Travis Taylor | Lariat Photo Editor
Sports Writer
No. 7 Baylor posted another shutout en route to its 14th straight home win with a 4-0 victory over Cal Poly on Friday at Betty Lou Mays Field.
Baylor (6-0-1) handed Cal Poly (4-1-0) it’s first loss of the season by shutting down one of the best scorers in the nation in sophomore forward Elise Krieghoff, who came into this game having scored 10 goals.
“It’s so awesome to watch our girls play,” Baylor co-head coach Marci Jobson said. “The soul that they put on the field, how they play with their hearts every single game and what great soccer. They played amazing soccer.”
Baylor’s offense got off to a quick start beginning with a header five minutes into the game by senior midfielder Kat Ludlow after a long free kick by senior defender Taylor Heatherly. The Bears continued to attack and stay aggressive. A collision inside the box awarded Baylor with a penalty kick and senior midfielder Larissa Campos put it inside the net. Her sister, sophomore forward Bri Campos also got in on the action with a header that came on a cross from the right wing by junior forward Justine Hovden.
“I think we were pressuring hard,” Hovden said. “We were just trying to go off of pressure and make the other team cough up the ball. There was a lot of space in behind them so we were always trying to attack that space and play the balls behind. We were able to get crosses off that way.”
Hovden’s night wasn’t done. She also lobbed a shot over the grasp of the opposing goalie from 45-yards out.
“It was exciting,” “I saw when I was off that she [the defender] was coming off her line and she was way out so I chipped it over.”
The game got a little feisty with both teams committing nine fouls. The Bears and the Mustangs were also awarded penalty kicks in the first-half, but junior goalkeeper Michelle Kloss blocked Krieghoff’s kick for the save as the crowd cheered wildly.
Kloss has been clutch by making critical saves. Kloss also saved another penalty kick against SMU making her two-for-two in penalty kick saves.
“I’ve never seen this many penalty kicks in a preseason [before Big 12 play],” Kloss said. “It’s just one of those things, it’s another save. It’s a great feeling to make a PK [penalty kick] and move on. It’s another save and you go on with it.”
The defense had a strong game limiting Cal Poly to only four shots. The Mustangs came into the game scoring 15 goals in four games, but struggled to get anything going offensively after Baylor’s fast start on offense.
“We’re known as a hard-nosed team,” Jobson said. “They played brilliantly tonight and put together some unbelievable goals. I’m really proud of them.”
Baylor outshot Cal Poly 12 to four. Freshman midfielder Ashley York had an opportunity to add more goals to her credit, but the shot hit the cross bar. Senior midfielder Karlee Summey also had three shots by being aggressive offensively.
Baylor hopes to continue its home winning streak when they take on McNeese State at 1 p.m. Sunday at Betty Lou Mays Field on Senior Day.
