Constance Atton | Lariat Photographer
Sports Writer
No. 16 Baylor soccer got mixed results this weekend when a 4-3 loss to No. 22 West Virginia on Sunday halted its 31-game unbeaten streak after a close 1-0 win against Oklahoma on Friday.
Oklahoma (3-7-1) gave Baylor all it could handle by staying aggressive on offense and fighting for possession. Oklahoma started the game slow, but picked up in the second half, taking six of its seven shots in that period.
“OU is a good team,” junior goalkeeper Michelle Kloss said. “They were pressing a lot, but the defense played great. They were able to lock them down.”
Baylor’s lone goal came off a deflection when freshman defender Lindsay Burns’ cross hit the post and went in the net. Burns scored her second goal of the season against West Virginia, giving Baylor a spark after a 3-0 deficit.
“I think she’s started to come on,” Baylor co-head coach Marci Jobson said. “She’s gotten more time. Just being a freshman, you get experience and the last few weeks she’s played great. I think she’s starting to gain her confidence and understand the system. We play so differently, it’s taking her a little while to understand how we play, but she’s fast, she’s good in the air.”
After giving up two goals on set pieces against Notre Dame during the Aug. 17 exhibition game, the Bears defended it well, negating Oklahoma’s strength.
“They are quite dangerous on their set pieces,” Jobson said. “Those were making me pretty nervous.”
It only took Baylor 38 seconds to get a shot off as freshman midfielder Ashley York set up Vic Hoffman with a cross that went wide.
The Bears were able to seize control of the game early and control the tempo of the game in the first half.
Last year’s regular season champion West Virginia (8-2-2), came into the game with a three game winning streak, including a 2-1 win over Oklahoma State on Friday. Baylor looked to brew a second half comeback, but it couldn’t dig itself out of a 3-0 deficit.
“They fought their guts out,” Jobson said “This is a great team [West Virginia] with some great weapons. Our team fought them back and fought hard.”
The Mountaineers put their clincial offense on display with four goals.
The Bears were unable to capitalize on opportunities in the game as Mountaineer senior goalkeeper Sara Keane did her job, making six saves including a header by junior forward Natalie Huggins in the sixth minute of the game.
Baylor took the first two shots of the game, despite much of the control belonging to West Virginia. Baylor found itself in a big hole after a missed penalty kick by senior midfielder Larissa Campos that could have tied the game at one.
“It happened really fast,” Kloss said. “I came out and Selby was working to get back and it just kind of got caught in between us. That’s something we are going to learn from, we’re going to work on it and it’s not going to happen again.”
Baylor will look to rebound with a home game against No. 19 BYU at 7 p.m. Friday.
