By DJ Ramirez | Sports Editor
Baylor soccer returns to Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field this weekend for its final homestand of the regular season, hosting No. 17 Texas Tech on Thursday and Iowa State on Sunday for Senior Day.
The Bears come off a 4-0 shut out over TCU on Sunday in Fort Worth where senior forward Raegan Padgett netted two goals against the Horned Frogs, recording her first career multi-goal match.
The Bears managed to put up an impressive game on both sides of the ball despite going through another lightning delay at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium. Padgett said Baylor had to dial in to get the win after the late start.
“It was a challenge because we’d just been sitting around for a couple hours. It was our second delay in Fort Worth in a week, and so it was just kind of like a test to our team about how we can really focus in and just get the job done,” Padgett said.
The Bears host Tech on Thursday. The last time Baylor faced TTU was in its thrilling overtime win in Kansas City, Mo. during the Big 12 Tournament. The Raiders are coming off a 2-1 loss to TCU on Friday but are third place in the conference with a 3-1-2 record, 11-2-2 overall.
The Cyclones come to town on Sunday as the Bears celebrate Senior Day. ISU sits last in the Big 12 and will face the Longhorns in Austin before coming up to face the Bears.
Baylor is currently sixth in the Big 12 with three conference games remaining and leads the conference with 8.07 shots on goal per game and a .486 shot accuracy.
The Bears have a 7-5-3 overall record and are 3-3 in Big 12 play. Despite the ups and downs the team has faced this season, head coach Paul Jobson said the players are growing through the obstacles.
“Yeah, they’ve done a great job this year of really taking nothing for granted and then, number two, learning from every opportunity that they can. And that’s what we’ve got to continue to pour into. It’s that if something doesn’t go our way, are we going to make excuses about it or are we going to learn from it and step into that and move forward?” Jobson said. “Fortunately, this group has done a great job of, you know, stepping into this moment and moving forward.”
Baylor and Tech kick off at 7 p.m. Thursday and the Bears then host Iowa State at 1 p.m. Sunday.
