By Greg DeVries
Sports Writer
The Baylor soccer team will take on two Texas teams this weekend. The first game will be 7 p.m. today at home against the SMU Mustangs.
The Bears are 6-1-1 on the season and are receiving votes in the polls.
This game will be particularly important for the Bears because head coach Marci Jobson played collegiate soccer at SMU.
“[SMU is] playing good soccer,” Jobson said. “All of the Texas teams are just good rivalries and good matches. They’re going to come out to play really nice soccer, and it’s going to be something we definitely have to combat.”
The Mustangs are 3-3 on the year and are coming off a win against their metroplex rival, the TCU Horned Frogs.
The Bears are 1-7 against SMU all-time, but the two teams have not met since 2005.
“They are very possession-oriented,” Jobson said. “The keeper will look to pas it out of the back. We’re a little more direct than them. They’ll probably look to build it up from the back. Sometimes we’ll bypass our backs and look to the midfield or forwards.”
Baylor, on the other hand, plays a physical style. A trademark of this team is high pressure.
“We play high-pressure defense all over the field,” senior defender Carlie Davis said. “That usually results in the team that we’re playing against getting very few shots, if any at all.”
Baylor is outshooting its opponents 191-39. Its shot total and goals-against average both lead the Big 12.
“We put a lot of pride in the combative style that we play,” Jobson said. “Two good [opposing styles], but it will be a good match.”
Summey says that she has played against some of the Mustang players in club soccer.
“[I grew] up with them and [played] against them over the years. It will be good to play them again,” Summey said.
Baylor has already traveled to Houston this season, resulting in a 1-0 win over Rice, and they’re hoping that this road trip to face Houston Baptist University on Sunday will treat them just as well.
“HBU [is] kind of the blue-collar, hard-working team,” Jobson said. “Those are the teams that scare me the most sometimes. For some of these teams, they have nothing to lose.”
The Bears will have to keep a watchful eye on HBU sophomore forward Natalie Hager. Hager has recorded five goals in eight games. Everyone else on the team either has one or none.
“They’re going to go after us. If we don’t come out prepared, we can lose the game,” Jobson said.
