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<h1 align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;text-decoration:none">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – October 27, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Baylor Soccer Prepares for Big 12 Championship<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Bears open up the postseason against Cincinnati<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black;background:white"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">For more information contact:
</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Katy Gilmore; 254-252-2182,
</span><a href="mailto:katy_gilmore@baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">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"><span style="color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><br>
</span><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black;background:yellow">Media link for 2023 Baylor soccer season: </span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#212121"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://baylor.box.com/s/ywfgr2gsxh8uzfn90ufbe2qjfs18yerl" title="https://baylor.box.com/s/ywfgr2gsxh8uzfn90ufbe2qjfs18yerl"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#0078D7;background:yellow">https://baylor.box.com/s/ywfgr2gsxh8uzfn90ufbe2qjfs18yerl</span></a><strong><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;font-weight:normal"><o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph" style="line-height:normal"><strong><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;color:black;font-weight:normal"><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><strong><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;color:black">BAYLOR at BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><strong><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;color:black">vs. Cincinnati</span></strong><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;color:black"><br>
</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Saturday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. CT</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;color:black"><br>
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.2pt">Round Rock Multipurpose Complex
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;color:black"><br>
<span style="background:white">Video: Big 12 Now ESPN+</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:120%;letter-spacing:-.2pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;color:black"><br>
</span></b><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;text-transform:uppercase">BAYLOR (9-6-3)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:-.25pt">H</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.25pt">ead
Coach: Michelle Lenard (North Texas, 2003)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.35pt">Career Record: 214-94-30 (16th season)</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.25pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.25pt">BU Record:
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.35pt">13-17-5 (2nd season)</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.25pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;text-transform:uppercase"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;text-transform:uppercase">CINCINNATI (3-7-7)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:-.25pt">H</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.25pt">ead
Coach: Erica Demers (Oakland, 2004)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.35pt">Career Record: 53-45-26 (7th season)</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.25pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.25pt">UC Record:
</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.35pt">3-7-7 (1st season)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><b><span style="font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;text-transform:uppercase"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph"><b><span style="font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;text-transform:uppercase">Story lines</span></b><b><span style="font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<ul style="margin-top:0in" type="disc">
<li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.1pt">Baylor soccer heads to the 2023 Sprouts Farmers Market Big 12 Soccer Championship in Round
Rock as the No. 8 seed and will play No. 9 seed Cincinnati on Saturday, Oct. 28, at 1 p.m. at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif">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.<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif">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.<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif">The Bears are 9-6-3 on the season so far and have recorded the most wins in a season since the 2018 campaign
when BU made it to the Elite Eight and recorded 20 wins.<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif">The Bears have compiled seven shutout wins so far this season and have scored 31 goals. BU’s seven shutouts
are the most in a season since 2021 when the Bears finished with eight.<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif">BU’s 31 goals this season are also the most since that 2018 season when they totaled 49 and the Bears won a
Big 12 title. <span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif">Eleven different players have scored this season. Ashley Merrill leads the way with 23 points from a team-leading
11 goals and one assist. Isgrig’s 19 points come from six goals and seven assists.<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif">Merrill’s 11 goals on the season are now the most from an individual player in a single season since Dana Larsen
recorded 11 during the 2012 season.<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif">With Isgrig’s seven assists on the season, it marks the most by a Bear since 2018 when Ally Henderson Ashkinos
and Jackie Crowther both had seven as Baylor rolled to a 20-6 ledger that season.<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif">Five newcomers have scored goals so far this season: Callie Conrad, Skylar Zinnecker, Theresa McCullough, Natalie
Vatter and Salma Simonin.<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif">Fifteen different Bears have recorded a point this season.<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif">Goalkeepers Makinzie Short and Ashlee Zirkel have split time in goal this season, with Zirkel starting in seven
of the last eight conference matchups.<span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.1pt">Six Bears have recorded their first-career goals so far this season.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.1pt">The Bears had not recorded a loss through the past five games and held a 3-3-2 record
in conference play before narrowly falling to No. 21 TCU, 1-0, last Sunday.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.1pt">BU’s seven goals against ACU this season was the first seven-goal game since Sept. 18,
2016, when the Bears beat Jackson State at home, 7-0.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.1pt">Also, in the win over ACU, Ashley Merrill recorded the first hat trick for the Bears,
since Taylor Moon did so on March 27, 2021, vs Louisiana. <o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.1pt">Merrill 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 six matches so far this season.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.1pt">BU and Cincinnati last faced off on Oct. 12 at Betty Lou Mays Field in Waco, Texas, when
the teams recorded a 2-2 draw after full time.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.1pt">Baylor is looking for its first Big 12 title since 2017 when it takes the field in Round
Rock against Cincinnati. The Bears have had success in the Big 12 Championship over the years, posting a 15-14-1 record over the years. BU ranks third in the Big 12 in total wins in Big 12 Tournament history. Only Texas A&M and Nebraska have more Big 12 Tournament
victories in their history. <o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.1pt">BU is one of just five schools to hold a winning record in Big 12 Tournament history.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="BasicParagraph" style="mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.1pt">This is the Bears first trip back to the Big 12 Tournament since the 2021 season when
they faced West Virginia as the No. 3 seed and fell in the first round. <o:p></o:p></span></li></ul>
<p class="BasicParagraph" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="BasicParagraph" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">- BaylorBears.com -</span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:"Univers Condensed",sans-serif;letter-spacing:-.1pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<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@01DA08EC.DEE49F80" 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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