Kooiman’s Hat Trick Propels Baylor to First Home Win over West Virginia

Thursday, October 3

Waco, TX

7 p.m.

Baylor

6-3-3, 2-1-0

West Virginia

6-4-1, 1-1-0

West Virginia

Baylor

Photo by: Baylor Photography

Kooiman’s Hat Trick Propels Baylor to First Home Win over West Virginia

10/3/2019 11:17:00 PM | Soccer

Box Score BOX SCORE

Baylor Soccer becomes first Big 12 team to net four goals vs. WVU since 2012

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Through the first 11 games of her collegiate career, Baylor freshman Elizabeth Kooiman had plenty of chances with 22 shots and a team-leading 11 shots on goal.
            And nothing to show for it. Zero goals.
            That changed in a big way Thursday night at Betty Lou Mays Field when the freshman forward from San Jose, Calif., had a hat trick with three second-half goals in Baylor soccer's 4-2 win over West Virginia.
            "That's exciting for a freshman," said Baylor coach Paul Jobson, whose team improved to 6-3-3 overall and 2-1 in the Big 12 with its first home-field win over West Virginia. "She's been showing a lot, and for her to be rewarded for her efforts and consistency of play, I couldn't be happier."
            Kooiman said it was "awesome" to finally put some of her chances away and score her first collegiate goals.
            "I think this will really help my confidence," she said, "knowing that I can finish goals and help the team that way."
            Bouncing back from a frustrating 4-1 loss to Kansas on Sunday, the Bears became the first Big 12 team to score four goals against the Mountaineers (6-4-1, 1-1-0) and first to record two regular-season victories over WVU since it joined the league in 2012.
            Baylor dominated play in the first half with an 8-2 edge in shots, but went into the break with the game still a scoreless tie.
            "When we played Kansas, we played that way. We just gave up a bad goal in the first half," Jobson said. "We made some mistakes, and good teams will punish you. We played better defense today. We were solid, and that was really the difference, and we put the ball in the back of the net. We finished our chances against arguably one of the top two goalkeepers in the conference."
            Kooiman got on the board for the first time in the 50^th minute, taking a corner kick from Ally Henderson and scoring on what was supposed to be a cross to the back side. Instead, goalkeeper Rylee Foster mistimed her jump as the ball snuck into the left corner of the net.
            "It was supposed to be a cross, but it went in, so I guess that works," Kooiman said.
            Henderson recorded her team-high fifth assist of the season and ran her streak to assists in four consecutive games, the second-best in program history.
            That 1-0 lead lasted for all of six minutes when Baylor defender Danielle Hayden headed in an own goal off a cross to the back side.
            "We were in a position exactly where we wanted her, and that happens sometimes," Jobson said. "For the team to rally behind her and come back with another goal really made the difference."
            Senior forward Raegan Padgett said the team lifted up Hayden and told her, "Hey, Dani, forget about it, we got you."
            Less than two minutes later, Kooiman had a breakaway run up the middle and won a one-on-one with Foster near the top of the box to net her second goal and give the Bears the lead right back.
            Keeping the pressure on, Padgett scored her third goal of the season and 15^th of her career off Sarah Norman's free kick. And then Kooiman finished her hat trick when she took a Padgett pass and kicked it in from the right side.
            "It was the most amazing feeling," Padgett said of Kooiman's hat trick, the first by a Baylor freshman in 23 years, the 18^th in program history overall and first since Lisa Sliwinski versus Houston Baptist on Aug. 27, 2010. "Whenever teammates get that, it feels like we got it, like I got a hat trick. It's so exciting and doesn't happen often. It's a really special thing."
            West Virginia scored again in the 82^nd minute, when a high-arching shot by Lizzie Mayfield curled into the back left corner of the net. Baylor goalkeeper Jennifer Wandt came up with four saves, including one early in the second half, while Foster had eight saves on the Bears' 12 shots on goal.
            "It showed some maturity on this team," Jobson said of the Bears bouncing back from Sunday's road loss at Kansas. "We lost 4-1 (to Kansas), but we played really well. I think I told you guys before the game, if we just tighten our screws, we would have some success. That was the difference from Sunday to today."
            Baylor takes the weekend off before facing TCU (7-4-1, 1-1-1) at 7 p.m. next Thursday, Oct. 10, in Fort Worth. The Horned Frogs lost 1-0 at Texas Thursday night and will play Iowa State on Sunday in Ames.

THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas – Baylor (6-3-3, 2-1) became the first Big 12 team to beat West Virginia (6-4-1, 1-1) twice in conference play since the Mountaineers joined the league in 2012 as the Bears won 4-2 Thursday night in Waco.
After entering halftime knotted in a scoreless tie, Baylor struck first with a goal in the 50^th minute. Ally Henderson lined up a corner kick which she kicked short to Elizabeth Kooiman who, from 20 yards out, rocketed a goal to the upper left corner of the net. It marked the freshman forward's first career goal. It also gave Henderson an assist in four straight games, a streak that ties for second in the program record books.
An own goal in the 57^th minute tied things up, but the score didn't stay even for long.
Kooiman was back for more as she stole the ball on a run up the middle and booted a goal past Rylee Foster to give the Bears back the lead.
Less than two minutes later, it was Raegan Padgett's turn to join the scoresheet with her third goal of the season. Sarah Norman had a free kick in the attacking third that Padgett finished off in front of the goal.
Kooiman topped off the scoring for the Bears in the 79^th minute. Marissa Gray launched the ball over the top to Padgett, whose cross was originally aimed for Taylor Moon but fell at the feet of Kooiman who took it from there.
West Virginia got a late goal in the 82^nd minute by Lizzie Mayfield.
Baylor held a 17-10 advantage in shots with 12 of them on goal. Every shot Kooiman took went in.

HIGHLIGHTS

Elizabeth Kooiman scored her first goal of the season in the 50^th minute.
Kooiman became the first Bear to net a hat trick since Lisa Sliwinski did so against Houston Baptist on Aug. 27, 2010. Kooiman is also the first freshman Bear to do so since Baylor's inaugural season in 1996.
Raegan Padgett got her third goal of the year in the 60^th minute. She also recorded her first assist of the season.
Ally Henderson now has five assists on the season. She also has recorded an assist in each of the last four matches, a streak that is tied for second in the Baylor record book.
Thursday marks the first win over West Virginia for the Bears in Waco.

STAT OF THE GAME

3 - Number of goals for Elizabeth Kooiman

TOP QUOTES
Paul Jobson on the win…
"We played better defense today. We were solid and that was really the difference, and we put the ball in the back of the net. We finished our chances against arguably one of the top two goalkeepers in the conference. They don't lose a lot of games. They're fantastically coached. They're talented. Our pressure was a lot tonight, and I just credit our girls for being consistent."

Elizabeth Kooiman on her hat trick…
"It was pretty awesome, finally getting to put some chances away and just finishing the shots that I've been taking."

Raegan Padgett on the win…
"We have a new team and we've been having a little bit of a bumpy road. We've had great games but (haven't gotten) the score that we want. … It was really cool to see us come together and respond In such an awesome way, a huge way at home."

UP NEXT
Baylor has the weekend off before taking on TCU in Fort Worth on Thursday, Oct. 10. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.