The Baylor Bears soccer team will look to continue their three game winning streak as they head to Colorado Springs this weekend. The Bears will play a pair of matches during the weekend, first taking on the Air Force Falcons.
Air Force will come into the match with a 2-4-0 record in 2015. The Falcons have averaged 11.5 shots per game on the year, scoring only 7 goals this year. While the Falcons have not put up as many shots as the Bears in 2015, both squads come into the contest with a .493 shot on goal percentage.
The conservative Falcons offense will be a good matchup against an aggressive Bears’ defense. Baylor has only allowed opponents to shoot 5.9 shots per game. With their aggressive brand of defense comes penalties and the Bears are a heavily penalized team, racking up 93 fouls this year.
On the offensive side of the ball, Baylor should be able to exploit the Falcons on the outside. Air Force has allowed opponents to shoot 13.7 shots per game, allowing nine goals. This should bode well for the Bears, as they have scored 21 goals off 142 shots on the season. The high volume of shots should keep the Falcon’s defense busy all match.
The Bears will also take on the Colorado College Tigers, who have a 1-5-1 record coming into the weekend. The Tigers have only scored 4 goals all season, another anemic offense the Bears will face this weekend. For the Tigers, defense has been a problem all season. Opponents are averaging almost 14 shots a game against them, something that the Bears will try to take advantage of.
For Baylor, their early offensive struggles have seemed to disappear. After only scoring 4 goals in their first 5 games, the Bears have exploded recently. In the last three games, all of which have been wins, Baylor has scored 17 goals.
The Bears defense has also been improving. Baylor’s physical defense has only allowed 9 goals in 2015, 6 of which came in the first three contests. As the season has progressed, Baylor has allowed fewer and fewer opportunities. That improvement has also shown itself on the scoreboard, with the Bears pitching shutouts in their last two games.
The Bears have also garnered some individual accolades as well. Senior Bri Campos and freshman Sarah King were both honored by the Big 12 with awards for their play over the weekend. Campos received the offensive player of the week award while King took home the freshman of the week award. Both players rank in the top 3 in total points this season for the Bears. King has registered the most assists on the team with 5 to go along with 2 goals while Campos leads the squad in shots with 21, netting 2 for goals.
The hot streak for Baylor should certainly continue this weekend facing the porous defensive units of Air Force and Colorado College. The two games will be played in Colorado Springs, Colorado. These will also be the last two non-conference games for the Bears, as Big 12 play will kickoff in Waco with a contest against the Oklahoma State Cowboys on September 25th.
