By Ben Everett | Sports Editor
No. 1 seed Baylor soccer took down No. 5 seed Texas Tech 2-1 in overtime on Friday evening in Kansas City, Mo., thanks to a golden goal by senior forward Jackie Crowther.
The Bears got on the board first when sophomore midfielder Ally Henderson set up a header by senior midfielder Julie James to put Baylor up 1-0 in the 44th minute.
The Red Raiders responded in the 56th minute when a blocked shot by sophomore defender Sarah Norman took an unfortunate bounce for the Bears and Texas Tech capitalized to tie the game.
Baylor sophomore goalkeeper Jennifer Wandt punched away a potential game winner in the final minutes to send the game into overtime.
In the 93rd minute, Crowther sprinted past the defense and launched a 30 yard shot over the Texas Tech goalie to seal the win for the Bears.
Baylor head coach Paul Jobson said the Red Raiders played exceptionally well, so the Bears knew they had to close the game strong.
“I think we weathered a storm there, for sure,” Jobson said. “Texas Tech was all over us in the second half and they’re a great team. We knew at halftime that one goal was not going to be enough and I give my team a lot of credit for holding their ground and battling all the way until the end and giving ourselves an opportunity in overtime to come away with a victory.”
The Bears secured a spot in the Big 12 tournament finals for the second straight year and will face the winner of West Virginia and Texas for the championship at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in Kansas City, Mo.
