Baylor soccer ended their four game road trip to begin Big 12 play with wins over Oklahoma on Friday night and Texas Tech on Sunday. Despite the difficult stretch to begin conference play, the Bears finished 3-1 on the trip to improve to 10-4-1 overall and 3-1-1 in the Big 12.
On Friday night in Norman, Okla., the Bears wasted little time getting going offensively, as freshman forward Raegan Padgett netted her second goal of the season in the seventh minute, giving Baylor a 1-0 lead.
However, the Sooners, who found themselves ranked No. 22 coming into the contest, did not let the early lead phase them. They instead put the pressure right back on Baylor. In the 10th minute, Sooner senior forward Liz Keester put one past junior goalkeeper Sara Martinson, tying it at one.
The Sooners and Bears would exchange opportunities throughout the match, but it was sophomore midfielder Sarah King‘s goal in the 71st minute that propelled Baylor on to victory.
“It was a competitive game,” said Oklahoma head coach Matt Potter on Oklahoma’s official athletic website. “[Baylor] found a way in a Big 12 game to compete, be physical and figure out the way to win the game, and they thoroughly deserve that. They were better than that.”
Although the Sooners outshot Baylor 16-10 and corner kicks 5-4, head coach Paul Jobson said he was impressed with the defensive effort of his team against Oklahoma.
“We just battled and locked down defensively really well,” Jobson said. “We came out with a big win, doing what we needed to do to win the game.”
On Sunday, the Bears and Red Raiders battled for 54 scoreless minutes in Lubbock before Baylor was able to gain some separation. In the 55th minute, sophomore midfielder Julie James scored her second goal of the season, giving Baylor a 1-0 win.
“I thought we scored a great goal,” Jobson said. “Defensively, we played great. Texas Tech did a good job in the second half of putting pressure on us. I’m proud of our girls for being road warriors again.”
The Red Raiders outshot the Bears 14-12 and consistently put pressure on Baylor on the defensive end, but were unable to find a way to get one past Martinson, who recorded her fifth shutout of the season.
“We took away all the things that Baylor likes to do to be dangerous and unfortunately for us, their best player had their only chance of the game,” Texas Tech head coach Tom Stone said on Texas Tech’s official athletic website. “It was their best player, so give it up to her. She made us pay.”
After spending the last two weekends on the road, the Bears will gladly welcome the final stretch of Big 12 play, as all three contests will be played at Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field.
Jobson and the Bears will go for their third straight win on Friday against TCU. The match is set to begin at 7 p.m.
