By Jeffrey Swindoll
Sports Writer
Senior night came with plenty of goals for Baylor Soccer as the Bears trounced the University of Incarnate Word 5-0 at Betty Lou Mays Field Friday night.
The fun started early for Baylor as senior midfielder Justine Hovden placed her corner kick pass on the head of senior forward Alexa Wilde to score in the second minute of the match. The senior-to-senior connection allowed the Bears to play the early part of the match already with extra boost in morale.
“Honestly, we looked at this game as a redemption game against Utah Valley,” senior forward Alexa Wilde said. “That’s a team we didn’t come out to compete against ride from the start, and that was our goal [Friday], to compete right from the start and have redemption.”
Baylor co-head coach Marci Jobson was not satisfied with her team settling for just one goal though. Jobson stepped up to the end of the coach’s box, screaming at her team to continue to press high moments after the first goal.
“We need to approach every game the same,” Jobson said. “I don’t care who we’re playing, what their jerseys look like or what their record is. If we want to be a good team, every game we’ve got to give the same effort and pour it out every game.”
The Bears heeded Jobson’s words, creating more offensive chances and ultimately more goals in the first half. Senior midfielder Justine Hovden provided assists for three goals Friday night.
It was already 4-0 before the halftime whistle, allowing Jobson to clear her bench for the rest of the match. Backups got substantial amounts of playing time, while most of the starters rested for the next game on Sunday against Northwestern State.
Baylor dominated the match from start to finish on both offense and defense. The Bears shot 31 times at Incarnate Word’s goal and allowed only one shot off target from the Cardinals.
Freshman forward Lauren O’Connell capped off the night was a beautiful chip over Incarnate Word’s goalkeeper on a one-on-one breakaway.
“We wanted to have spirit and fire [on Friday] and it carried throughout,” O’Connell said. “I was lucky enough to score.”
Baylor soccer hosts Northwestern State at 1 p.m. Sunday at Betty Lou Mays Field.
