By Nate Maki | Sports Writer
Baylor soccer opened its conference slate against No. 15 Oklahoma State, a team they didn’t play in 2023. After a hard-fought match, the Bears succumbed 1-0 Thursday night at Betty Lou Mays Field.
The Bears (5-3-0, 0-1-0 Big 12) started off fast with the first two shots of the game off the boots of junior forward Tyler Isgrig and freshman forward Alysiah Lockette. But a goal in the 19th minute from the Cowgirls (7-0-1, 1-0-0 Big 12) left the Bears and head coach Michelle Lenard trailing 1-0 at halftime.
“We’re incredibly disappointed in our performance,” Lenard said. “We’re capable of a lot more, and we’ve shown it already this season. We know how to win these games and it’s gotten to the point where we expect a lot more out of ourselves.”
Junior goalkeeper Azul Alvarez was tested in the 47th minute and made the save. After keeping the ball off frame, however, Alvarez sustained a head injury after an Oklahoma State attacker collided with her. The injury prompted junior goalkeeper Ashlee Zirkel to appear for the second time this season.
“The urgency in our heart was just not there,” graduate student midfielder Kai Hayes said. “Communication-wise, our bench was screaming louder than the girls on the field, and we need to have that same heart. All year, we’ve been saying every game is a final, so we just need to get back out there with some fury.”
Both teams struggled to make shots in the second half, with Isgrig’s miss in the 71st minute starting a frenzy. After her shot sailed over the crossbar, the Cowgirls went on to take five more shots in the next 10 minutes with the Bears making each and every save.
“It was a close game,” Isgrig said. “The shot count was even, and the corners too. There was definitely a lot of chances for us to get back in the game if we were just more organized and paid attention to the details.”
Junior defender Hannah Augustyn had the last opportunity for the Bears in the 85th minute, but failed to get her shot at the goal, leading to a 1-0 loss in the first conference match of the season.
“We really struggled to stay in it mentally in the second half,” Lenard said. “We didn’t create enough chances for ourselves, and that can’t happen if we want to be competitive. It’s a hard lesson we learned, but we hold ourselves to a higher standard.”
The Bears will be back at it on Sunday night to close out their non-conference slate against Texas State (3-3-1). Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Betty Lou Mays Field.
