By Carson Vercoe | Sports Writer
Just four days earlier, junior midfielder Noelle Sather represented Canada at the FIFA U20 World Cup in Poland. Now back in Waco in her first game back with Baylor, she is scoring game-winners.
Sather found herself at the top of the box with the ball in the 55th minute of a 1-1 game. She ripped a shot into the bottom left of the goal, sending Betty Lou Mays Field into cheers and putting the Bears up one.
“It’s been a bit hectic, but it was okay,” Sather said. “I was grateful to get minutes. I was grateful to come on and help the team.”
With the lead, No.11 Baylor’s (8-1-1) defense took over, allowing little to no offense from Oklahoma State (5-3-2) in the second half as the Bears took the 2-1 win on senior night.
Baylor held possession early, something it did not do well against No. 10 West Virginia. The Bears strung together many passes in the Oklahoma State half but couldn’t get anything into the box to pressure the Cowgirls’ goal.
Oklahoma State struck first when midfielder Laudan Wilson dribbled into the Baylor box, followed by a well-placed shot that snuck past fifth-year goalkeeper Azul Alvarez.
It would be the first time the Bears have trailed since August 27th, when they went down 1-0 to Texas.
Baylor responded in just seven minutes.
Senior forward Theresa McCullough received a long pass from sophomore midfielder Olivia Hess and connected with senior midfielder Aryanna Jimison. Jimison ripped a shot that was blocked, but she got the rebound and shot it back in to tie it at one.
“We have got to quit conceding early goals like that,” head coach Michelle Lenard said. “But quick response got right back on the scoreboard and then after that I didn’t feel overly worried.”
After the early fireworks from both sides, the defenses started to settle in.
The Bears continued their possession, stringing pass after pass together, with a long ball every now and then, but couldn’t generate shots, managing only three in the 20 minutes.
The Cowgirls also struggled to get shots up after the Jimison goal, putting up only two shots and letting the Baylor defense settle into the game.
Both teams went into halftime tied at one.
Baylor came out firing out of halftime. The Bears racked up seven shots in the first ten minutes, putting heavy pressure on the Oklahoma State defense early.
The only response the Cowgirls had in the Bears’ possession was short bursts upfield, but even with that style, they struggled to get shots up. Oklahoma State finished the first 25 minutes with one shot to the Bears’ nine.
As time wound down, the Bears sank deeper into their defense.
The Cowgirls picked up their intensity in desperation but couldn’t find anything near the box.
They got their best look on a free kick after a Hess yellow card, but the Cowgirls skyed it over the goal.
“We need to manage the game at the end a little bit better even in this game,” Lenard said. “We had a couple of bad turnovers late that just don’t need to happen. We can play safer.”
Baylor rode out its defense till the final whistle, securing its first conference win of the year.
The Bears picked up a big win in the first one of three at home.
“Being home, sleeping in our own bed, on our fields with our fans, is a fantastic advantage,” Lenard said. “Good turnout tonight. We have a couple of big games coming up at home. We hope to continue to get the local Waco folks out to support the team.”
After the game, the Bears celebrated their 16 seniors with a ceremony to conclude the night.
The Bears will look to pick up another conference win when they take on Cincinnati at 1 p.m. Sunday at Betty Lou Mays Field.
