By Ahfaaz Merchant | Sports Writer
Baylor kicked off conference play on the road this past week, falling 4-1 to No. 17 Kansas on Sunday afternoon after opening Big 12 play with a 1-0 overtime win over
Although the Bears took the loss, they were still able to hold an advantage in possession time in the first half, outshooting Kansas 10-1. Head coach Paul Jobson said his team played well in the first 45 but they weren’t able to capitalize on their opportunities.
“I thought we played a fantastic first half,” Jobson said. “We just couldn’t put the ball in the goal. Kansas is a good team that was able to capitalize when we weren’t.”
The Jayhawks were able to take on a late first half lead with a goal in the 30th minute from Mandi Duggan. Kansas came back stronger in the second half by adding a Kailey Lane goal 10 minutes into the half. Duggan added to her stat sheet with another goal in the 81st minute, taking a 3-0 lead.
Freshman midfielder Michaela Gorman put Baylor on the board in the 86th minute assisted by junior midfielder Ally Henderson on a corner kick. Henderson has now recorded her fourth assist of the season.
The Jayhawks sealed their win at the end of regulation on a goal form Ebba Costow.
The loss came after Baylor opened conference play with a 1-0 overtime win in Manhattan, Kan.
The game-winning goal came from yet another corner kick by Henderson that was headed into the back of the goal by sophomore defender Giuliana Cunningham in the 103rd minute of the match.
With the Bears nursing some injuries, Jobson said he was proud of the way his team executed the suspenseful win over the Wildcats.
“Winning on the road is tough and we are still nursing some injuries, so I am extremely proud of the effort and resiliency tonight.” Jobson said. “Their goalkeeper made some great saves to keep them in it. I was really happy with our ability to not get frustrated and keep pushing until we got the goal.”
Baylor will return home to take on another conference rival, the West Virginia Mountaineers at 7 p.m. on Thursday at the Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field.
