By Foster Nicholas | Sports Writer
Hot off a dominant win, Baylor soccer looks to keep riding the wave into conference play against No. 16 Texas when it hosts the Longhorns for a 7 p.m. contest on Thursday at Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field.
After recording the fastest hat trick in program history (3:44), senior midfielder Ashley Merrill and the Bears (4-2-1) aim to take the 7-0 win against ACU on Sunday as momentum heading into Big 12 play.
“I think every win builds some sort of confidence,” Merrill said. “Now, we just have to start winning conference games. But I think a big win gives everyone confidence. Now, we have to go in conference hard [and] win all [of] those games.”
Baylor head coach Michelle Lenard said she and the team are ready for their toughest task yet in Texas (6-1-1). Off to the best start since 2018, the green and gold has outscored opponents 17-5, but the longtime rival marks its first ranked foe of the season.
“We know going into the Texas game that we’re not as likely to have as many good opportunities as we did [against ACU],” Lenard said. “But being able to create a lot of good opportunities, connecting those moments and put the ball in the back of the net, definitely is a confidence builder for our attack.
“For us to be able to break them down that often and score some great goals — [it] shows that the work we’ve been putting in is starting to pay off at the right time leading into conference [play].”
Already compiling a few shutouts, sophomore goalkeeper Ashlee Zirkel has the support of both Lenard and her teammates. Zirkel will continue to share time with graduate goalkeeper Makinzie Short, but the sophomore is slated to start Thursday night. However, Zirkel said she can’t take all the credit for the great defense.
“One thing, for sure, is my back line is like my confidence — the shutouts and just the team environment that especially my center backs have created — which is super uplifting,” Zirkel said. “Little things like I make a save at practice, and they’re like, ‘That’s awesome.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, it’s just a save.’ But I think that confidence that they give back to me is what lets me get through the game.”
A year ago, the Bears dropped a tight match to the Longhorns 1-0. But since then, the green and gold has made changes.
“They have scored a ton of goals this year, and they’re probably feeling pretty confident,” Lenard said. “But maybe they haven’t seen as many quality opponents as we have. We’ve played a little bit of a tougher schedule and gotten ourselves ready, and we’re better [than last year].
“So hopefully, that favors us as well, because they’ll know they’ve seen film, but it’s one thing to see film and one thing to face it. I think that we have far more attacking threats right now than we did last year, and that should play heavily in our favor.”
Confidence is high on the banks of the Brazos River, and Baylor hopes to kick off conference play not only with a win, but with a victory against a rival that would create long-lasting bragging rights.
“I think it would be fun to beat [Texas],” Merrill said. “I think it would be fun to have them get beat by Baylor one last time in the Big 12.”
The match kicks off at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Betty Lou Mays Field.
