Preview: Baylor Soccer Prepares for Friday Clash with Texas A&M

WACO, Texas — After a successful 2-0 trip to Hawaii last week, Baylor Soccer (3-1) is preparing for a big Friday night test against the Texas A&M Aggies (2-1) at Betty Lou Mayes Field.

This will be the 22nd meeting between the two programs with the Aggies holding a 14-4-3 advantage over their former conference foes. The latest meeting was an exciting 1-1 draw last year in College Station with the Aggies equalizing late in the second half.

Before we dive into what’s ahead, the trip to paradise deserves a little more attention.

With two hard-fought 1-0 wins over Hawaii and Portland in her rear-view mirror, Baylor Head Coach Michelle Lenard spoke about how proud she was of her team and their accomplishments saying, “There's a lot of potential distractions in that environment. We found out that we're fully committed to putting the team first and focusing on soccer and then getting to enjoy our downtime in between games.”

Graduate defender Marissa Gray added, “You're in Hawaii. You're in paradise. It feels like you're on vacation, but it's also a business trip. So there are bigger scenarios that need to be handled rather than relaxing at the beach and having fun. It's tricky, but if the team does it as a whole, then it works out.”

And work out it did. Sophomore forward Callie Conrad netted the only goal of each game and senior goalkeeper Azul Alvarez was great in goal, making 12 saves and recording two clean sheets. More on these two later, but in Coach Lenard’s words:

“Great teams find ways to win. The most important thing is you score more than them. Our team is finding ways to win, and I think it shows the progress that we're making and the maturity that we have on this team right now.”

Looking back on the trip as a whole, junior midfielder Skye Leach was happy with how the team bonded and overcame the obstacles in front of them.

“I think it brought our whole team together because we did go through a lot of challenges. Just the jet lag, traveling and just being around each other for a whole week. Like, you learn a lot about each other, but also you get closer on and off the field.”

Back to Alvarez and Conrad, the pair took home Big 12 weekly honors as goalkeeper of the week and offensive player of the week respectively. 

Their teammates were effusive in their praise for the pair on Wednesday.

“Oh, my goodness, Azul, is… all I have to say on that is she's back,” said Marissa Gray, “She's been out for a while, obviously with TCU and coming back here, but she is phenomenal. I feel so secure with her back here. She has a loud voice and as a defense, we all trust each other, but it's really important to trust your goalie… she is a phenomenal player, just a phenomenal leader on and off the field”

Skye Leach commanded Conrad by saying “She stepped up, and we needed her to… and we know we can count on her for that.” 

For Coach Lenard’s part, the performances from the pair showed progress not just for the individuals but for the program.

“Big-time games from both of them. Callie scoring game-winners in both games is something we've been wanting and needing more of from her and we knew she was capable of and really happy for her… And then Azul had one really big save against Portland that kept us ahead in that game. It was a game-changing moment for our team, and one that we've really been needing a goalkeeper to do for us.”

Perhaps under the radar in the 3-1 start to the season has been the comeback of Marrissa Gray. After starting her Baylor career as a freshman in 2019 missed three straight seasons through multiple injuries before leaving the team for 2023. Her love of the game remained though and she and the coaching staff agreed to take one last run at things this season.

Now it seems things have come together against the odds as she is starting again and averaging just over 60 minutes per game.

“It's crazy. Like every moment I just kind of like, take it in,” said Gray, “My mom before the first game, she's like, ‘you're literally sitting in unanswered prayers that I'd never thought were gonna be answered.’ So it's pretty bittersweet.”

And this is not just a field good story, Gray is helping the team push toward loftier goals. Lenard said of Gray, “Absolutely, she's living up to expectations, and we're being cautious with her load and getting her back at the right pace… she's a difference-maker. She brings such a presence to the team. Players really look up to her. She's a great leader. It just feels different when she's on the field.”

Now to turn our attention back to the game at hand, the Aggies come to Waco sitting at 2-1 with wins over Lamar and Fairfield and a 2-3 loss to Denver, a very solid program. 

Texas A&M started the season ranked No. 25, and rose to No. 24 last week before falling out.

This is a good SEC team the Bears will face on Friday night, much like Mississippi State.

“One element that they share [A&M and Miss St.] is they're super dangerous in counter-attacking moments. A&M is going to have great one-v-one attackers in wide spaces. They can really hurt you in a transition moments … I think A&M is probably even more athletic, but we feel well-equipped to play against that. And that game [against the Bulldogs] certainly helped get us ready.

With it being the second home game, the first one with school back in session, and promotional scarf night the energy at Betty Lou has the potential to be great.

“I love playing A&M,” said Skye Leach, “I always think it's a fun game, especially last year at their ‘fish camp’ game, but I'm excited for them to come here. I think it's just always a good game. It's high energy.”

With that environment and the quality of the opponent, the Bears can do great things for their tournament resume. There are more opportunities next week with trips to SMU and Iowa before Big 12 play starts. However, Coach Lenard is trying to keep her team focused on the single task ahead of them. Just beat Texas A&M.

“We have a schedule that's built to get us into the NCAA Tournament if we can win some of these upcoming games. And our team knows that, and we know what's at stake, and so we expect a good performance from them tomorrow night, but I hope they're not thinking about next week. We want them thinking about A&M and A&M only right now.”

Coach Lenard made sure to call for fan turnout and support as well since the crowd can make a real difference.

“We're really hoping we get a good turnout Friday night. We need Baylor fans to come out and support us. Last year at A&M, they had a great turnout. And then we need to show that Baylor comes out and supports their soccer program as well.”

Kickoff is set for 8 PM CT and if you can’t make it out to the game, the stream will be live on ESPN+.