By Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
Baylor soccer capped its nonconference schedule with a 2-0 shutout win over Abilene Christian Sunday night at Betty Lou Mays Field, sending the Bears into Big 12 play unbeaten and with the type of momentum the program hasn’t seen in years.
The Bears (5-0-2) wasted no time settling in, living inside their opponents’ 18 from the start. Blink once, or show up late, and you might have missed Baylor firing off its first chances on goal as ACU (4-5) goalkeeper Bella Medrano was forced into action early.
A relentless pressure inside the penalty box area paid off early. It was senior forward Tyler Isgrig who capitalized first, burying a penalty kick into the right corner in the fifth minute after junior Theresa McCullough was taken down in the box.
“I thought we had a good start, we had a lot of energy and were all over them early,” Baylor head coach Michelle Lenard said. “We did what we had to do to get the win and move on to conference play.”
With Baylor leading the all-time series 4-0-1, the Bears came out with the same energy, dictating the tempo throughout the half, pinning the Wildcats deep and holding ACU to four shots — one on target — as senior goalkeeper Azul Alvarez was never seriously tested.
Back in the lineup after missing two games with a concussion sustained against Mississippi State, senior defender Hannah Augustyn helped steady Baylor’s rhythm.
“I love Hannah, so I’m glad she’s back — it’s great having her out there again,” graduate defender Blythe Obar said. “We have depth now, though, which has been a progression from past years. Having options in both our front and back lines so we can rely on the bench without leaving a big hole has been really beneficial for us.”
That depth showed Sunday night, as Baylor’s balance across the field kept the match firmly under control.
Any time a set piece threatened to slow things down, the Bears snapped right back into gear. Anchored by a back line that has conceded only twice in six matches, they stitched passes together and surged forward with the kind of swagger that left ACU chasing shadows.
It was that swagger that carried the Bears down the pitch for another Isgrig strike in the 34th minute, set up by junior midfielder Aryanna Jimison with a flick on the right flank.
Isgrig weaved past the defense before powering home her second goal of the match — this one from the opposite side of the net as her opener.
“When I saw her getting the ball back to goal, I knew I had to be in a spot where she could lay it off, and I was able to drive into the box after that and take her on 1v1,” Isgrig said.
Baylor looked untouchable, stringing passes together and dictating the run of play as the momentum carried them into the second half. Picking up where they left off, they began the final 45 minutes at a comfortable pace.
“We didn’t want to take our foot off the gas, ” Lenard said.
The second half opened without a quick strike, but Baylor controlled the tempo with ease until the 72nd minute, when ACU finally broke through for its first real chance, forcing Alvarez into her first true save of the night.
Baylor clicked across every line, turning defense into attack with composure and rhythm. The back line stayed steady, the midfield pulled the strings and the forwards finished the job with persistent pressure, giving the green and gold a complete shutout that felt like the perfect tune-up and sending the Bears into Big 12 play with rhythm, confidence and an unbeaten record.
“We’re 100% ready [for Big 12 play],” Lenard said. “We’ve shown the ability to control games, score goals, defend and show resilience, so we’ve checked all the boxes we wanted to going into conference play.
“We’ve played every kind of team, including one today in a low block that was really organized behind the ball, so our schedule has prepared us well. We’ve seen everything, and I don’t think there’s anyone in the conference that has something we haven’t faced.”
The Bears will open their conference slate against Texas Tech (6-1-0) at 7 p.m. Friday at Betty Lou Mays Field.
