Baylor Soccer 2023 Preview: Top Three Questions
With the soccer season just a little over a week away, and exhibitions already started, its time to help people get to know the team and its schedule. We started on Tuesday with the Top Three Non-Conference Games. Today, let’s look at the top three questions for Baylor Soccer heading into the 2023 season.
Given last year’s record (4-11-2) and the small number of goals scored (15), I don’t think asking for predictions on those figures or even simply asking if they will improve are good questions for this exercise. The answer should and will be “Yes. They will improve.”
So let’s look at a couple of true question marks for the team before we get to a fun question. And keep in mind how the answer to each of these plays into overall team success. Coincidentally, the questions are not too different from the ones I asked at this time last year.
How will a thin defense hold up through the year?
Kayley Ables is gone. Hallie and Hannah Augustyn return along with Ava Colberg, but there is not much experience behind them and there are only eight players classified as defenders on the roster.
Natalie Vatter, the transfer defender from Missouri, will get plenty of minutes, but Blythe Obar will slide back from the No. 6 — or defensive midfielder — role to play center back. Obar played center back at DBU under Michelle Lenard so she should not be out of her comfort zone.
Junior Kate Zimmerman is finishing up her recovery from a torn ACL late last season. And rounding out the group are freshmen Claire Kniss and Georgia Mulholland.
Injuries are a clear concern from the outside looking in. The depth in numbers is not great, and Coach Lenard herself noted the lack of experience in the reserves.
“We have depth in every position. We don't have as much experience in our depth in probably our center back position. But we do have depth there.”
If the group can stay healthy, the top five mentioned above should be a pretty solid unit. They have room to grow, as they showed last year and they are still very young (a senior, a junior and three sophomores). Plenty of intrigue here. Now behind them …
Who steps up at goalkeeper?
2022 saw a yearlong battle between Lauren Traywick and Madison Martin. Traywick earned more minutes, but now she has moved on from the team. So now the battle has four true contenders: senior Madison Martin, graduate transfer Makinzie Short, sophomore Ashlee Zirkel and freshman Riley Franklin.
Coach Lenard feels good about her options here, and I would say better than she felt about her options last year.
Martin and Riley are great personalities and leaders according to Lenard, but it does seem like Short and Zirkel are the favorites to take the job. Short and Zirkel split time in the Oklahoma exhibition this past Sunday and Coach Lenard had very good things to say about both when she sat down with me at the end of July.
“Ashlee had a fantastic spring. And it's hard to imagine that she's not going to have at least a good shot right now at some significant playing time.”
And of Short, “She’s got great playing experience, she'll be someone who comes in to bring some size to our goalkeeper group.”
The keeper playing well with her feet for distribution is important to Lenard’s style of play so she may be willing so go with the goalie who gives up a couple inches in frame because they are better with the ball at their feet. Time will tell who “wins” the battle, but this position seems to be in a better spot than it was last season.
Now to finally look forward and have some fun…
Who is going to be the leading scorer this season?
Let’s look at the forwards. After being injury-riddled up front last year, Coach Lenard now has eleven forwards on the roster. Multiple midfielders can and will also be major attacking threats.
This is a night and day difference from 2022. While many of the options are young, transfers with division one experience were brought in and everyone now looks to fit the style of play better.
Last year’s leading scorer, Reneta Vargas (5 goals) will look to stay healthy and play in more than eight games. Joint point leader from 2022, Ashley Merrill, will now have more room to work with thanks to more teammates with that killer instinct and understanding of the attacking patterns.
TCU transfer Tyler Isgrig has already made some big noise with two goals and an assist in the Oklahoma exhibition last Sunday. Plus, Coach Lenard mentioned freshmen Callie Conrad and Adrianna Merriam as two names that we will know well by the end of the year.
There are plenty more attackers that I could mention here, but to keep this brief, my money is on Isgrig to lead the Bears in goals this season. Merrill will be working hard in the No. 10 role and Merriam is the only natural lefty on the team so Isgrig will get some great opportunities created by her teammates. I expect she will be clinical in those moments.
The answers to all of these questions, once they make themselves know, will be the story of how Baylor earned its record at the end of the year. They might be fairly obvious questions, but they are the key points of intrigue for me nonetheless.
Up Next: Top Three Big 12 Games