By Carson Vercoe | Sports Writer
The 2025 season gave the Baylor soccer glimpses of its memorable 2018.
The Bears’ 12 regular season wins was their best mark in the last seven years. They also made a run on the national stage, going to the Sweet 16 and erasing another seven-year drought. Betty Lou Mays Field was rocking once again.
Baylor now enters this season looking to build off its remarkable campaign and go further than last year.
The Bears lost seven seniors during the offseason, including All-American Second Team midfielder and Big 12 First Team selection Tyler Isgrig and Big 12 Second Team defender Hallie Augustyn. They responded to this by grabbing seven transfers from the portal, including 2023 All-SEC Freshman Team member, senior forward Kate Runyon.
This new Baylor squad has not disappointed early in the season, rising to No. 6 in the nation after picking up a road win at No. 10 Arkansas, 4-1 and winning their home opener against Texas A&M, 2-1.
“It gives us a lot of confidence going into not just this upcoming game, but going into the rest of the season,” head coach Michelle Lenard said. “If we commit to our plan, and we execute at a high level, we can play with anybody and succeed.”
Lenard enters her fourth year as head coach of the Bears. Lenard has taken the program to places it has not been in years, and she looks to continue that this season.
Baylor brought back some key pieces from last season despite facing the departures of multiple seniors.
Senior forward Callie Conrad, an All-Big 12 Second Team selection and former All-Big 12 Freshman Team selection, has served as a reliable goal scorer for the Bears early on. Conrad has scored two goals against SEC opponents so far, earning her Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week.
“It felt really good for me to score, personally, and also just for all our other players too,” Conrad said. “It brought some confidence, a sense of confidence to carry into the next games.”
Senior forward Lauren Omholt will be another goal-scoring veteran on this Baylor team, helping the Bears make the Sweet 16. Along with Conrad, Omholt also recorded two goals against SEC opponents and a goal in their loss against Texas State.
“Right when I drew the PK, I was confident in myself. I knew I wanted to take it,” Omholt said. “I was just so excited to get that opportunity, and to put it away was super fun.”
The duo of Conrad and Omholt up top for the Bears has been a crucial part of the team’s success.
While they are scoring goals for Baylor, fifth-year goalkeeper Azul Alvarez will be the one defending the goal. Alvarez, a reigning All-Big 12 First Team selection who was named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List this year, was a big factor in the Bears’ early-season wins.
“Obviously, Azul is a great shot stopper,” Lenard said. “Her presence on the field makes everyone feel better. “
Baylor’s back line also features a mix of new and returning stars. Junior defender Sydney Miller, fifth-year defender Natalie Vatter, senior defender Bella James and senior Nyela Calnek create a staunch defense for the Bears, with SEC experience shared among the four.
“They have all had a great pre-season,” Lenard said. “They all have experience in the SEC, so you know it gives them and gives the team confidence knowing they have played these teams.”
The grind of Baylor’s non-conference does not just stop at Texas A&M and Arkansas. The Bears will take on two more SEC teams on the road with a game at Texas and at LSU.
“The SEC is a great conference, so we have four on our non-conference schedule this year, so we’re excited,” Conrad said. “It’s good for us to practice against, because if we meet one of those teams in postseason play, like in the NCAA tournament, it’s good for us to be prepared for that.”
Baylor will also go through the grind of playing in the Big 12, one of the tougher conferences in soccer, with five teams ranked in the top 25.
The Bears are confident that they have the skill and depth to be one of the conference’s and the nation’s best, even with their tough schedule.
“We usually try not to open with two Power Four games in the first weekend, and when we had the opportunity to schedule an additional game, we talked about it a lot, and we felt like we could do it,” Lenard said. “We felt like we had the quality. We felt like we would be ready. We felt like we had the depth.”
Baylor travels down I-35 to face off against Texas at 7 p.m. Thursday at Mike A. Myers Stadium and Soccer Field in Austin.
