Nov. 17, 2010
A record number of fans came through the gates of Betty Lou Mays Field in 2010, and it's easy to see why. With head coach Marci Jobson in her third year at the helm of the Baylor soccer program, the team took another step towards its goal of renewing national prominence.
The 2010 squad finished with the most overall wins (11) since 1999 and the most conference victories (4) since 2001. The Bears, now nationally known for their stifling defense, tied the program record for most shutouts in a season with 11 and tied the 1997 team for the most home wins in Baylor history with nine.
Baylor opened the season with three-straight wins for the first time since 2003. Sophomore Hanna Gilmore was rewarded for her stellar performance in the first two games, recording two goals and an assist and being named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in her career. She became the first player to win a conference award more than once since Megan Sherrell did so in 2007.
Following the team's first loss of the year at Arizona State, the Bears went unbeaten in five-straight games. They compiled a 4-0-1 record and outscored their opponents, 16-0 during that stretch with five-consecutive shutouts.
In conference play, Baylor reeled off back-to-back conference wins for the first time since 2007, defeating Nebraska (2-1) and No. 22 Colorado (1-0, 2OT). The win over Colorado was the first over a ranked team since a 2-1 victory over No. 22 Texas on Sept. 26, 2005. The pair of wins garnered BU votes in the top-25 for the first time since 2001, and garnered junior goalkeeper, Courtney Seelhorst the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week award for the first time in her career after making 12 saves in the two games. In addition, she was named one of CollegeSoccer360.com's Primetime Performers of the Week.
The Bears picked up another Big 12 win on Oct. 17, defeating Kansas 1-0 in Lawrence, Kan. Gilmore slotted a penalty-kick goal in double overtime for the victory, her second PK success in as many games.
Baylor's final game of the season found them toe-to-toe with Texas Tech in Waco, as the Bears came away with a 1-0 win over the Red Raiders. The win gave the Bears the "Battle of the Brand" for the first time, as the two teams have vied for the cup each year since 2006.
In addition to the success on the field, the Bears were very successful in the classroom as well. Twelve members of the Baylor soccer team were named to the Academic All-Big 12 team, as the 12 student-athletes and 11 first-team members were the second-most by any school. The Bears featured two of the conference's five perfect 4.00 GPA's, as Bethany Johnston (Jr., Biochemistry) and Dana Larsen (So., Biochemistry) were named to the first team for the second and first time, respectively. The team also placed a school record, six student-athletes on the CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District Team. Lucy Quintana and Dana Larsen were named to the first team, while Brittany Hunemuller earned second-team honors and Courtney Seelhorst, Bethany Johnston and Lisa Sliwinski were selected to the third team. The six student-athletes, who each earned this honor for the first time in their careers, surpassed the previous program high of three which was set in 2002 and led all Big 12 schools.
Individually on the field, junior goalkeeper, Courtney Seelhorst recorded eight solo shutouts on the year, tying her with Dawn Greathouse for second in most solo shutouts in a season. In addition, her 0.812 GAA on the year ranks her second all-time for goals-against average in a season at BU.
With so much success on and off the field, the lights at Betty Lou Mays Field figure to shine even brighter for the Bears moving forward.
"For the second year in a row, we have been able to raise our standards in the win column," Jobson said. "Ultimately we want to be in the NCAA tournament every year and we were just a few games away this year which has really motivated our team as we move forward. We were able to get a lot of young kids some great experience once again this year and our returners, along with our incoming kids, should continue our growth as a team."
