By Matthew Soderberg | Sports Writer
After a long, heated match, the Baylor soccer fell to Arkansas 2-0, giving up both goals in the last ten minutes.
Through the first half, the Bears could not gather any momentum as they trailed in shots (13-4) and shots on goal (4-2) after 45 minutes. Arkansas put pressure on Baylor but couldn’t finish in the box.
The Bears dominated the first 30 minutes of play after halftime, firing off more shots in a shorter period of time, but couldn’t execute and gave up the first goal in the 83′. Head coach Paul Jobson thought that first score may have been an accident as the goal wasn’t a particular indictment on Baylor’s defense. Players crowded near the goal and the ball seemed to have slipped by everybody.
“I honestly thought it was an own goal,”Jobson said after the game. “They scored on a scrum basically.”
That first goal didn’t put the Bears out of it, though, with seven minutes left to tie it up. Baylor began pressing their midfield higher and leaving their backs in a more vulnerable position.
With junior goalkeeper Jennifer Wandt in an isolated position, Razorback freshman forward Anna Podojil put the ball in the back of the net with only a minute remaining for Arkansas’ second goal.
“You’re gonna give up those opportunities late in a game like that if you’re trying to chase a lead,” Jobson said. “I’m not mad about the second goal. We needed to push for a goal ourselves.”
Overall, Jobson thought the Bears played well, especially at the beginning of the second half. According to the head coach, Baylor was able to engage and manage the Razorbacks’ pressure up until that last minute. They also came out swinging to start the second half, a good sign for the green and gold going forward.
“The second half was a lot better. We played a lot better. We had more chances. We played a little bit harder, so I was happier with the second half,” Jobson said. “I’m glad we had a Thursday match instead of a Friday turnaround because that gives us an extra day to recover, and kinda get our heads back together. But yeah, go down to ACU and play a tough opponent on the road. We’ve gotta pick our heads up and pick ourselves back up again to go compete,” Jobson said.
The Bears will look to end their two-game losing streak when they face off against the Wildcats of Abilene Christian University at 7 p.m. Sunday, in Abilene.
