Bears dominate Wildcats but just can't finish, draw 0-0
MANHATTAN, Kansas – Baylor Soccer unleashed 21 shots with 13 on goal, but could not get anything past Kansas State’s keeper for 110 minutes on Sunday, finishing with a disappointing 0-0 draw. Alaina Werremeyer (#1) made 13 saves for the Wildcats include a save of Ally Henderson-Ashkinos’ penalty kick to preserve the tie through double overtime.
The Bears are now 7-3-4 on the years and 3-1-1 in the Big 12. KSU is 6-6-2 but 1-2-2 in conference. This was both Baylor and Paul Jobson’s first draw with Kansas State, moving both to 4-0-1 records against the Wildcats.
Baylor still sits second in the Big 12 after Sunday’s games thanks to the Kansas Jayhawks upsetting #9 West Virginia 2-1 in double overtime. Only Texas remains unbeaten in league play at 4-0-1 but its next two games are at Baylor and home against West Virginia.
Action in “the Little Apple” started fast, with Baylor making a concerted effort to start well after a terribly sluggish start that doomed them Thursday against Kansas. Sophomore midfielder Gabby Mueller started the attack with a shot in the 3rd minute, then senior forward Taylor Moon took center stage on offense.
After some combination play between herself, Maddie Algya, and Mackenzie Anthony didn’t work out in the 9th minute, Moon again found herself with options in the 12th minute. She danced past multiple defenders on the right side of the KSU box before sending a low cross in for Elizabeth Kooiman. Kooiman just couldn’t quite get that decisive touch on the ball to find the back of the net.
Three minutes later, Kooiman got a more decisive touch, but Werremeyer was in the perfect position to block the shot. Anthony had sent the cross in from the right and Kooiman just had to miss the keeper, but Werremeyer got big and stopped the shot from going underneath her.
Despite great play in goal, KSU could not take any momentum forward. Much of that was thanks
to alert and physical defending by the Baylor backline and midfield. All three midfielders pressed superbly in the first half, making Kansas State possession short and rare.
If they could make it past the midfield, the Wildcats ran into the no-goal patrol. Sarah Hornyak in particular was quick to shut down any threat in the first period and blocked one of the few KSU shots of the half in the 17th minute.
Moon found more good positions in the KSU box through the rest of the half, but crosses and passes from Anthony, Kooiman, Algya, and Mueller just could not make it or attracted a crowd of defenders to close Taylor down.
Around the 32nd minute, the green-and-gold showed some real class on the ball with Mueller intercepting a pass, feeding Anthony, who then slipped Moon in on goal for another shot that was saved. The pressure was ramping up and it felt like a goal was coming.
Four minutes later, Ally Handerson-Ashkinos sent a great corner kick into the box where Anthony connected with it for a powerful header back across the goal. She might have beaten the keeper on her own, but substitute Olivia Mack gave it a little extra touch to shock the keeper and ensure it would hit the back of the net. Celebration ensued, but it was cut short as the referee whistled for offside.
The first half finished much in the same way the rest of the half had gone; Baylor was in full control.
The second half started with the same energy for the Bears, with Moon getting deep into the KSU box before going down. Somewhere else on the field, it might have been called a foul, but it would have been harsh for a penalty call, especially as it was just one minute into the second period.
The Wildcats finally got a little offense going after the 50th minute, with a shot forcing a comfortable Jennifer Wandt save around that time. The hard pressing from the green-and-gold might have been taking a toll on their energy.
In the 63rd minute, Mackenzie Anthony found energy and room for another hard run at the KSU defense, but she was shamelessly held back by a defender. The free-kick was dangerous but came to nothing, so the yellow card was worth the cynical foul in that case.
Five minutes later, Taylor Moon looked to have gotten away from the defense where Anthony was held. However, she waited on the shot until she was certain she had space and ended up pushing her attempt wide to the right.
Fast forward to the 77th minute and the status quo for the game had not changed, but the Wildcats made one heck of an attempt to flip it on its head. A cross was sent into Baylor’s box from the right wing, and it was bungled around a bit before it started heading towards goal. Hornyak and Wandt found a way to combine to keep the ball out and the score 0-0.
Back to the other end of the pitch, Olivia Mack found herself trying to control the ball in the KSU box as she was knocked down. It was an 82nd-minute penalty for Baylor, and Henderson-Ashkinos stepped up to take it with Moon and Anthony subbed out of the game.
Henderson-Ashkinos sent the ball to the bottom left, but it was not her most powerful shot or her
best placed. Sometimes those kinds of shots still go in, but Alaina Werremeyer was having the game of her life and guessed perfectly. She made the save and Kooiman could not poke the rebound home. The score remained 0-0.
Two minutes later, KSU was back in front of Baylor’s goal botching a great chance to make Baylor pay for not scoring any of their many chances. Amazingly, Marisa Weichel (#20) skied her shot off the crossbar and out from inside the six-yard box.
At that point, it felt destined to be a draw. Even when Taylor Moon found herself with one last chance in regulation, she ran out of room after rounding the keeper, lashing a shot into the side of the goal.
Baylor out-shot Kansas State 18-5 (12-2 on goal) in regulation, but could not convert. Kansas State was playing overtime for the second time four days, but Baylor’s aggressive pressing in the first half seemed to have leveled the energy between the two sides.
The first 10-minute overtime period did not see many great chances, but Elizabeth Kooiman beat Werremeyer to a long ball. However, Kooiman could not get back to the ball in time to take a shot at the keeper-less goal.
The second overtime period saw Moon try to turn her defender around one too many times on a breakaway before earning a corner, and Anthony put a good shot on goal. Neither chance was amazing though.
In the end, the Bears did not have the gas to keep up their dominant pressing tactics from the first half of regulation. Had they capitalized early on with a goal, they looked determined and organized enough to continue shutting KSU down, but they just couldn’t get the decisive touch today.
This sunflower state road trip has been tough on the Bears, losing in Lawrence and drawing in Manhattan. The Big 12 crown is still within reach, but the margin for error is almost all gone now. Baylor's next matchup with Texas in Waco on homecoming Friday will have massive implications for the Big 12 regular-season title.
For now, the Bears at least look to have corrected the issues from the Kansas loss. These Bears are hungry again.
WotM: Sarah Hornyak - The Sophomore defender made key stops, stayed alert and put her body on the line for all 110 minutes. She’s a big reason why it was a disappointing draw instead of another loss.
Up Next: Texas (Fri. 10/15 7 PM) - It's homecoming week and an absolutely massive game for Baylor Soccer at the Lou. Baylor fans need to be there.