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<h1 align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;text-decoration:none">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – October 23, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;color:black">Baylor Soccer Takes Down Houston in Regular-Season Finale, 3-2<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white">Bears move on to the Big 12 Tournament in Round Rock<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">For more information contact:
</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Katy Gilmore; 254-252-2182, </span><a href="mailto:katy_gilmore@baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">katy_gilmore@baylor.edu</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:none">THE RUNDOWN</span></b><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><br>
</span><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">HOUSTON, Texas – </span></strong><span style="color:black;background:white">Baylor soccer took down Houston, 3-2, Monday night at the Carl Lewis International Complex to secure its spot
in the 2023 Sprouts Farmers Market Big 12 Soccer Championship.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white">The Bears struck first, when Jenna Patterson connected with Salma Simonin, who found the back of the net in the 10<sup>th</sup> minute.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white">Houston responded quickly, finding the equalizer just 35 seconds later to tie the game at 1-1.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white">Callie Conrad, Hannah Boughton and Simonin each followed the Houston goal with shots of their own, but it wasn’t until the 35<sup>th</sup> minute that the Bears would capitalize again. Ashley Merrill
put in all the work for her 10<sup>th</sup> goal of the season and found the back of the net off of her right boot.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white">Skye Leach put the last shot of the first half on frame, but the Cougars came up with the save as the Bears took their 2-1 lead into the half.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white">Baylor created chances early in the second half, with their best look coming from Merrill in the 65<sup>th</sup> minute when her shot went off the top crossbar.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white">Houston found the tying goal again in the 68<sup>th</sup> minute, to knot the game at 2-2.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white">Not satisfied with the tie, the Bears got off six more shots before finding the lead again in the 81<sup>st</sup> minute, as Merrill found the brace, again unassisted, to score her 11<sup>th</sup>
goal of the season. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black;background:white">Baylor goalkeeper Ashlee Zirkel only had to make one save in the remaining nine minutes of the match, as the Cougars only put one shot on frame in the second half.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><br>
<strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">HIGHLIGHTS</span></strong><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="color:black;margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;text-autospace:none">
<span style="color:windowtext">The Bears outshot the Cougars 19-9</span><span style="background:white"><o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="color:black;margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;text-autospace:none">
<span style="color:windowtext">19 shots are the third-most in a single match this season</span><span style="background:white"><o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="color:black;margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;text-autospace:none">
<span style="color:windowtext">Ashley Merrill’s 11<sup>th</sup> goal on the season is now the most from an individual player in a single season since Dana Larsen in 2012</span><span style="background:white"><o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="color:black;margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;text-autospace:none">
<span style="background:white">This is Merrill’s second multi-goal game of the season<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="color:black;margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;text-autospace:none">
<span style="background:white">Salma SImonin netted her third career goal<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="color:black;margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;text-autospace:none">
<span style="background:white">Jenna Patterson recorded her fifth assist of the season, which ties for second-most this season<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="color:black;margin-left:0in;mso-add-space:auto;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;text-autospace:none">
<span style="background:white">The Bears’ nine wins on the season are the most since the 2018 campaign<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black"><br>
<strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">WHAT'S NEXT</span></strong><br>
<span style="background:white">Up next, the Bears will head to the 2023 Sprouts Farmers Market Big 12 Soccer Championship in Round Rock and will play on Saturday, Oct. 28, more details on time and opponent will be released later.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="color:black;background:white"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><em><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">- BaylorBears.com - </span></em><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ligatures:none">-- <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">__________________________________</span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:6.5pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"> </span></b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#154734;mso-ligatures:none">Katy Gilmore</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"> | Associate Director of Athletic Communications</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Department of Athletics | Baylor University</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">O: 254-710-2743 | C: 254-252-2182</span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:7.5pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"> </span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://baylorbears.com/" title="http://baylorbears.com/"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:windowtext;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="160" height="44" style="width:1.6666in;height:.4583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01DA0608.66DA2B90" alt="cidimage002.png@01D79F3C.9D2300D0"></span></a><span style="font-size:12.0pt;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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