Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
Sunny and 85 degrees on the Brazos, Baylor soccer continued its home stand with a 2-1 barnburner win over Colorado Sunday at Betty Lou Mays Field, a clash between one of the Big 12’s top defenses and an unbeaten conference foe.
Both teams entered Sunday riding momentum — Colorado fresh off a 3-1 win over No. 7 TCU and Baylor coming off a 3-0 shutout of Iowa State. The Bears (8-1-2, 3-1 Big 12) had surrendered just three goals all season, while the unbeaten Buffaloes (9-0-1, 2-0-1) carried a 7-6-4 edge in the all-time series. The game marked Baylor’s toughest Big 12 test to date: a matchup with early league implications and a true measuring stick for head coach Michelle Lenard’s squad.
“We knew it was going to be a grind, and so this team all season has shown great resilience and ability to withstand some challenges and I thought they demonstrated them well today,” Lenard said.
The first 25 minutes were a defensive chess match, with both sides moving confidently into the attacking third as the match’s first real look came in the 20th minute, when junior forward Lauren Omholt’s header off a Natalie Vatter cross fell into the Colorado goalkeeper’s hands.
Baylor proved its defensive discipline early, closing lanes and staying tight man-to-man to hold Colorado without a shot on goal through the first 20 minutes. The Buffaloes — a team that had outscored opponents 18-2— struggled to crack the back line, as graduate Blythe Obar and senior Hannah Augustyn anchored a unit that looked unbreakable.
“Our back line did a good job of holding the line throughout the match, staying disciplined, good positioning,” Lenard said.
It was an even matchup until the 25th minute, when the power duo of junior midfielder Aryanna Jimison and sophomore forward Alysiah Lockette subbed in. They immediately made their presence felt as momentum began to tilt Baylor’s way.
But it was Jimison off the bench who delivered in the 30th minute, blasting a shot from 25 yards out over the outstretched arms of Colorado’s keeper. The strike, assisted by senior midfielder Tyler Isgrig, curled into the top left corner to put Baylor ahead 1-0 with 15 minutes left in the first half — Jimison’s third goal this season.
“That’s just her,” graduate midfielder Kai Hayes said. “She can, no matter what, put a ball in the back of the net. Whether she’s 18 yards out or two yards out, she just has that nose for the goal.”
As time ticked on, the bucket remained dry for the Buffaloes, with senior goalkeeper Azul Alvarez untested until the 32nd minute thanks to another strong showing from her back line.
Jimison’s strike sent Baylor into the half with all the energy. The Bears flipped the script from one shot in the opening 20 minutes to seven in the last 25, out-shooting Colorado 8-4.
“I couldn’t do any of it without the assists and confidence my teammates give me to do what I do,” Jimison said. “I love these girls.”
Looking for momentum, Colorado finally broke through in the 57th minute when forward Emerson Layne headed home past Alvarez to even the score at 1-1 — the first set-piece goal the Bears have conceded at home this season.
Baylor answered three minutes later in the 60th, as Jimison spun past her defender and buried her second goal to put the Bears back in front 2-1 — her first brace in the green and gold.
“She’s a special talent,” Lenard said. “She can score with both feet, beat players one-on-one. She scores spectacular goals in training like that all the time, so for her it’s just a matter of being patient and waiting for the right opportunity.”
It was Baylor who stayed disciplined, warding off Colorado’s attack to hand the Buffaloes their first loss of the season and push the Bears to 4-1 in Big 12 play — their best mark under Lenard.
The Bears will be back at home to host BYU (8-2-1, 3-0-1 Big 12) at 7 p.m. Friday for senior night and its final game of a three-game home stand.
