By Nate Maki | Sports Writer
Closing out its August slate, Baylor soccer took the pitch against a team they haven’t beaten since 2000. Behind stifling defense and late heroics from junior forward Tyler Isgrig and junior goalkeeper Azul Alvarez, the green and gold extended their winning streak to three, taking down Texas A&M, 1-0, on Friday night at Betty Lou Mays Field.
Due to a physical match with 21 fouls, the Bears (4-1) struggled to tally a goal with the first 11 shots coming up empty. But in the final 85th minute, Isgrig found an opening for the winning goal.
“We’ve always known what Tyler’s capable of,” head coach Michelle Lenard said. “She hasn’t been scoring recently, but we knew that was temporary. Tyler was going to score; it was just a matter of time.”
The winning goal marked Isgrig’s first goal of the season. The junior led all players in shots (four), shots on goal (2) and fouls (3). The physical play ultimately made the game-winning goal even sweeter for Isgrig.
“I don’t think I’ve ever celebrated that much,” Isgrig said. “As a team, we really deserved it. We had a lot of consistent momentum, and we were winning the 50-50s, so it felt good to close it out. I was proud of us.”
Six Bears played all 90 minutes, including Alvarez, who picked up her third-straight clean sheet in goal. The junior secured the victory with her only save opportunity of the match coming in the 89th minute.
“It was an amazing feeling,” Alvarez said. “[Coach Lenard] has been saying that we just need some more grit in this team. Even on the sideline, everyone cares so much about this team and this sport. It’s an amazing experience to win with them.”
The Bears were responsible for nine of the 21 fouls. Both teams played aggressively and the hostile play in the midfield led to just four save opportunities during the entire game; one shot on goal for the Aggies (2-2) and three shots on goal for the Bears.
“We knew it was going to be a physical battle,” Lenard said. “It’s a local rivalry, a lot of these girls grew up playing together. We have a history for sure.”
The drought on the scoreboard lasted until Isgrig’s 85th minute goal, with 19 shots coming before the score.
“I saw the space, and I took it down the middle,” Isgrig said. “I knew the keeper didn’t have a clear view of me, so I saw that open up and I had so much momentum, so I knew it was time to pull the trigger.”
LETS GOOOOO#SicEm | #depthB4height pic.twitter.com/pTrDTph3TC
— Baylor Soccer (@BaylorFutbol) August 31, 2024
The Bears will head on the road and be back in action against SMU (4-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday at Washburne Soccer and Track Stadium in Dallas.
“This is a really special moment for our program,” Lenard said. “A&M is a really good program, and our overall record with them is not in our favor. Today was bigger than just one game, though, it was about us not just winning but deserving to win.”
