By Foster Nicholas | Sports Writer
From spring showers to fall flowers, senior midfielder Ashley Merrill’s hard work in the offseason paid off, as her historic four-minute hat trick led to Baylor soccer’s 7-0 blowout win over Abilene Christian University Sunday night at Betty Lou Mays Field.
“It feels like the work we put in in spring and fall actually pays off. It actually did pay off,” Merrill said. “I mean, we still have a lot of work to do. We’re hoping that we can just triple this and keep going, keep scoring, keep working together. It just proves that we worked hard and that we’re a new team.”
After a momentum-busting loss to SMU Thursday night, Baylor (4-2-1) looked to pick up steam against ACU (4-2-1). The match was the Bears’ last non-conference game before opening against No. 17 Texas this coming Thursday.
Less than four minutes into the game, the green and gold showed an aggressive attack. Freshman forward Skylar Zinnecker took the first shot of the game for the Bears, and the ball kissed the crossbar, barely missing. The close call was a sign of things to come, as Baylor’s attack would stay consistent for all 90 minutes.
The Bears took the lead in the 15th minute when sophomore forward Tyler Isgrig uncorked a shot inside the box and found the back of the net, scoring her third goal of the year. Junior defender Ava Colberg and sophomore midfielder Skye Leach both assisted the goal to give Baylor a 1-0 lead.
The green and gold added another first half goal in the 32nd minute thanks to the left foot of freshman defender Natalie Vatter. The goal that extended the Bears’ lead to 2-0 was the first of Vatter’s collegiate career.
As Baylor went into the half, head coach Michelle Lenard gave a pep talk to her team, and the Bears came out hot in the second half.
“We passed up great opportunities to shoot in the first half, and sometimes I think we are a little too unselfish at moments and looking for the perfect opportunity,” Lenard said. “The challenge was get in the golden zone and shoot, and they did. It was really great for the coaching staff to make comments at halftime and see the team come out and respond.”
Coming into the matchup, the Wildcats hadn’t allowed a second-half goal, but the green and gold were about to bring some drastic change.
Less than one minute into the second half, Merrill received a pass from Leach in space and was able to find the back of the net. Baylor extended the lead to 3-0, but Merrill wasn’t satisfied.
“When Ashley gets hot, it’s hard to stop her,” Lenard said. “What’s great for Ashley is that she’s not the only one scoring goals right now, so teams can’t just go and double team her. That was happening a lot last year, but with threats all around her, she can play freely, and that’s going to open up opportunities.”
In the 47th minute, just two minutes after Merrill’s first goal, the senior took a perfect pass from Isgrig and tucked it inside the goal post — 4-0 Baylor. The 49th minute showed a glimpse of deja vu as Merrill took a pass from Isgrig in the golden zone and completed the hat trick.
“We were moving the ball really well,” Merrill said. “I think in the first half, we moved it well, but we knew kind of the second half we have to do better and put the game away. Then [I] took one great ball from [Skylar Zinnecker] and two great balls from Tyler [Isgrig]. All I had to do was just finish it.”
It took just 3:45 for Merrill to record three-consecutive goals. Merrill’s historic night was the first time since 2021 that a Baylor player recorded a hat trick. Merrill tied Baylor records with three second-half goals and six second-half points.
After assisting two Merrill goals, Isgrig took a pass from senior forward Jenna Patterson and added insurance for the Bears in the 51st minute by collecting her second goal of the game and fourth of the season, putting Baylor on top 6-0.
While Baylor had a full lineup of substitutions on the pitch, in the 85th minute, junior midfielder Micah Beasley assisted freshman Callie Conrad, whose second goal of the year extended Baylor’s lead to a touchdown, 7-0.
Baylor’s seven goals on the night were the most since a 2016 matchup against Jackson State, where the final also read 7-0. With the win, through seven games, Baylor has matched the 2022 win total (four) and surpassed total goals scored (17 in 2023, 15 in 2022).
#Baylor soccer picks up a huge momentum boosting win over ACU before heading into conference play.
Final from Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field
Baylor 7 | ACU 0#SicEm ⚽️— Foster Nicholas (@FosterNicholas_) September 11, 2023
The Bears will head into conference play on Thursday with a matchup against No. 17 Texas. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Betty Lou Mays Field.
