By Michael Haag | Sports Writer
Baylor soccer (4-2-3) tied the University of San Francisco (3-3-2) with a score of 1-1 Sunday at Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field, after the game was stopped in the 71st minute due to heat. Both head coaches mutually agreed to call the game during a water-break timeout as the heat was too big of a problem.
The temperature throughout the game was 94 with a “feels like” temperature of 99. Along with the 40% humidity, these conditions could only turn out to be an issue for both sides. Plus, with the score tied up and over half of the game already done, the decision to call the game made the most sense for the safety of both teams.
Amidst such rough conditions, the game was still a back-and-forth battle. In the first half, the Bears had multiple shots on goal but struggled to put anything on the board. They outshot the Dons six to four, but found themselves with an early deficit. In the 27th minute, USF senior forward Sydney Cooper made a goal into the bottom left of the net, as she was set up by USF sophomore defender Jamesen Ward. Graduate student goalkeeper Jennifer Wandt was forced to commit to the downhill attack from Ward, who made a smooth pass to Cooper. Cooper was left with nothing but an open net and the Dons were up 1-0. Baylor would remain down 1-0 going into halftime.
In the second half, Baylor came out firing shots on goal. Just over a minute into the second half, sophomore forward Mackenzie Anthony had one of her shots ricochet off the goalpost, inches away from the tying the game. The Bears have been in moments like this before, and kept pushing the tempo, looking for the equalizer. In the 48th minute, just a few minutes after Anthony’s shot, senior forward Taylor Moon moved near the penalty box and sent a pass toward Anthony, who shot and hit the bottom left of the net. The goal evened the score at 1-1 and gave Anthony her sixth goal of the season. Anthony has scored in each of the last three games.
Both teams had several great opportunities to break the tie, but the score remained 1-1 all the way until the decision to end the game was made. Head coach Paul Jobson was happy that the team continued to fight to put a goal on the board and said he is excited to be heading into Big 12 conference play later this week.
“[I’m] proud of our ability to fight back and get one in the second half,” Jobson said. “Looking forward to hitting conference play this week.”
Baylor finishes out non-conference play over .500 heading into its first conference matchup. The Bears will face off against Oklahoma State University (4-3-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday in Stillwater, Okla. Baylor is 13-12 overall versus OSU, dating back to 1996.
