Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
Baylor soccer is set to kick off its 30th season in Waco Thursday against No. 17 Mississippi State, the reigning SEC regular-season champion.
After closing last season with a gut-wrenching 2-1 loss to Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinals, Baylor (1-0-2) will open its home slate looking to turn the page in 2025.
“They want to win,” head coach Michelle Lenard said. “They’ve worked really hard to get to this point, and they deserve to be confident right now. I think that’s a piece of the culture. They’re great kids that are great teammates, but they’re competitive. That showed in our first couple of exhibition games, and I’m confident it will show [Thursday] night.”
Thursday’s contest at Betty Lou Mays Field pits the Bears against Mississippi State (2-0-0) for just the third time. Baylor came out on top in the teams’ first meeting with a 2-1 win in 2002, but the Bulldogs responded in their most recent battle in 2024 to knot the series at 1-1 heading into this year’s matchup.
“A little bit of redemption is definitely inside of us,” graduate midfielder Kai Hayes said.
The Bears finished 2024 with 29 goals, averaging 1.38 per game on 12.8 shots, but went just 2-5-4 in Big 12 play. This fall, they have started 1-0-2 and are looking to build early momentum.
After beginning the season in College Station with a 1-1 draw against Texas A&M, Baylor fielded six newcomers — a pair of true freshmen and four transfers — but it was junior Lauren Omholt who rose above the defense to head in the Bears’ lone goal and the first back net ball of the year.
Since June, the offseason has been anything but quiet. With a strong core of starters back, Baylor enters the year searching for its first home win following a scoreless draw with Denver and a 2-0 victory over Montana.
That defensive effort was anchored by senior goalkeeper Azul Alvarez, who recorded a pair of shutouts, earning her Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week for the second time in her career. The recognition adds to a roster anchored by a group of experienced returners.
“We have a lot of the same players we had three years ago, but we’re better because we believe in development,” Lenard said. “Our players have grown up, they’ve developed, they’ve matured and now they’re ready for the moment.”
A Big 12 Championship has eluded Baylor’s upperclassmen thus far, who saw their postseason run end in the quarterfinals last year. With a veteran core and additional leadership, the Bears begin the season aiming to advance deeper in conference play and contend for a title.
Senior forward Tyler Isgrig has been through the highs and lows of Baylor soccer, helping guide the program through change. Entering her final season, she reflected on her journey during Baylor athletics’ graduation celebration in May.
“I came here to rebuild a program, and it rebuilt me,” Isgrig said.
To take the next step, Baylor will need to advance beyond the Big 12 tournament quarterfinals, the round that ended its postseason run last year.
For Baylor’s women, the road to success is long — but they believe it comes when they play as one.
“This team has the most depth in my time at Baylor,” Isgrig said. “We’re a lot more equipped to find that extra edge in games, especially late. We’ve been able to build more momentum toward the end, and that’s been really good.”
Lenard enters her fourth season with the Bears, looking to stabilize the program after a 8-8-5 season.
“We’re very excited to be home for our home opener, and against a big SEC opponent who won the SEC last year, so a big opportunity for us to get a result against a team we know will be competing for a championship this year,” Lenard said.
Baylor will be back in action for their home opener Thursday against Mississippi State. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Betty Lou Mays Field.
