By Michael Haag | Sports Writer
No. 3-seed Baylor soccer (8-5-6, 4-2-3 Big 12) lost to No. 6-seed West Virginia University 1-0 in the Big 12 Championship Quarterfinals on Sunday night. The Bears’ run in the tournament was short-lived, losing in a rematch from their draw a week ago. The Mountaineers (10-5-4, 3-3-3 Big 12) were contained until a second-half goal gave WVU the advantage the rest of the way.
For the Bears, junior forward Elizabeth Kooiman had the only shot on goal in the first half, coming in the 12th minute. While also limiting WVU to five shots, Baylor only had two shots toward the goal in the period, with neither of them being on goal. Going into the intermission, the score remained level at 0-0, similar to the last match between the two teams.
In the second half, the defense stayed solid for the Bears through 25 minutes. Graduate student goalkeeper Jennifer Wandt recorded three saves in the second half, her total for the game. The Mountaineer defense found success as well, with help from junior goalkeeper Kayza Massey, who also recorded three saves in the match.
Baylor also came out firing on offense, putting up five shot attempts in the half, with two being on frame. Sophomore forwards Mackenzie Anthony and Olivia Mack were the ones responsible, coming in the 52nd and 56th minutes, respectively. WVU’s game-winning goal came in the 80th minute on a highlight-reel play. The goal put the Mountaineers up 1-0 for the final 10 minutes of action and sealed the victory.
The Mountaineers outshot the Bears 11-7, 4-3 on goal for the game. Baylor only had one corner kick compared to WVU’s seven.
Even with the loss, head coach Paul Jobson was proud of how the team played, saying they battled hard.
“[I’m] really proud of how our team played tonight,” Jobson said. “They battled and created some great opportunities.”
