By Carson Vercoe | Sports Writer, Rylie Painter | LTVN Sports Broadcast Reporter
It was a slow first 40 minutes. Baylor was trying to crack the tough Marquette defense but came up short multiple times.
LTVN’s Rylie Painter has more.
But things changed in the 43rd minute when senior midfielder Aryanna Jimison got the chance to put the Bears in front.
“Same mindset: Go out, kill whoever’s in front of me and help my team win,” Jimison said.
With that mindset ingrained in her, Jimison broke free, dribbling in Golden Eagle territory, but was fouled from behind at the top of the box. She lined up in a spot she’s taken multiple shots from this season and delivered a low shot that caught a Marquette defender in the wall of players, which found the back of the net, putting the Bears in front.
“What I was anticipating was the goalkeeper making a save, deflecting it, maybe picking up a second ball,” head coach Michelle Lenard said. “Instead, it hit the wall in the way, but if you hit it hard enough in the right direction, good things happen.”
Jimison’s goal was the difference-maker as the Bears (6-1-0) won a defensive battle 1-0 over Marquette (3-1-3).
The Bears dominated possession right from kickoff. The backline was stringing passes with the midfielders on a consistent basis, looking for the perfect chance to find a crack in Marquette’s defense.
Baylor thought it found an opportunity in the first minute when Jimison fired in a shot from outside the box that ricocheted off the left post.
They continued to possess the ball and string together passes all the way to the goal but couldn’t score, finishing with three shots before heading into the water break.
The Golden Eagles played a different style, trying to get their offense going with short bursts, but they couldn’t generate goals either, finishing with three shots as well.
Both defenses picked up the intensity after the hydration break as they combined for zero shots in 20 minutes of game time, despite Baylor consistently pressuring Marquette’s goal.
The Bears held the lead heading into the locker rooms after Jimison’s goal in the 43rd minute.
Baylor came out of half right where it left off and fired on offense.
The Bears were pushing the Golden Eagles to their breaking point as they put up four shots in the first 11 minutes of the second half.
Baylor continued to come up just short of the goal, peppering shots in but failing to see the back of the net. They went into the hydration break outshooting Marquette by eight.
The Golden Eagles found life on offense in the 74th minute, putting up two shots of their own. Fifth-year goalkeeper Azul Alvarez helped clean up for Baylor, recording her first save of the night.
Senior Lauren Omholt found herself in a few spots to put the Bears up by two, including a run where it was just Omholt and the goalkeeper, but goalkeeper Mia Hurd put her body on the line and snatched the ball from Omholt.
Baylor’s defense held for the rest of the game, getting their second shutout in a row.
“I think at the beginning of the season we didn’t have any clean sheets, which is something we are really pushing towards,” fifth-year defender Natalie Vatter said. “The fact that we could get one against LSU and one tonight is definitely momentum.”
The Bears picked up their fourth win in a row as they come to the close of non- conference play.
‘We knew they were physical; they’re big, they’re athletic,” Lenard said. “They were going to make it really difficult for us … Even if we had to grind it out in the end, to find a way to get results is very important right now.”
Baylor will look to push its win streak to five when it takes on Oral Roberts at 7 p.m. Sunday at Case Soccer Complex in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
