By Marissa Essenburg | Sports Writer
Back in action for the last time in the Lone Star State before the Big 12 Tournament, No. 16 Baylor battled Houston to a 1-1 draw Sunday at the Carl Lewis International Complex, earning a point in its second-to-last regular-season match before its season finale against Oklahoma State.
Sitting at sixth in the Big 12, Baylor looked to turn the tables coming off a tough loss to UCF on Thursday.
“It was the first time we did everything right and didn’t walk away with a victory,” head coach Michelle Lenard said. “But we’re not going to go away from what we know how to do — we’re going to stick to our process and what we believe in.”
The Bears lead the all-time series 7-1, with Houston’s lone victory coming back in 2006. The teams last met a season ago in Waco, where Baylor secured a dominant 4-0 win. Under Lenard, the Bears remain undefeated against the Cougars.
The first 15 minutes offered an even contest, with both sides trading possession and probing each other’s attacking third. The first real look of the match came off the feet of junior forward Theresa McCullough, who slipped a through ball behind the defense. She tested the Houston goalkeeper, who would win the battle against junior forward Lauren Omholt.
Listed as a game-time decision, the matchup carried extra meaning for junior midfielder Aryanna Jimison — a former Houston Cougar who transferred to Baylor ahead of the 2023 season. Jimison made her return in the 30th minute, getting her first touch just seconds after entering the match.
Pushing senior outside back Hannah Augustyn into the midfield, the Bears looked to outnumber the Cougars on the attack. It was the revamped Houston defense that held the Bears to two shots, leaving the scoreboard empty and sending the scoreless match into halftime.
The Bears were the first to break through just three minutes into the second half, as junior forward Callie Conrad finished out of the air off a set-piece delivery from the left end line by senior midfielder Tyler Isgrig.
It was only five minutes later that Houston forward Cameryn Maddox capitalized on a rare miscue from the Baylor defense to even the score at 1-1.
Despite pushing the tempo and weathering repeated tests from Houston, the Bears found the breakthrough three minutes into the half but were unable to score again the rest of the way.
Baylor will close its regular season Thursday night at Oklahoma State, with kickoff from Stillwater, Okla., set for 7 p.m. The match will be streamed on ESPN+.
