By Foster Nicholas | Sports Writer
No. 8 seed Baylor soccer suffered an early exit in the 2023 Sprouts Farmers Market Big 12 Soccer Championship. The Bears fell to No. 9 seed Cincinnati 3-2 on Saturday afternoon at the Round Rock Multipurpose Complex in Round Rock.
Head coach Michelle Lenard and the Bears’ season is likely over with the loss, as they needed to win the tournament to get an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
In the 11th minute, Cincinnati found the back of the net and took the early 1-0 lead. The rest of the first half stayed scoreless as each team struggled to find more many quality opportunities.
The Bearcats jumped out in the second half the same way they started the first, as in the 50th minute, their lead was extended to 2-0.
Both senior midfielder Ashley Merrill and senior defender Blythe Obar earned yellow cards through the first 50 minutes for unsporting.
Chasing the deficit with the season on the line, the Bears were finally able to get on the scoreboard in the 69th minute. Sophomore forward Tyler Isgrig spotted sophomore defender Hannah Augustyn, who turned the pass into a goal.
Baylor wasn’t done just yet. Isgrig again found an open teammate and earned an assist, this time finding Merrill in the 82nd minute for the score, evening up the game, 2-2.
Less than one minute later, Cincinnati found the game-winner on a shot that skimmed off the fingertips of diving sophomore goalkeeper Ashlee Zirkel’s fingertips. Despite the 3-2 loss, the Bears totaled 11 shots in the second half and forced five saves in the final 45 minutes of action.
Baylor will come back to Waco empty handed. The Bears ended their season with a 9-7-4 overall record, their most wins in a single season since 2018. By comparison, they totaled four wins in 2022.
