Thursday, September 13
Waco, Texas
7:00 PM CT
Baylor
vs
Butler
SOC Hosts No. 23 Butler, UTRGV in Final Nonconference Slate
9/12/2018 4:19:00 PM | Soccer
Bears welcome Bulldogs, Vaqueros for last tune up before Big 12 play
MATCH INFO
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Even in Sunday's 3-1 road loss at No. 22 Arizona, Baylor coach Paul Jobson saw moments where the Bears (5-3-0) "were a really good team."
"Just not enough of them," said Jobson, whose team hosts 23rd-ranked Butler (6-1-0) at 7 p.m. Thursday and UTRGV (4-2-1) at 2 p.m. Sunday at Betty Lou Mays Field. "That's what we have to realize is that in our league and the level we're playing at, it's going to be from minute 1 to minute 90."
While Baylor has played one of the toughest schedules in the country – the three losses have all been on the road against teams that have lost a combined three games – Jobson said the Bears have to improve their focus and intensity to be the team they want to be.
"What we've had to realize over the last weekend is that there are certain aspects to our game that we've got to make sure we're bringing for 90 minutes," he said. "We can't let our foot off the gas for any moment. We have to be tuned in the entire game. And I think that's what we're identifying is, 'OK, we know that's who we want to be, now we know what that actually looks like and what that requires of our team for an entire match and even two matches in a weekend."
Uncharacteristically, Baylor has allowed 1.25 goals per game, giving up three in each of the three losses. Freshmen Danielle Hayden and Kayley Ables make up half of the back line, while sophomore goalkeeper Jennifer Wandt recorded back-to-back solo shutouts after splitting the first five games with junior Hannah Parrish.
"I think we're starting to really mesh in terms of learning each other's styles, learning how to communicate with each other, learning what our strengths and weaknesses are," said senior defender Ariel Leach. "Just having (senior Sarah King) back as a leader has been huge. And then, Danny stepping up has saved us a lot of times in the back. . . . I've been really encouraged by how encouraging and hard-working the back line has been."
Jobson said the youth in the back end hasn't been the issue, "it's because of team defense."
"As a coach and a team that really want to play good team defense, that's something we have to stress a little better," he said. "More about the identity that we're going to win and lose together, we're going to live and die together, and we've got to do better defensively as a unit."
Senior midfielder Julie James has been on a tear of late, scoring each of the goals in the team's two games in Arizona last weekend and four combined over the last three games. She's scored a career-high five goals this season and 15 for her career.
"I think we've seen some really good pieces coming together. We're scoring a lot of really good goals, and we do have quite a few shutouts," said sophomore midfielder Emily Bunnell. "It's just being consistently good, consistently putting performance after performance together. That's really the true mark of a great team in this league."
Ranked in each of the three national polls, including 18th by Top Drawer Soccer, Butler has won two in a row since a 1-0 loss at Kansas 11 days ago. The Bulldogs' 4-0 start was their best in 18 years and included a 4-1 win over then-No. 20 Notre Dame.
The Butler matchup continues a rugged non-conference schedule for Baylor that included road trips to South Florida, Florida Atlantic, Arkansas and Arizona, where the Bears faced UA and Arizona State in the Arizona Tournament.
"We've had a tough non-conference schedule, and that was intentional, to really see where we are," Jobson said. "And I think we've done that. . . . We knew getting (Butler) on the schedule would be a good game. Now, it ends up they're a top-25 team. As far as strength of schedule, that's going to be a good match for us when you look at NCAA Tournament stuff down the road. Hopefully, that's something we're leaning toward. We knew it would be a good game, but it's turned out to be a better game than we thought it would be in the beginning."
Senior forward Paige Monaghan, the Big East Preseason Big East Offensive Player of the Year, leads Butler with two goals and five assists.
Freshman Emily Zapata and junior forward Sarah Bonney lead UTRGV with five and four goals, respectively, while junior goalkeeper Kinga Szemik has allowed nine goals in seven games and has played for Poland's U20 and U17 teams.
WACO, Texas – Baylor will get two more chances to fine tune its roster ahead of next week's start to Big 12 play, hosting No. 23 Butler (6-1-0) and UT Rio Grande Valley (4-2-1) in a Thursday-Sunday weekend split at Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field.
For Baylor, the two matches stand as the final regular season nonconference matches before kicking off the Big 12 schedule with Texas on Friday, Sep. 21, in Austin.
Thursday's match with Butler is this season's Salute to Heroes match, honoring first responders, military members and their families. Discounted tickets are available for those heroes and their families and the first 500 fans will receive a special edition color changing cup.
Sunday's match with UTRGV is the first Hispanic Heritage match, promoted in partnership with Baylor's Department of Multicultural Affairs and the Student-Athlete Center for Excellence. There will be a pregame tailgate with free tacos and churros from a local food truck, and an online promo code for discounted tickets for the general public.
For the first time in program history, all home matches will offer a free live video stream on Facebook.com/BaylorFutbol.
Baylor soccer has also entered year two of a partnership with La Mejor (106.1 FM) to offer a Spanish radio broadcast of all the games at Betty Lou Mays this season.
Season tickets for general public, youth, single-game tickets and four-packs are now on sale. Get your tickets on BaylorBears.com/tickets or by calling 254-710-1000.
The Legacy Fund membership is an exclusive support club that enhances the Baylor Soccer program. Becoming a Legacy member allows you to get an insider look at Baylor soccer and to support the team in every aspect of the program's success. For more information on the Legacy Fund, visit baylorbears.com/bearfoundation or call 254-710-3197.
Keep up with the team all season long by following Baylor Soccer on the team's official Twitter (@BaylorFutbol), Facebook (Baylor Soccer), and Instagram (@BaylorFutbol).
MATCH INFO
Thurs., Sep. 13 vs. Butler @ 7 p.m. CT
Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field (Waco, Texas)
Stats: BaylorBears.com/stats
TV/Video: Facebook.com/BaylorFutbol
Tickets: BaylorBears.com/tickets
Sun., Sep. 16 vs. UTRGV @ 2 p.m. CT
Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field (Waco, Texas)Stats: BaylorBears.com/stats
TV/Video: Facebook.com/BaylorFutbol
Tickets: BaylorBears.com/tickets
BAYLOR BEARS
2018 Record: 5-3-0
2017 Record: 15-6-3
Head Coach: Paul Jobson
Career: 61-36-14 (6th season)
BU: 61-36-14 (6th season)
BUTLER BULLDOGS
2018 Record: 6-1-0
2017 Record: 13-2-6
Co-Head Coaches: Tari St. John & Rob Alman
Career: 128-100-25 (13th season)
Butler: 128-100-25 (13th season)
BU vs. BUTLER SERIES
Series: First Meeting
UT RIO GRANDE VALLEY VAQUEROS
2018 Record: 4-2-1
2017 Record: 9-8-3
Head Coach: Glad Bugariu
Career: 129-106-23 (14th season)
UTRGV: 36-39-12 (5th season)
BU vs. UTRGV SERIES
Series: First Meeting
BAYLOR QUICK NOTES
* Baylor closes its final nonconference week of competition with another strong slate of competition, returning home for its first full week at home since the opening week of the season.
* Baylor is 3-0 at home this season, outscoring opponents 14-1, including totaling 12 goals over two opponents (Samford and Nebraska) that were receiving votes in the weeks they traveled to Betty Lou.
* Butler will test Baylor as the highest-ranked team the Bears have faced this season, checking in at No. 23 in the week's United Soccer Coaches poll, and as high as No. 18 by Top Drawer Soccer among the various other national polls.
* Both Butler and UTRGV are new opponents for Baylor, with neither program having faced the Bears previously. Butler's program is in its 27th season, while UTRGV enters year five, all under head coach Glad Bugariu.
* Butler and Baylor have a shared coaching history, with George Van Linder getting his first head coaching job with the Bulldogs from 1996-1998 before going on to serve as the Baylor head coach from 2003-2007.
* Butler assistant coach Robert Klatte is also a Baylor graduate, spending his time at Baylor as a player and head coach on the men's club soccer team.
* Julie James has already posted a career scoring output just four weeks into her senior season, with her five goals standing as a career-high season goals mark and matching her 2016 season-end points total with 11. She is second in the Big 12 in both marks.
* Freshman Taylor Moon gave Baylor consecutive weeks with the conference's top freshman honors, earning Big 12 Freshman of the Week for her game-winning assist in the win at Florida Atlantic.
* Freshman Maddie Algya was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week after her week one performance, leading the conference in goals, assists, and points in the opening weekend of play.
* Baylor enters the weekend ranked 16th in the country in total goals (20) and 19th in total points (56), leading the Big 12 in both stats through the first four weeks.
* Jennifer Wandt's assist in a 6-0 win vs. Nebraska marked the fifth time and just the third different BU goalkeeper to assist on a score in program history, the first since Michelle Kloss (vs. Prairie View A&M, 9/19/10).
* Jackie Crowther and Giuliana Cunningham scored goals within just 20 seconds of each other in the win over Nebraska, the quickest consecutive goals in program history.
* Raegan Padgett notched the fastest goal to start a match in program history, scoring the first goal vs. Samford (Aug. 19) just 35 seconds into the match.
* Baylor has had 10 or more wins in 11 of its 22 seasons as a program, six of the last eight, and two-straight under sixth-year head coach Paul Jobson. The 15 wins for BU in 2017 was the most since the 2012 squad set a program record with 19 wins.
* Baylor has had at least eight wins in nine straight seasons and has won or advanced by shootout in at least one match at the Big 12 Championship 10 times in 15 appearances, including six in a row.
* From May 9-12, a group of current and former Baylor soccer student-athletes returned for the second-straight year to serve 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.
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Even in Sunday's 3-1 road loss at No. 22 Arizona, Baylor coach Paul Jobson saw moments where the Bears (5-3-0) "were a really good team."
"Just not enough of them," said Jobson, whose team hosts 23rd-ranked Butler (6-1-0) at 7 p.m. Thursday and UTRGV (4-2-1) at 2 p.m. Sunday at Betty Lou Mays Field. "That's what we have to realize is that in our league and the level we're playing at, it's going to be from minute 1 to minute 90."
While Baylor has played one of the toughest schedules in the country – the three losses have all been on the road against teams that have lost a combined three games – Jobson said the Bears have to improve their focus and intensity to be the team they want to be.
"What we've had to realize over the last weekend is that there are certain aspects to our game that we've got to make sure we're bringing for 90 minutes," he said. "We can't let our foot off the gas for any moment. We have to be tuned in the entire game. And I think that's what we're identifying is, 'OK, we know that's who we want to be, now we know what that actually looks like and what that requires of our team for an entire match and even two matches in a weekend."
Uncharacteristically, Baylor has allowed 1.25 goals per game, giving up three in each of the three losses. Freshmen Danielle Hayden and Kayley Ables make up half of the back line, while sophomore goalkeeper Jennifer Wandt recorded back-to-back solo shutouts after splitting the first five games with junior Hannah Parrish.
"I think we're starting to really mesh in terms of learning each other's styles, learning how to communicate with each other, learning what our strengths and weaknesses are," said senior defender Ariel Leach. "Just having (senior Sarah King) back as a leader has been huge. And then, Danny stepping up has saved us a lot of times in the back. . . . I've been really encouraged by how encouraging and hard-working the back line has been."
Jobson said the youth in the back end hasn't been the issue, "it's because of team defense."
"As a coach and a team that really want to play good team defense, that's something we have to stress a little better," he said. "More about the identity that we're going to win and lose together, we're going to live and die together, and we've got to do better defensively as a unit."
Senior midfielder Julie James has been on a tear of late, scoring each of the goals in the team's two games in Arizona last weekend and four combined over the last three games. She's scored a career-high five goals this season and 15 for her career.
"I think we've seen some really good pieces coming together. We're scoring a lot of really good goals, and we do have quite a few shutouts," said sophomore midfielder Emily Bunnell. "It's just being consistently good, consistently putting performance after performance together. That's really the true mark of a great team in this league."
Ranked in each of the three national polls, including 18th by Top Drawer Soccer, Butler has won two in a row since a 1-0 loss at Kansas 11 days ago. The Bulldogs' 4-0 start was their best in 18 years and included a 4-1 win over then-No. 20 Notre Dame.
The Butler matchup continues a rugged non-conference schedule for Baylor that included road trips to South Florida, Florida Atlantic, Arkansas and Arizona, where the Bears faced UA and Arizona State in the Arizona Tournament.
"We've had a tough non-conference schedule, and that was intentional, to really see where we are," Jobson said. "And I think we've done that. . . . We knew getting (Butler) on the schedule would be a good game. Now, it ends up they're a top-25 team. As far as strength of schedule, that's going to be a good match for us when you look at NCAA Tournament stuff down the road. Hopefully, that's something we're leaning toward. We knew it would be a good game, but it's turned out to be a better game than we thought it would be in the beginning."
Senior forward Paige Monaghan, the Big East Preseason Big East Offensive Player of the Year, leads Butler with two goals and five assists.
Freshman Emily Zapata and junior forward Sarah Bonney lead UTRGV with five and four goals, respectively, while junior goalkeeper Kinga Szemik has allowed nine goals in seven games and has played for Poland's U20 and U17 teams.
WACO, Texas – Baylor will get two more chances to fine tune its roster ahead of next week's start to Big 12 play, hosting No. 23 Butler (6-1-0) and UT Rio Grande Valley (4-2-1) in a Thursday-Sunday weekend split at Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field.
For Baylor, the two matches stand as the final regular season nonconference matches before kicking off the Big 12 schedule with Texas on Friday, Sep. 21, in Austin.
Thursday's match with Butler is this season's Salute to Heroes match, honoring first responders, military members and their families. Discounted tickets are available for those heroes and their families and the first 500 fans will receive a special edition color changing cup.
Sunday's match with UTRGV is the first Hispanic Heritage match, promoted in partnership with Baylor's Department of Multicultural Affairs and the Student-Athlete Center for Excellence. There will be a pregame tailgate with free tacos and churros from a local food truck, and an online promo code for discounted tickets for the general public.
For the first time in program history, all home matches will offer a free live video stream on Facebook.com/BaylorFutbol.
Baylor soccer has also entered year two of a partnership with La Mejor (106.1 FM) to offer a Spanish radio broadcast of all the games at Betty Lou Mays this season.
Season tickets for general public, youth, single-game tickets and four-packs are now on sale. Get your tickets on BaylorBears.com/tickets or by calling 254-710-1000.
The Legacy Fund membership is an exclusive support club that enhances the Baylor Soccer program. Becoming a Legacy member allows you to get an insider look at Baylor soccer and to support the team in every aspect of the program's success. For more information on the Legacy Fund, visit baylorbears.com/bearfoundation or call 254-710-3197.
Keep up with the team all season long by following Baylor Soccer on the team's official Twitter (@BaylorFutbol), Facebook (Baylor Soccer), and Instagram (@BaylorFutbol).
MATCH INFO
Thurs., Sep. 13 vs. Butler @ 7 p.m. CT
Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field (Waco, Texas)
Stats: BaylorBears.com/stats
TV/Video: Facebook.com/BaylorFutbol
Tickets: BaylorBears.com/tickets
Sun., Sep. 16 vs. UTRGV @ 2 p.m. CT
Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field (Waco, Texas)Stats: BaylorBears.com/stats
TV/Video: Facebook.com/BaylorFutbol
Tickets: BaylorBears.com/tickets
BAYLOR BEARS
2018 Record: 5-3-0
2017 Record: 15-6-3
Head Coach: Paul Jobson
Career: 61-36-14 (6th season)
BU: 61-36-14 (6th season)
BUTLER BULLDOGS
2018 Record: 6-1-0
2017 Record: 13-2-6
Co-Head Coaches: Tari St. John & Rob Alman
Career: 128-100-25 (13th season)
Butler: 128-100-25 (13th season)
BU vs. BUTLER SERIES
Series: First Meeting
UT RIO GRANDE VALLEY VAQUEROS
2018 Record: 4-2-1
2017 Record: 9-8-3
Head Coach: Glad Bugariu
Career: 129-106-23 (14th season)
UTRGV: 36-39-12 (5th season)
BU vs. UTRGV SERIES
Series: First Meeting
BAYLOR QUICK NOTES
* Baylor closes its final nonconference week of competition with another strong slate of competition, returning home for its first full week at home since the opening week of the season.
* Baylor is 3-0 at home this season, outscoring opponents 14-1, including totaling 12 goals over two opponents (Samford and Nebraska) that were receiving votes in the weeks they traveled to Betty Lou.
* Butler will test Baylor as the highest-ranked team the Bears have faced this season, checking in at No. 23 in the week's United Soccer Coaches poll, and as high as No. 18 by Top Drawer Soccer among the various other national polls.
* Both Butler and UTRGV are new opponents for Baylor, with neither program having faced the Bears previously. Butler's program is in its 27th season, while UTRGV enters year five, all under head coach Glad Bugariu.
* Butler and Baylor have a shared coaching history, with George Van Linder getting his first head coaching job with the Bulldogs from 1996-1998 before going on to serve as the Baylor head coach from 2003-2007.
* Butler assistant coach Robert Klatte is also a Baylor graduate, spending his time at Baylor as a player and head coach on the men's club soccer team.
* Julie James has already posted a career scoring output just four weeks into her senior season, with her five goals standing as a career-high season goals mark and matching her 2016 season-end points total with 11. She is second in the Big 12 in both marks.
* Freshman Taylor Moon gave Baylor consecutive weeks with the conference's top freshman honors, earning Big 12 Freshman of the Week for her game-winning assist in the win at Florida Atlantic.
* Freshman Maddie Algya was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week after her week one performance, leading the conference in goals, assists, and points in the opening weekend of play.
* Baylor enters the weekend ranked 16th in the country in total goals (20) and 19th in total points (56), leading the Big 12 in both stats through the first four weeks.
* Jennifer Wandt's assist in a 6-0 win vs. Nebraska marked the fifth time and just the third different BU goalkeeper to assist on a score in program history, the first since Michelle Kloss (vs. Prairie View A&M, 9/19/10).
* Jackie Crowther and Giuliana Cunningham scored goals within just 20 seconds of each other in the win over Nebraska, the quickest consecutive goals in program history.
* Raegan Padgett notched the fastest goal to start a match in program history, scoring the first goal vs. Samford (Aug. 19) just 35 seconds into the match.
* Baylor has had 10 or more wins in 11 of its 22 seasons as a program, six of the last eight, and two-straight under sixth-year head coach Paul Jobson. The 15 wins for BU in 2017 was the most since the 2012 squad set a program record with 19 wins.
* Baylor has had at least eight wins in nine straight seasons and has won or advanced by shootout in at least one match at the Big 12 Championship 10 times in 15 appearances, including six in a row.
* From May 9-12, a group of current and former Baylor soccer student-athletes returned for the second-straight year to serve 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.
#SicEm
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