Baylor soccer looks to extend its five-game win streak as it takes on Oklahoma State at 7 p.m. tonight at Betty Lou Mays Field to open Big 12 play.
Sitting right behind Oklahoma State in Big 12 standings, the Baylor players are excited about the momentum that five game win streak has given them as they kick off conference play.
“I think it has given a lot of the younger girls and people scoring goals a lot of confidence going in,” said senior forward Bri Campos. “Like the coaches say, ‘nothing changes, it’s another game, another good opportunity to get better.’”
Despite starting off the season with four losses, the Bears were able to turn the season around by taking a game by game approach.
“The first four games were only disappointing because of the result, but the way we were playing was really good, and I knew if we kept doing what we were doing we would hit a stride,” Jobson said.
Like many teams, the Bears find importance in being able to learn from previous losses and making the necessary changes. “It’s good having those losses under our belt at the beginning so we can go into Big 12 and know what it takes to win games,” Campos said.
Coach Jobson said he feels confident his players will grow more as a unit as the season goes on.
“We have a lot of new faces, and I think that the longer they’re together the better they get to know each other and how to play off of each other,” Jobson said.
This weekend Baylor will make some readjustments without Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, freshman forward Lauren Piercy, who received a red card in the last minute of last weekend’s match against Colorado College.
“Obviously Lauren is an important piece of what we’ve been doing,” Jobson said. “There are some things we will miss by not having her there, but we are training a ton of girls and will be able to slide somebody back in.”
As far as preparing for conference play, Jobson and Campos mentioned the team’s mentality on keeping their focus on improving individually, no matter the final score.
“We try not to be a results-based team, we are just trying to get better,” Campos said. “For each player, doing our best is what we are striving for.”
Home field advantage is another reason the Bears feel optimistic going into Friday’s game.
“Being at home is always an advantage,” Jobson said. “For us, just the familiarity of our own field, having our home fans here is something that is a big advantage.”
The Bears hope to capitalize on the momentum gained by their recent winning streak. However, the Bears said they recognize Oklahoma State, along with the rest of the teams in the Big 12, will be tougher competition than the team’s they have faced in the non-conference schedule.
Oklahoma State holds a 5-4 record and Baylor holds the same record but one tie (5-4-1).
“You can’t look past this Friday,” Jobson said. “Right now it just has to be about Oklahoma State, and you’ve got to go out to win every game.”
