WE HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING YET
10/11/2025 2:54:00 PM | Soccer
SOC: Bears sit atop Big 12 standings after 4-2 victory over BYU
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas – This is rarefied air for Baylor soccer.
Not only are the 14th-ranked Bears (10-1-2, 5-1-0) back on top of the Big 12 standings for the first time since winning it all in 2018, they are now getting everyone's best shot.
"Because we're winning and we're ranked high right now, there are no surprises. So, teams are coming in really well-prepared against us," coach Michelle Lenard said after Baylor twice rallied from one-goal deficits to knock off BYU, 4-2, Friday night at Betty Lou Mays Field. "The Big 12, as a whole, looks really good. So, every game is going to be like this. It's going to be a battle."
Facing a BYU team (7-4-2, 2-3-1) that has made seven-straight NCAA Tournament appearances and been to the College Cup twice in the last four years, the Bears gave up multiple goals for the first time this season. Baylor came into the game ranked No. 2 in the nation in goals-against average (0.33), allowing just four goals in its first 12 games.
"We haven't given up many goals, so it kind of threw us off for a second," senior midfielder Tyler Isgrig said. "There was a momentum that kind of went downhill in the first half. But Michelle has done a great job, just believing in us, trusting in our abilities, and they haven't changed anything. There's been full trust, even when we're down in those moments."
It wasn't just that they responded at all, it was how quickly they answered when BYU scored. After the Cougars' Mattyn Summers-Oviatt got a shot past goalkeeper Azul Alvarez to put BYU up 1-0, senior midfielder Kai Hayes scored her third-career goal and second of the season in a scrum off a corner kick by Isgrig.
"Kai is like the heartbeat of this team," Lenard said. "She works her butt off all the time. She's relentless, she's physical, she's tough. She will do anything it takes to win. And you could just see it in her, in that moment, she was going to find a way to put the ball in the back of the net. And that's how Kai is all the time."
Hayes, who transferred last year after four seasons at North Carolina, said there's a foundation on the team that "whenever we get scored on, we know, 'Hey, we're still in this game.'''
"We just have to put a couple more passes together and finish it off," she said. "And we have those game-changers, those people that can knock it in the back of the net."
One of those is certainly Isgrig. An All-Freshman Team pick at TCU in 2022 and Baylor's lone Preseason All-Big 12 selection, she has scored six or more goals in each of her four seasons at the collegiate level.
In one of the quickest responses you will ever see in a college soccer game, Isgrig took a pass from junior forward Theresa McCullough in the middle of the field and blasted a shot from about 25 feet that found the bottom right corner of the goal just 13 seconds after BYU's Ellie Walbruch gave the Cougars a very brief 2-1 lead.
"They kind of shifted and thought we were going to go long," Isgrig said. "So, I was like, 'Hallie (Augustyn), just drop (the kickoff) in the middle.' And that worked. I was able to drive the middle. We scout our opponents, and we knew those low, hard-driven shots are tough (for a taller keeper). We completely did something we'd never done before. And I'm glad it worked, because if it hadn't, they'd probably be like, 'What are y'all doing?'''
Just six minutes later, Isgrig went high this time and found the top right of the goal past the outstretched hands of BYU keeper Paiton Collins to give the Bears their first lead, 3-2. She matched her career high with her seventh goal of the season while netting her third brace (two goals) of the season and fifth of her career.
"This year, playing an attacking mid, a lot of times I'm in these positions where I'm able to drive at the back line," Isgrig said. "At first, it was hard to adjust, because the looks you get at the 10 (attacking midfielder) versus the left or right wing are a little bit different. Their back line was starting to drop, so I was like, 'Okay, let me just keep taking my space and keep daring them to step up to me.' Them doing that, I just used it against them. And I was confident on the shot."
A year ago, the Bears let a 3-1 lead on the road get away from them in a 3-3 tie with BYU. This time, they kept the foot on the gas and added an insurance goal from McCullough in the 84th minute off assists from Hayes and Vanderbilt transfer Nyela Calnek.
Since losing to Texas Tech, 1-0, on a penalty kick, Baylor has reeled off a five-game winning streak, outscoring its opponents, 15-3, in that stretch. And with the 11th-ranked Red Raiders (10-1-2, 4-0-2) settling for a 1-1 tie against No. 17 TCU (10-2-1, 4-1-1) Friday night in Lubbock, the Bears now sit in first place all alone with 15 points.
"It's nice to be in first, but we haven't won anything yet," Lenard said. "In this conference, a lot could change every single game. Next week is TCU (Thursday night in Fort Worth), so that's going to be a really big one. Both of us are in a position of finishing that game in first, and they're going to want it as well. We've got to recuperate after this one, get back to work and come ready, because you don't win championships easily."
Fourth in the latest NCAA RPI rankings, behind only Notre Dame, Virginia and Tennessee, Baylor is line to not only make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the Lenard era but also host the first rounds.
"I think we're a good team that can beat anybody," Lenard said. "We just have to be able to do that week after week. That's the hard part. But when I look around the country, I think there are a lot of good teams, but none of them scare me. I feel like we could play with anybody."
Ten seniors were recognized after the game, including Isgrig, Hayes, Alvarez, defender Blythe Obar and twins Hannah and Hallie Augustyn.
"These same kids won four games their first year," Lenard said. "They just show what resilience and commitment to a vision can look like. I don't know what we're going to look like next year, but we're enjoying what we're looking like right now."
Baylor Bear Insider
WACO, Texas – This is rarefied air for Baylor soccer.
Not only are the 14th-ranked Bears (10-1-2, 5-1-0) back on top of the Big 12 standings for the first time since winning it all in 2018, they are now getting everyone's best shot.
"Because we're winning and we're ranked high right now, there are no surprises. So, teams are coming in really well-prepared against us," coach Michelle Lenard said after Baylor twice rallied from one-goal deficits to knock off BYU, 4-2, Friday night at Betty Lou Mays Field. "The Big 12, as a whole, looks really good. So, every game is going to be like this. It's going to be a battle."
Facing a BYU team (7-4-2, 2-3-1) that has made seven-straight NCAA Tournament appearances and been to the College Cup twice in the last four years, the Bears gave up multiple goals for the first time this season. Baylor came into the game ranked No. 2 in the nation in goals-against average (0.33), allowing just four goals in its first 12 games.
"We haven't given up many goals, so it kind of threw us off for a second," senior midfielder Tyler Isgrig said. "There was a momentum that kind of went downhill in the first half. But Michelle has done a great job, just believing in us, trusting in our abilities, and they haven't changed anything. There's been full trust, even when we're down in those moments."
It wasn't just that they responded at all, it was how quickly they answered when BYU scored. After the Cougars' Mattyn Summers-Oviatt got a shot past goalkeeper Azul Alvarez to put BYU up 1-0, senior midfielder Kai Hayes scored her third-career goal and second of the season in a scrum off a corner kick by Isgrig.
"Kai is like the heartbeat of this team," Lenard said. "She works her butt off all the time. She's relentless, she's physical, she's tough. She will do anything it takes to win. And you could just see it in her, in that moment, she was going to find a way to put the ball in the back of the net. And that's how Kai is all the time."
Hayes, who transferred last year after four seasons at North Carolina, said there's a foundation on the team that "whenever we get scored on, we know, 'Hey, we're still in this game.'''
"We just have to put a couple more passes together and finish it off," she said. "And we have those game-changers, those people that can knock it in the back of the net."
One of those is certainly Isgrig. An All-Freshman Team pick at TCU in 2022 and Baylor's lone Preseason All-Big 12 selection, she has scored six or more goals in each of her four seasons at the collegiate level.
In one of the quickest responses you will ever see in a college soccer game, Isgrig took a pass from junior forward Theresa McCullough in the middle of the field and blasted a shot from about 25 feet that found the bottom right corner of the goal just 13 seconds after BYU's Ellie Walbruch gave the Cougars a very brief 2-1 lead.
"They kind of shifted and thought we were going to go long," Isgrig said. "So, I was like, 'Hallie (Augustyn), just drop (the kickoff) in the middle.' And that worked. I was able to drive the middle. We scout our opponents, and we knew those low, hard-driven shots are tough (for a taller keeper). We completely did something we'd never done before. And I'm glad it worked, because if it hadn't, they'd probably be like, 'What are y'all doing?'''
Just six minutes later, Isgrig went high this time and found the top right of the goal past the outstretched hands of BYU keeper Paiton Collins to give the Bears their first lead, 3-2. She matched her career high with her seventh goal of the season while netting her third brace (two goals) of the season and fifth of her career.
"This year, playing an attacking mid, a lot of times I'm in these positions where I'm able to drive at the back line," Isgrig said. "At first, it was hard to adjust, because the looks you get at the 10 (attacking midfielder) versus the left or right wing are a little bit different. Their back line was starting to drop, so I was like, 'Okay, let me just keep taking my space and keep daring them to step up to me.' Them doing that, I just used it against them. And I was confident on the shot."
A year ago, the Bears let a 3-1 lead on the road get away from them in a 3-3 tie with BYU. This time, they kept the foot on the gas and added an insurance goal from McCullough in the 84th minute off assists from Hayes and Vanderbilt transfer Nyela Calnek.
Since losing to Texas Tech, 1-0, on a penalty kick, Baylor has reeled off a five-game winning streak, outscoring its opponents, 15-3, in that stretch. And with the 11th-ranked Red Raiders (10-1-2, 4-0-2) settling for a 1-1 tie against No. 17 TCU (10-2-1, 4-1-1) Friday night in Lubbock, the Bears now sit in first place all alone with 15 points.
"It's nice to be in first, but we haven't won anything yet," Lenard said. "In this conference, a lot could change every single game. Next week is TCU (Thursday night in Fort Worth), so that's going to be a really big one. Both of us are in a position of finishing that game in first, and they're going to want it as well. We've got to recuperate after this one, get back to work and come ready, because you don't win championships easily."
Fourth in the latest NCAA RPI rankings, behind only Notre Dame, Virginia and Tennessee, Baylor is line to not only make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the Lenard era but also host the first rounds.
"I think we're a good team that can beat anybody," Lenard said. "We just have to be able to do that week after week. That's the hard part. But when I look around the country, I think there are a lot of good teams, but none of them scare me. I feel like we could play with anybody."
Ten seniors were recognized after the game, including Isgrig, Hayes, Alvarez, defender Blythe Obar and twins Hannah and Hallie Augustyn.
"These same kids won four games their first year," Lenard said. "They just show what resilience and commitment to a vision can look like. I don't know what we're going to look like next year, but we're enjoying what we're looking like right now."
Players Mentioned
GK
/ Soccer
D
/ Soccer
D
/ Soccer
MF
/ Soccer
F
/ Soccer
D
/ SoccerBaylor Soccer: Highlights vs. BYU | October 10, 2025
Saturday, October 11
Baylor Soccer: Highlights vs. Colorado | October 5, 2025
Sunday, October 05
Baylor Soccer: Highlights vs. Iowa State | October 2, 2025
Friday, October 03
Baylor Soccer: Highlights at Kansas State | September 28, 2025
Sunday, September 28
