By Carson Vercoe | Sports Writer
It was a hot day in Tucson’s desert, but No. 9 Baylor’s offense was hotter against Arizona.
Three different players scored for Baylor (14-2-1, 7-1-1 Big 12) in its 3-2 win over Arizona (5-7-5, 2-3-4 Big 12).
The Bears pick up their seventh conference win and remain tied for first place with No. 14 Texas Tech.
Baylor took the lead in just 26 seconds on a single shot.
Senior forward Callie Conrad received the throw-in at her feet and, with a crafty spin, found herself right in front of the goal. Conrad slipped a shot with a defender on her back as she fell to the ground for her third goal of the year.
The Bears’ quick lead didn’t last for long.
Arizona forward Lainey Swanson snuck a header past fifth-year goalkeeper Azul Alvarez to tie the game in the 16th minute.
Less than two minutes later, Swanson did it again. A pass across the box found Swanson’s feet; she cut inside and slotted a shot into the low-left corner to give Arizona the lead.
After the early slugfest, both offenses slowed down. The teams combined for four shots after the two goals.
The Bears were not done in the first half.
In the 44th minute, senior defender Bella James played a high ball into the Wildcats’ box. It bounced off several players before junior defender Sydney Miller sent a line drive to the back of the net to tie the game 2-2.
Miller capped off her goal with a celebratory backflip as both teams went into the half.
Similar to the first half, the Bears struck gold in the first minute. Senior forward Lauren Omholt received a pass at the top of the box and curled a shot into the net to give Baylor a one-goal lead.
The Bears offense kept firing, but Arizona responded. Wilson sent a pass to forward Mireya Stephenson, who turned and ripped a shot that Evans deflected over Alvarez’s head to tie the game.
After a video review, though, they found that Stephenson touched the ball with her hand and took away the goal to keep the Bears in front.
The game slowed after, with both defenses taking over until the Wildcats earned a penalty kick in the 83rdminute.
Defender Aranda Hurge took the kick but sent it wide, keeping the Bears ahead. After the penalty-kick scare, Baylor hung on to claim the road win.
The conference leaders will meet in one of the year’s biggest matches of the season. The Bears face off against Texas Tech at 7 p.m. Friday at John Walker Soccer Complex in Lubbock.
