By Nate Maki | Sports Writer
With its season on the line, No. 10 seed Baylor soccer took down No. 7 seed Arizona, 2-1, in the First Round of the 2024 Sprouts Farmers Market Big 12 Soccer Championship on Wednesday afternoon at CPKC Stadium.
The Bears (8-7-5) got the action started in the 10th minute as junior forward Tyler Isgrig brought the ball into the attacking third. Instead of taking a shot, Isgrig passed it to sophomore midfielder Callie Conrad, who found an opening and scored the first goal of the match, putting the Bears on top, 1-0.
https://twitter.com/BaylorFutbol/status/1851713320610377995
Baylor held its lead until the 21st minute as the Wildcats (11-6-2) wiggled through the backline. A forward squeezed the ball past junior goalkeeper Azul Alvarez, into the corner of the net to even the game. Both teams locked down on defense and for the remainder of the half there wasn’t another shot.
Alvarez was tested twice in the 47th and 52nd minutes, but kept the score tied with saves for each attempt.
In the 76th minute, with service from junior midfielder Skye Leach, sophomore forward Caroline Staubach reached out her right foot and knocked a shot towards the goal. It sailed past the Wildcats’ goalkeeper and hit the back of the net, resulting in Staubach’s first career goal, putting the Bears back in the lead 2-1. Staubach ran back to her team on the sidelines with open arms to celebrate and was greeted with jumps and cheers.
FIRST CAREER GOAL!!!#SicEm | #depthB4height pic.twitter.com/Rd50SU0zHg
— Baylor Soccer (@BaylorFutbol) October 30, 2024
After a throw in later in the half, both Isgrig and Arizona sophomore defender Aranda Hurge rushed towards the ball. As both players reached it, the two collided and got tangled, leading to a brief scuffle. The resulting call was a red card on Hurge and a yellow on Isgrig, ejecting Hurge from the game.
With their opponents down a player, the Bears took full advantage, maintaining their lead while the clock ticked down. The green and gold won the match 2-1, marking their first match win the Big 12 Soccer Championship since 2018.
Baylor continues its tournament run in the Quarterfinals at 5:30 p.m. Saturday against No. 2 seed Texas Tech at CPKC Stadium.
