NOT SATISFIED
11/19/2025 10:07:00 PM | Soccer
Baylor soccer looking to advance to Sweet 16 for first time in seven years
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Michelle Lenard refuses to believe that her 23rd-ranked Baylor soccer team is complacent or satisfied with just making it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
"We're excited to make the NCAA Tournament," said Lenard, whose fifth-seeded Bears (13-4-4) will face No. 4 seed Wisconsin (14-5-2) at 3 p.m. ET, 2 p.m. CT Thursday in a second-round matchup at Notre Dame's Alumni Stadium.
"This wasn't some sort of destination that we had arrived at and suddenly felt satisfied by that. We want to continue playing at our best, giving ourselves a chance to advance. And we feel that we can do that in this game. We're just being present in the moment, focused on one game at a time and trying to get to that next round."
If anything, this Baylor team is still playing with a chip on its shoulder. After making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years, the Bears are "just here to prove our point and show that we are worth it and we are capable of doing big things," said All-Big 12 goalkeeper Azul Alvarez.
"We're super hungry for it," said Alvarez, who leads the Big 12 and ranks ninth nationally with 10 shutouts. "Last season, we didn't get the results we wanted. And I just feel like some people, some teams, look at us like underdogs. I'm just super proud of my team, and I know that we are going to go far. Just taking it step by step."
Junior forward Callie Conrad takes it a step further, saying the Bears "would love to be together for Thanksgiving, still playing soccer, still in the tournament."
That's a tall task. If Baylor advances past Thursday's second round, the Bears would likely play No. 1 overall national seed Notre Dame (15-1-3) in a third-round game at 2 p.m. ET, 1 p.m. CT on Sunday. The home-standing Fighting Irish face Ohio State (9-4-6) in the other second-rounder at 6 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. CT on Thursday.
"Regardless of what happens, we're already so proud of this team and how far we've come this year and what we've built," Conrad said. "Hopefully, that can keep building for years to come. The Round of 32 is already an accomplishment, but obviously the Sweet 16 would be even more awesome."
After winning just four games in her first year at the helm, Lenard saw the Bears take steps in each of the two previous seasons. They recorded a winning record and made the Big 12 Tournament in 2023, then got past Arizona, 2-1, in last year's conference tournament.
But this year, it was more like leaps than steps. Baylor posted double-digit wins for the first time since that memorable 2018 season, when the Bears won the Big 12 regular-season championship and advanced to the Elite Eight for the second year in a row.
"The girls just enjoy playing together," Lenard said. "They love representing Baylor. They love the opportunity to go to a new place and play against a new opponent. All those things are exciting, and they want to keep competing for championships. We've been talking – really, not just this year, but previous years – about championship mentality every game, treating every game like it's a championship game. For us, this next game is a championship game. Win that, and we get to play another one."
Conrad said the Bears have played plenty of physical teams in a challenging Big 12 Conference, "but (Wisconsin) is on a whole 'nother level."
"They are a very physical team," Conrad said. "So, just working on that, winning first and second balls, getting our bodies between the ball and the defender, so we can come out on the front foot."
Probably the biggest challenge for Baylor, Lenard said, "is to match their physicality, to be strong, to not get pushed around, making sure that we don't let them level the playing field in that way."
"We need to be ready, but we can't allow (Wisconsin's physicality) to force us to play faster than we want to play or back out of challenges that we need to be a part of," she said. "I think teams do that to unnerve you and unravel you and not allow you to settle into your play. We have to be tough; we've got to be prepared for it. That's just what's required at this point."
One thing Lenard is not as concerned with as she thought coming into this week is overly bitter weather conditions. The high on Thursday in South Bend is 51, with a low of 41 and no rain in the forecast.
"It looks better than it could have been," Lenard said. "It's not outrageously cold, like 15, 20 degrees, which I think would be hard for us. So, I feel all right about it. It's pretty warm right now in Central Texas. I think we could all use a change of temperature. We're kind of looking forward to it."
Baylor Bear Insider
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Michelle Lenard refuses to believe that her 23rd-ranked Baylor soccer team is complacent or satisfied with just making it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
"We're excited to make the NCAA Tournament," said Lenard, whose fifth-seeded Bears (13-4-4) will face No. 4 seed Wisconsin (14-5-2) at 3 p.m. ET, 2 p.m. CT Thursday in a second-round matchup at Notre Dame's Alumni Stadium.
"This wasn't some sort of destination that we had arrived at and suddenly felt satisfied by that. We want to continue playing at our best, giving ourselves a chance to advance. And we feel that we can do that in this game. We're just being present in the moment, focused on one game at a time and trying to get to that next round."
If anything, this Baylor team is still playing with a chip on its shoulder. After making the NCAA Tournament for the first time in seven years, the Bears are "just here to prove our point and show that we are worth it and we are capable of doing big things," said All-Big 12 goalkeeper Azul Alvarez.
"We're super hungry for it," said Alvarez, who leads the Big 12 and ranks ninth nationally with 10 shutouts. "Last season, we didn't get the results we wanted. And I just feel like some people, some teams, look at us like underdogs. I'm just super proud of my team, and I know that we are going to go far. Just taking it step by step."
Junior forward Callie Conrad takes it a step further, saying the Bears "would love to be together for Thanksgiving, still playing soccer, still in the tournament."
That's a tall task. If Baylor advances past Thursday's second round, the Bears would likely play No. 1 overall national seed Notre Dame (15-1-3) in a third-round game at 2 p.m. ET, 1 p.m. CT on Sunday. The home-standing Fighting Irish face Ohio State (9-4-6) in the other second-rounder at 6 p.m. ET, 5 p.m. CT on Thursday.
"Regardless of what happens, we're already so proud of this team and how far we've come this year and what we've built," Conrad said. "Hopefully, that can keep building for years to come. The Round of 32 is already an accomplishment, but obviously the Sweet 16 would be even more awesome."
After winning just four games in her first year at the helm, Lenard saw the Bears take steps in each of the two previous seasons. They recorded a winning record and made the Big 12 Tournament in 2023, then got past Arizona, 2-1, in last year's conference tournament.
But this year, it was more like leaps than steps. Baylor posted double-digit wins for the first time since that memorable 2018 season, when the Bears won the Big 12 regular-season championship and advanced to the Elite Eight for the second year in a row.
"The girls just enjoy playing together," Lenard said. "They love representing Baylor. They love the opportunity to go to a new place and play against a new opponent. All those things are exciting, and they want to keep competing for championships. We've been talking – really, not just this year, but previous years – about championship mentality every game, treating every game like it's a championship game. For us, this next game is a championship game. Win that, and we get to play another one."
Conrad said the Bears have played plenty of physical teams in a challenging Big 12 Conference, "but (Wisconsin) is on a whole 'nother level."
"They are a very physical team," Conrad said. "So, just working on that, winning first and second balls, getting our bodies between the ball and the defender, so we can come out on the front foot."
Probably the biggest challenge for Baylor, Lenard said, "is to match their physicality, to be strong, to not get pushed around, making sure that we don't let them level the playing field in that way."
"We need to be ready, but we can't allow (Wisconsin's physicality) to force us to play faster than we want to play or back out of challenges that we need to be a part of," she said. "I think teams do that to unnerve you and unravel you and not allow you to settle into your play. We have to be tough; we've got to be prepared for it. That's just what's required at this point."
One thing Lenard is not as concerned with as she thought coming into this week is overly bitter weather conditions. The high on Thursday in South Bend is 51, with a low of 41 and no rain in the forecast.
"It looks better than it could have been," Lenard said. "It's not outrageously cold, like 15, 20 degrees, which I think would be hard for us. So, I feel all right about it. It's pretty warm right now in Central Texas. I think we could all use a change of temperature. We're kind of looking forward to it."
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