Preview: Baylor Soccer Takes Road Swing to Spokane
After a disappointing Thursday showing in San Francisco, Baylor Soccer looks to rebound against Gonzaga on Sunday afternoon in Spokane, Washington.
The Bulldogs are 2-2-2 with wins over Cal Poly and CSU Bakersfield. They also blew a 2-0 lead to the Texas Longhorns a week ago, losing 3-2.
The Zags seem to be a team that has the ability to be in any game, but they have been poor at converting opportunities into wins.
Gonzaga generates a lot of shots, registering nearly 19 per game and forcing 38 saves so far this year. Baylor has had to make 37 saves this year with one more game played. In fact, the Zags have outshot their opponents almost 2-to-1 through six games, 112-66.
Players to watch for the Zags include Erin Healy (forward #8), an All-WCC team member last year, and Sophia Braun (midfielder #22), a player for the Argentina women’s national team.
This game could get very stretched out quickly, somewhat like Thursday’s game against USF. Action could go end-to-end in a matter of seconds and the team that scores first will have a leg up in dictating the pace of the game.
Tactically, I expect Gonzaga to set up with a four-person defensive line and they will mix their attack with short passing build-up and more direct long balls.
This will be a tough test of the Bears’ ability to rebound from a down performance. Will the defense play cleaner? Will the attackers keep creating great chances and finish them at a higher rate? Those are the things to watch for.
Elizabeth Kooiman had a very good game against the Dons and will look to carry that into this contest.
Meanwhile, we got to see some of defensive stalwart Kayley Ables in attack on Thursday. If the Bears can get defensively sound without her, then we may get to see more of the Waco high school record goal scorer up front.
Kickoff is set for 3 PM CST and the game will be available to stream on the West Coast Conference website.
The Bottom Line: The team needs to show that their mentality is good and they can get their defense sound again. After that, anything could happen.