Baylor Game Notes

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation

Riding a three-game winning streak, Baylor soccer (10-3-2, 4-2-1) closes out its regular-season home schedule with a matchup against 10th-ranked Texas (12-1-2, 4-1-2) at 7 p.m. Friday at Betty Lou Mays Field.

"It gives you some confidence," coach Paul Jobson said of a winning streak that included road victories last weekend over Kansas State and Kansas, "but you also have to be a little bit cautious that you're not overconfident. Sometimes, teams get hot . . . and they're looking for `how do I get to that next level?' Just do what you're doing. You've got to focus on where you've been good, stay sharp and stay healthy."

One goal has already been achieved. After last week's results, the Bears have already locked down one of the eight spots for the Big 12 Championships Nov. 1-5 in Kansas City, Mo.

"We know now that as we look forward - classes and things like that, that we have to schedule our life around - we know we're going to be gone that week," Jobson said. "But other than that, forget about it. Right now, it's all about UT."

Texas has made a huge turnaround this season under sixth-year head coach Angela Kelly. After missing the Big 12 tournament last year, the Longhorns won their first 11 games and went unbeaten in their first 13 before a 2-1 loss at Kansas last Friday.

Sophomore forward Cyera Hintzen (seven) and freshman midfielder Haley Berg (five) have accounted for 12 of the team's 23 goals, while sophomore goalkeeper Nicole Curry has recorded a Big 12-best nine shutouts and ranks third in the league with a 0.57 goals-against average.

"They've got some great young players that have come in and made a big difference," Jobson said. "They had some success early and there's a lot of belief, but they've got some dangerous players. They're definitely a different team than they were last year, very good, and they're a team that's going to make some noise down the stretch."

Despite losing Kylie Ross for the season and Ariel Leach "for a little bit with an ankle injury," Baylor's defense has remained one of the best in the country. The Bears lead the Big 12 and rank seventh nationally with a 0.381 goals-against average.

Seniors Delanie Davis and Caitlin Schwartz are veteran players have that have stepped up and just "kind of plugged right in" on the back row.

"It's a veteran-type team, and we're deep enough to be able to plug people in in different situations," Jobson said. "We lost Jackie (Crowther) up front, and we've been able to plug people in. It just shows the girls that how they've trained all year, that some of these girls - kind of at the last minute - have been thrown into the fire and been successful. That just shows their commitment to training and their commitment to the team."

Freshman goalkeeper Jennifer Wandt has also been a big part of that defense with five shutouts and a conference-best .402 goals-against average that ranks ninth nationally.

"I think we're just peaking at the right time and we're all meshing together and have been playing together now for a while," Wandt said. "We're just becoming so close on and off the field, and I think that's helped a lot."

Baylor swept the Big 12 Player of the Week awards for the first time in program history, with Wandt (Freshman) and seniors Precious Akanyirige (Defense) and Aline De Lima (Offense) taking home their respective league honors for the first time.

Soccer's match kicks off a Homecoming weekend that includes the parade Saturday morning, a men's basketball exhibition game against Houston at noon Saturday and football's matchup against No. 23 West Virginia at 7 p.m. Saturday at McLane Stadium.

"I think we had kind of the same opportunity when West Virginia was here on a home football weekend," Jobson said of the 2-1 overtime loss to the then-No. 5 Mountaineers on Sept. 22, the day before football threw a scare into third-ranked Oklahoma in a 49-41 loss.

"We had a ton of support, and really we're expecting the same kind of thing. I know we'll have a lot of our (soccer) alumni back, and it will be just a really special weekend for everybody."

Baylor is fresh off a perfect, six-point road weekend in Kansas, becoming the first and only Big 12 school to go 2-0 on a travel weekend in conference play this season.

The Bears and Longhorns meet for the 24th time in the all-time series, with UT holding an 11-8-4 edge. BU has had success under third-year head coach Paul Jobson, going 1-0-1 versus Texas in his first two seasons at the helm of the program.

For the first time in program history, all home matches will feature a live streaming video and radio broadcast, available to subscribers on BaylorBears.com/allaccess.

Baylor has also partnered with La Mejor Waco (106.1 FM) to offer a Spanish radio simulcast of all eight Baylor soccer home matches.

For all updates and an inside look at the program, follow @BaylorFutbol on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

MATCH INFO
Fri., Oct. 20 vs. Texas @ 7 p.m. CT
Betty Lou Mays Field
Stats: www.BaylorBears.com
Audio: www.BaylorBears.com/allaccess
Video: www.BaylorBears.com/allaccess

BAYLOR BEARS
2017 Record: 10-3-2
2017 Big 12 Record: 4-2-1
Head Coach: Paul Jobson
Career: 31-16-7 (3rd season)
BU: 31-16-7 (3rd season)

TEXAS LONGHORNS
2017 Record: 12-1-2
2017 Big 12 Record: 4-1-2
Head Coach: Angela Kelly
Career: 207-123-33 (18th season)
UT: 47-39-14 (6th season)
Series: UT leads, 8-11-4
First Meeting: Oct. 11, 1996
BU won 3-1 in Waco
Last Meeting: Sept. 23, 2016
BU tied 1-1 in Waco
Jobson vs UT: 1-0-1

BAYLOR QUICK NOTES
* Baylor closes out its 2017 home schedule, hosting No. 10 Texas on Friday evening. The match is the first time BU has played a ranked Longhorn squad since 2008 when BU tied, 0-0, with No. 8 UT in Austin.

* Baylor rides a three-match win streak, including becoming the first and only Big 12 school to log a perfect, six-point road weekend in conference play in 2017.

* Baylor swept all three Big 12 weekly honors for the first time in program history with Precious Akanyirige earning Defensive Player of the Week, Aline De Lima named the Offensive Player of the Week, and Jennifer Wandt taking home the Freshman of the Week honors from the conference office.

* Baylor will look for its first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 22 Oklahoma in Norman on Oct. 7, 2016.

* Baylor ranks seventh in the country and first in the Big 12 in goals-against-average, with a 0.381 mark.

* True freshman goalkeeper Jennifer Wandt ranks ninth in the country and first in the Big 12 in goals-against (.402).

* Baylor's .667 shutout percentage ranks 11th in the country and first in the Big 12.

* Baylor has now had 10 or more wins in 11 of its 22 seasons as a program, six of the last eight, and two-straight under third-year head coach Paul Jobson.

* BU has had at least eight wins in, now, nine straight seasons and has won at least one match at the Big 12 Championship nine times in 14 appearances, including five in a row.

* Junior midfielder Julie James was Baylor's lone representative on the 2017 Preseason All-Big 12 Team after being named 2016 All-Big 12 and NSCAA All-Region.

* Baylor was chosen fifth in the 2017 Big 12 preseason poll after finishing tied for third in 2016.

* From July 23-26, a group of current and former Baylor soccer student-athletes served on a mission trip to Guatemala alongside Baylor FCA. The mission team served the children of Guatemala City and shared the love of Christ through the game of soccer.

* Baylor had 10 or more (13) Academic All-Big 12 selections in 2016 for the 10th straight season (10 first team, three second team).

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