Wandt and Norman win weekly awards, Big 12 starts conference play |Big 12 Roundup - Week 6
Baylor Soccer defender Sarah Norman, a graduate student in her fourth year with the program, won Big 12 Defender of the week for her efforts aiding the Bears to a 2-0 conference start. The green-and-gold's goalkeeper Jennifer Wandt was also awarded Big 12 keeper of the week for the third time this season as well. These are the first and eighth of their careers respectively. Wandt also now owns the program record for wins with 50.
These awards are well deserved and the team could have had another award winner in Taylor
Moon if Texas Tech forward Kirsten Davis didn’t have a four-goal week with a hat trick in their -0 win over Oklahoma. Moon scored two amazing long-range goals last week, the opener in each game.
Freshman of the week was again won by Texas freshman Trinity Byars. This is the fourth week in a row a Longhorn has won the award.
The Bears started conference 2-0 with two impressive road wins, but how has the rest of the conference faired?
After losing their opener to the Bears 2-1, Oklahoma State bounced back with a convincing 3-1 over Kansas at home. The Cowgirls’ next match is on the road at Iowa State on Thursday before having the weekend off.
TCU entered their match with Baylor 1-0 in the Big 12, having beaten Kansas 1-0 in Fort Worth, and #8 in the nation. Next week the Horned Frogs travel to Austin with a #10 ranking to face an improving Longhorns squad. Then they will fit in a non-conference game against Houston on Sunday.
As already stated, Kansas has had a tough start to conference play. With almost the same schedule as Baylor, the Jayhawks offer a vision of what a darker timeline would be for the Bears. They are 0-2 and have scored just once. Kansas will be hoping to turn things around at home against Kansas State on Thursday and hopefully roll that into another good showing against Iowa State on Sunday.
On to the Bears’ next opponent, Texas Tech. The Red Raiders have been off to a scorching start in Big 12 play with a 7-0 dismantling of Oklahoma in Lubbock and a 2-0 win over Kansas State at home as well. No offense to the other teams, but the Bears should be the first real test for Tech. After their trip to Waco, the Raiders head to Austin for a Sunday tilt.
West Virginia was the other favorite to win the conference besides TCU, and they should be thanking the Bears right now for giving them the edge on the Frogs. The Mountaineers only played one game during week 1 of conference play, a 4-0 thrashing of Iowa State in Morgantown on Friday. They play on Friday again this week, welcoming Oklahoma to the Mountain State. West Virginia has a very backloaded conference schedule, playing the last 6 matchdays of the season with no break. That is something to look out for as their trip to Waco is their second to last game.
The Texas Longhorns have been on a five-game winning streak after a tough start to the year. They beat Kansas State 2-0 on the road and squeaked past Oklahoma 4-3 after giving up a 3-0 lead in Norman on Sunday night. The Horns host #10 TCU and Texas Tech this week, so good luck to them and that winning streak.
As previously mentioned, Kansas State lost 2-0 to Texas and 2-0 to Texas Tech to start their Big 12 slate. Now they look to earn a positive result against rivals Kansas on Thursday before a weekend off.
Lastly, Iowa State, the presumed cellar dweller of the Big 12 is right where you would expect them to be. 0-1 after that 4-0 loss in Morgantown. They host Oklahoma State on Thursday before visiting Kansas on Sunday. Maybe, they can get a point or three but most likely not.
At this point, Baylor has firmly put itself in the regular-season conference title race. A win against Texas Tech would arguably put them in the driver’s seat the rest of the way, with West Virginia being the main competition.
I might be able to look forward like this, but Coach Jobson is certainly keeping his team focused on the next opponent. That game against Tech is a big one, so I hope to see y’all out there at the Lou on Thursday night. It will also be broadcast on ESPN+ for those of you who don’t live around Waco.