By Michael Haag | Sports Writer
Baylor soccer (7-3-4, 3-1-1) drew a tie against Kansas State University (6-6-2, 1-2-2) 0-0 in a defensive battle. It was the third draw in double overtime for Baylor this season. The Bears outshot the Wildcats 21-8 with 13 of Baylor’s shots being on goal, the highest for them this season. KSU sophomore goalkeeper Alaina Werremeyer recorded a career high and program record with 13 saves, as the Bears could not get a shot past her all afternoon.
In the third minute, Baylor sophomore midfielder Gabby Mueller had a good look near the bottom left of the goal, but it was saved by Werremeyer. By the 21st minute, the Bears were already outshooting the Wildcats eight to one, and continued to push the tempo the rest of the way. Later, in the 32nd minute, senior forward Taylor Moon had a stellar opportunity off of a pass from sophomore forward Mackenzie Anthony. Moon’s shot deflected off of Werremeyer’s shin near the bottom right of the goal. Moon led the team with eight shots, a season high for her. A few minutes later, Baylor did put the ball in the back of the net, but was called back due to an offside penalty as the score remained 0-0 heading into halftime.
The second half featured more of the same from both sides: tons of shots from Baylor followed by great saves from Werremeyer. The Bears outshot KSU 7-4 in the second half, with Werremeyer making four saves. In the 71st minute, graduate student goalkeeper Jennifer Wandt made a big save, keeping the game level at 0-0. In the 82nd minute, graduate student midfielder Ally Henderson-Ashkinos was granted a penalty kick opportunity as a result of a KSU foul in the box but her shot was blocked by Werremeyer. Junior forward Elizabeth Kooiman tried following up, however the ball rolled out of play, keeping the score 0-0. KSU would counterattack, leading to KSU sophomore forward Maddie Weichel getting a great shot that hit the top of the crossbar, falling out of bounds. The remaining time ticked off the clock sending the game to overtime.
In the first overtime period, Baylor was on the defensive, as they got zero shot attempts, but allowed two shots. Neither shot for KSU would be threatening, as Wandt did not have to make any saves. Both teams headed into the second overtime period still tied up at 0-0.
The Bears threatened once in the second period of overtime, with one shot on goal. In the 107th minute Anthony shot toward the bottom right of the goal but had her shot saved by Werremeyer. Anthony recorded a season high with six shots, three of them on goal. The game clock would run out, ending the game in a tie. KSU recorded 19 fouls to Baylor’s 13, making it a physical game throughout. The Bears had eight corner kicks, a season high, but could never break the seal. Wandt and the backline for the Bears only allowed eight shots from KSU, with just two of them being on goal.
Baylor head coach Paul Jobson said that he was proud of the team and gave credit to KSU’s defense for keeping the Bears off the board.
“The game of soccer can be really frustrating at times, but we can be really proud of our body of work today as a team,” Jobson said. “A lot of credit goes to KSU’s defensive unit and [goalkeeper] for holding our offense at bay.”
The Bears have a 7 p.m. matchup on Friday against the University of Texas (8-3-3, 4-0-1) at Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field. Texas has yet to lose in Big 12 play, and Baylor is 6-15-3 in its history with the Longhorns, dating back to 1999.
