By Carson Vercoe | Sports Writer
It had been over one year since No. 3 seed Baylor soccer and BYU met in the Big 12 semifinals, when the Cougars crushed the Bears’ Big 12 championship hopes in a dominant 4-0 victory.
Baylor entered the Big 12 championship game Saturday with a chance to get revenge on the same team that ended its conference tournament run the year before.
After 90 minutes in the pouring rain and cold, Baylor (17-4-1, 8-2-1 Big 12) fell short of a comeback in the Big 12 championship, losing 3-2 to No. 1 seed BYU (13-3-5, 8-1-2 Big 12).
“[I’m] really proud of the team,” Lenard said. “Really proud of the resilience we have continued to show. That was a hard game, and that was a hard opponent.”
With its back against the wall trailing 2-0, Baylor needed a spark on offense. It found it when senior midfielder Aryanna Jimison sent a ground ball into the box for junior midfielder Noelle Sather. Sather got the ball at her feet and sent the ball into the corner of the goal to cut the lead in half.
The goal from the Bears put energy back into the team and the Baylor fans who made the trip, but that energy didn’t last long.
The Cougars’ pressure on the goal became too much for the Bears after Alvarez blocked a shot from forward Mia Goettsche. The blocked shot ricocheted to Summers Oviatt for her second goal.
Baylor didn’t go down easy. Two minutes later, senior forward Lauren Omholt curled a shot from beyond the box around goalkeeper Chelsea Patterson to put the Bears back within striking distance. The goal amazed Lenard and felt like it got them back in the game.
“Spectacular goal,” Lenard said. “Beat her player, got fouled in the process, but stayed on her feet and kept going. Spectacular shot and gave us a chance to get back in there at the end.”
Baylor kept fighting to the final whistle but could not break the Cougars’ defense as time expired.
BYU’s offense came out of the gate ready to play. The Cougars moved the ball upfield with precise passing, slicing through Baylor’s strong backline. BYU racked up five shots in the first five minutes.
The Bears started to find their own offense, moving quickly up the field with the ball. Baylor found promising looks in the first 20 minutes but generated only three shots.
Baylor’s back line tried to hold up against the strong Cougar attack. BYU midfielder Lucy Kesler ripped in a shot from beyond the 18-yard box that smashed into the crossbar. BYU forward Mattyn Summers-Oviatt was there for the ricochet, sending it back into the net to put the Cougars ahead 1-0
Both teams’ offenses slowed after the early goal. Both teams mustered a combined five shots for the rest of the first half.
The Bears tried to end the half on a buzzer-beater goal after a cross from Omholt found the head of freshman forward Grace White. White sent the ball toward the goal, but Patterson made a fingertip save to keep the Cougars ahead. Lenard said the offensive pressure to end the half was great to see, even after an early goal.
“Proud of our group for mentally resetting after that first goal,” Lenard said. “Battling back, getting some momentum towards the end of the first half.”
The Bears went into half with one fewer shot than BYU, but the Cougars kept the momentum all half long.
BYU’s momentum carried into the second half. Senior defender Bella James committed a handball inside the box, giving the Cougars a penalty kick. After an unsuccessful challenge on the call from the Bears, midfielder Afton Perry slotted one past fifth-year goalkeeper Azul Alvarez to put them up two.
“I thought that was a tough moment for us,” Lenard said. “I don’t know why it went against us today, but that’s the game, and it happens.”
The loss marks the second time the Bears have lost in the championship, with the first being their 3-0 loss to West Virginia in 2018. Their record in the championship is now 2-2.
It’s Baylor’s fourth loss to the Cougars in their seven all-time meetings, with two of those losses coming in Big 12 tournament matches.
The Bears will find out who their first round opponent is at 3 p.m. Monday on the 2026 NCAA Women’s Soccer selection show. The show will be streamed on NCAA.com.
