Soccer Spring Exhibition Slate Nears, First Games Under Michelle Lenard
WACO, Texas — Baylor Soccer has four spring exhibition games set from late March through April against Stephen F. Austin, Texas A&M, LSU, SMU and Brookhaven College.
Three of the five games are on the road, with the Texas A&M and Brookhaven College matchups being the only games at Betty Lou Mays field in Waco.
SFA will be the first game at 1 PM next Saturday, March 19th. The Bears beat the Lumberjacks 3-0 this past season, but with coach Michelle Lenards new system being put in, it will be an interesting measuring stick game.
That can really be said for all of these exhibition games, but seeing Lenard’s system for the first time and how players are adapting to it will be very intriguing.
Next will be the home game against Texas A&M on Saturday, March 26th at 3 PM. The Bears lost a pre-season exhibition match to the Aggies last fall 2-0 but it was very competitive through the full 90 minutes.
The third spring scrimmage will be on April 9th in Baton Rouge, La., as the Bears take on the LSU Tigers at 1 PM. This is the only team that Baylor did not play in some respect last fall.
The last time the Beas played the Tigers was last spring in Waco as part of the COVID divided 2020-21 season. LSU won that game 1-0.
The Bears then play Brookhaven College Thursday, April 14 at 6 PM at the Lou in Waco. This should be their easiest opponent of the spring exhibitions, and you can enjoy this game and the Texas A&M game with free admission.
Soccer’s spring slate is rounded out with a visit to SMU on April 23rd at 1 PM. Baylor beat SMU 2-1 in overtime thanks to a golden goal from forward Haven Terry.
In case you plan on attending, look out for the Bears to be more on the front foot in Lenard’s possession-centered system.
Also to note, Baylor’s all-time leader in shutouts and weekly Big-12 awards Jennifer Wandt has used all her eligibility and must be replaced at goalkeeper. The competition to replace her could be interesting to see.
I won’t be able to make it to all of these exhibition games, but I will recap as many as I am able to watch and break down how the team is taking to coach Lenard and her system. I will also look at position battles, so look out for more soccer coverage soon!