By Will Chamblee | Sports Writer
It was a disappointing Wednesday for Baylor soccer, as the Bears suffered a tough 4-0 loss to Texas at Betty Lou Mays field. The Longhorns set the tone early, scoring three of their four goals in the first half.
Despite having the same number of shots as Texas, 17-17, Baylor was unable to put the ball in the back of the net, in part due to Texas goalkeeper Savannah Madden turning in a world-class performance saving a career-high 12 shots.
“Credit to UT,” Baylor head coach Paul Jobson said. “They were ready from minute one and played really well. Looking forward to a few days to recover and back to work to prepare for OU.”
Texas broke the deadlock 15 minutes into the game when junior midfielder Julia Grosso played senior forward Haley Berg in for her fourth goal of the season. The Longhorns doubled their lead 10 minutes later. Grosso bombarded down the left side and slid the ball past Baylor senior goalkeeper Jen Wandt, putting Texas up 2-0.
Texas got its third goal in the 32nd minute as freshman forward Lexi Missimo scored the first of her two goals for the game and her second career-goal for the Longhorns.
Baylor still threatened to score on numerous occasions during the first half, primarily through junior forward Taylor Moon. Baylor’s best opportunity came with only two minutes left in the half when a powerful header from Moon off of a corner kick was saved by Madden.
The second half was more of the same for both teams. Texas nearly scored their fourth goal only two minutes into the half, as the Longhorns’ first shot of the half cannoned off the right post. It wasn’t much longer until Texas actually scored the fourth goal. Missimo hit an impressive curling effort from outside the box that bent around Wandt and into the goal. Up 4-0, Texas was in complete control of the game.
Baylor nearly broke the goose-egg on the scoreboard with 26 minutes left in the game. Baylor freshman forward Mackenzie Anthony found herself in a one-on-one with Madden and poked the ball past her, only for the ball to roll wide by just centimeters.
The Bears continued to put pressure on the Texas goal, but it was to no avail. Anthony and freshman defender Chloe Japic both came close to scoring, but yet again, Madden was there to make the saves.
Baylor now has only two regular-season games remaining in their season. The Bears will next travel to Norman, Okla., to face-off against the Sooners at 4 p.m. on April 10. Baylor will conclude its season against Texas Tech at Betty Lou Mays on April 17.
