season opener, 1-0, before turning around and defeating five-straight opponents. BU’s five-match win streak was the longest since the 2018 season when the Bears were Big 12 Champions and made it to the NCAA Quarterfinals. Most recently the Bears fell against No. 22 Iowa.
  *   Baylor will face its third ranked opponent of the season when No. 15 Oklahoma State comes to town.
  *   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.
  *   Tyler Isgrig leads the Bears so far this season in points with seven, off of two goals and three assists. She has played the fifth most minutes so far this season (566).
  *   Joining Isgrig with two goals this season are Ashley Merrill, Hallie Augustyn and Callie Conrad, while Hannah Augustyn has one goal to her name.
  *   Azul Alvarez has helped Baylor to three-straight shutout victories over the last two 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).
  *   Merrill was the team’s leading point scorer last season with 25 points from 12 goals and one assist. With her 12 goals, Merrill scored the most goals from an individual player in a single season since Dana Larsen in 2012.
  *   Baylor holds the narrow 14-12-4 all-time record over the Cowgirls, last facing off in 2022 and not competing as conference opponents in 2023.
  *   Baylor also holds the 4-0-1 all-time record over Texas State, last competing on Nov. 12, 2011.

- 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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