By Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
No. 20 Baylor soccer kicked off its three-game home stand in style Thursday night, rolling past Iowa State 3-0 at Betty Lou Mays Field to move to 8-1-2 — the Bears’ best start under head coach Michelle Lenard and strongest overall since 2018.
Under a cloudless Waco sky, and fresh off a six-goal road trip, Baylor hit the field with no plans of letting its foot off the gas. But unlike their usual quick strikes, the Bears opened at a slower pace Thursday, as Iowa State (4-4-2, 1-3 Big 12) controlled the early tempo and kept the Bears out of the attacking third.
“We really wanted to be patient and find the right moments, and that’s the way some of these games are going to be,” Lenard said. “Some teams sit back in a low block and look to counter-attack, and that’s what they did and I thought we did a good job of being patient against that.”
The pressure eventually swung back Baylor’s way, though, as the Bears persisted — ripping five first-half shots and never looking back.
Knocking on the door, the Bears nearly broke through in the 13th minute when a Cyclone miscue set up freshman midfielder Olivia Hess for a left-footed strike that clipped the crossbar and kept the match scoreless.
That changed in the 21st minute. After a smooth build-up, junior midfielder Theresa McCullough threaded a ball into the box, where junior forward Callie Conrad met it in the air and buried it into the back left corner to put the Bears ahead of the Cyclones 1-0.
“It was a little slow at the beginning, so it feels good to finally get some in the back of the net,” Conrad said. “Theresa and I have been working on that, so it feels good that it’s finally coming in games.”
It was Baylor’s first shot on goal of the night — and it proved clinical. The finish marked Conrad’s second straight match scoring off a McCullough assist, as the duo continued to showcase their connection in the attacking third.
“This is just progress from all the work they’ve been putting in all season,” Lenard said. “The two of them have great chemistry and play well together.”
Iowa State nearly swung the momentum in the 30th minute when defender Ella Zimmerman spotted senior goalkeeper Azul Alvarez off her line and lofted a chip toward goal that sailed just left of the post.
But it was Baylor who found its footing to close the half, pushing numbers into the box and riding the momentum. In the 34th minute, Conrad connected again — her second shot and second goal of the night — to give the Bears a 2-0 cushion heading into the break.
Callie Conrad 2, Iowa State 0.
“Callie works really hard to do the things that lead to goals, so she’s been unfortunate not to have more up to this point in the season,” Lenard said. “She’s in the right spaces, she’s making the runs, she’s committed to training. We knew it was eventually going to come, and I think she’s got more in the tank.”
Baylor came out swinging in the second half, pushing the tempo early in a start that looked far different from the opening 45 minutes.
With the Bears firmly in command, sophomore forward Alysiah Lockette delivered the knockout blow, slotting home the Bears’ third to push the margin to 3-0, their ninth goal in the past 180 minutes of action.
That momentum would never shift, as Iowa State searched for answers until the final whistle.
With seven shutouts and only three goals conceded through 11 matches, Baylor’s defense once again proved its dominance, sealing another statement victory.
“It’s a new game, it’s a big game, it’s a championship game,” Lenard said. “That’s our mentality.
Baylor’s home stand rolls on Sunday, when the Bears host Colorado (8-1-2, 2-0-1 Big 12), unbeaten in league play, in a 1 p.m. matchup at Betty Lou Mays Field. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
