Baylor soccer earned several awards on Monday after finishing second in the Big 12 Conference. Freshman Lauren Piercy was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors. Fellow rookie teammates Amanda Hoglund, Julie James, and Sarah King also joined Piercy in being selected to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.
Piercy shared the prestigious honor with West Virginia’s Bianca St. Georges to land the Bears their first-ever individual player Big 12 end-of-season honor since the program was established in 1996. The freshman from Amarillo, Texas, is No. 29 in Baylor’s history for All-Big 12 choices and extends the current run of four straight years with a player earning post season honors. This is the sixth All-Big 12 award under head coach Paul Jobson.
The Bears were helped out by the noteworthy performances from their underclassmen all season long. The four freshman selections led the conference and marked the most in Baylor’s history (two in 2004 and 2012). BU has now had seven honorees since 2012, with eight of the last 11 All-Freshman choices coming under Jobson.
Piercy was especially impressive throughout, as she ended the regular season with 13 points on a team-high six goals and one assist. The freshman accumulated those statistics with only three starts. She was named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week twice (Oct. 27 and Sept. 22) and became the second in program history to earn the honor twice in one season.
The forward’s four-game goal streak during the season tied for the fourth-longest in program history. Piercy’s six goals were the most among freshman in the Big 12 and that total placed her tied for fifth in the conference.
Piercy seemed to elevate her play in critical moments for the Bears, as she collected four game-winning goals (which ranked second in the Big 12). Her four game-winners are tied for second by a Baylor freshman in school history.
Another freshman forward, Amanda Hoglund, ended the regular season with eight points on three goals and two assists in 14 matches and six starts. The youthful dynamic duo of Piercy and Hoglund has Baylor soccer fans anticipating a successful future for the Bears.
The presence of freshman midfielder Sarah King, who finished the regular season with a team-high 14 points, 10 assists, and two goals, helped Baylor earn a 4-1-2 conference record. She started all 17 matches and led the Big 12 in assists. Her 10 helpers are the third most by a Baylor freshman in a single season and are tied for third most in Baylor overall single season history.
King’s point total ranked ninth in the league and helped her earn Big 12 Newcomer of the Week after she tied a program single-game assist record (three) against UTSA on Sept. 13.
Freshman midfielder Julie James received freshman honors, after she finished the regular season with nine points on four goals and one assist with two game-winners in 16 matches and 15 starts.
After a competitive showing in conference play, Baylor returns to action Wednesday in Kansas City at the 2015 Big 12 Soccer Championship. The Bears, who enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed will take on No. 7 TCU at 5:30 p.m. at Swope Soccer Village.
