Baylor Soccer Starts 2023 Season with a Bang, Beats Oregon 2-0

EUGENE, Oregon — Baylor Soccer started the 2023 season well with a 2-0 win over the Oregon Ducks. 

The Bears looked to be in almost total control of the game right from the start and dominated possession. Goals from Tyler Isgrig in the 66th minute and Skylar Zinnecker in the 74th minute made the difference for the Green-and-Gold. They were assisted by Jenna Patterson and Callie Conrad respectively.

Overall, the Bears sent in 22 shots with ten on goal compared to just five shots and two on goal for Oregon.

Baylor was in almost total control of the first half. The Green-and-Gold dominated possession and sent in 11 shots with four on goal compared to the Ducks one shot which was on goal. 

TCU transfer Tyler Isgrig was a bright spot in the attack for the Bears, but the whole team looked sharped in the first 45. The Oregon press did not phase them in the slightest and was quickly carved up and pushed past. 

Ashley Merrill sent the first big warning shot at the ducks with a screaming shot from outside the 18-yard box nailing the upper right corner of the woodwork in the seventh minute.

Merrill would again trouble the Ducks’ defense with a 19th-minute attempt that would be pushed away by the Oregon keeper right into the path of both freshman forward Skylar Zinnecker and sophomore Missouri transfer Hannah Boughton. With both players practically on to of one another and the ball under their feet, they were not able to force the ball into the back of the net, though Boughton put a good shot into the body of the keeper.

As the game got deeper into the first half, Isgrig really took over as the attacking centerpiece for Baylor. She often carried the ball forward and found a nice pass out wide, a center forward looking for space in and around the 18, or created room for a shot herself.

One of the best instances of this was when she ran onto a beautiful ball down the left sideline and drove on goal in the 36th minute. As she drove toward goal and neared the endline, Isgrig cut back and lashed a shot in that demanded great positioning and reaction time from the Duck’s keeper to be saved. 

Isgrig also drew a yellow card on Oregon’s Ryann Reynolds in the 43rd minute. It was a bit cynical of a tackle as she came from behind Isgrig as Tyler was looking to break away into the attacking third.

Just a minute later, the Bears worked the ball into the 18-yard box with Callie Conrad just getting onto the end of a ball in and sending that ball into an Oregon defender’s hand. The whistle blew, but not to award a penalty to the Bears. The ref called a foul that must have happened mere moments before. 

The free kick, which was given on the right side of the 18-yard box, led to one last good scoring chance in the half for Baylor, but Isgrig’s service was just too high for Boughton to head in at the far post.

So after a half of soccer better than perhaps any half last season, the Bears were still left in a scoreless draw. 0-0.

Baylor started the second half right where it left off: pressuring the Oregon goal. Merrill and Isgrig kept their attacking pace, and substitute Skye Leach added nicely to the offensive onslaught. 

Merrill was able to put a good header on goal thanks to a great cross from Isgrig, but it was right at the keeper. A follow-up shot from Conrad was saved as well.

The break through for the Bears finally came in the 66th minute with Jenna Patterson settling the ball on the right flank before sending a cross along the top of the 18-yard box. Tyler Isgrig got on the end of it, got the ball out from her feet, and lashed the ball back across goal into the right side netting. 1-0 Baylor.

Not much time passed before the Green-and-Gold were able to pad their lead. After winning the ball in the midfield, Callie Conrad was released up the field and served up a perfect pass to Skylar Zinnecker running on ahead of her into the Oregon box. Zinnecker had all the time she could want to line up her shot and she took full advantage, burying the ball in the back of the net in the 74th minute. 2-0.

The Ducks were not completely done though. Just three minutes later, an Oregon attacker curled a nasty shot from the left side toward the top left corner of goal. Makinzie Short was alert and made a good save before the ball went out for a corner. 

On that corner, the Ducks made a shout for handball on Baylor, but no penalty was awarded. The subsequent corner was also dangerous, but the Ducks headed it well over the top of the crossbar.

From there, Baylor poured forward looking for a third goal that they would not get. And after blocking the final few Oregon shot attempts, the final whistle blew. 

Baylor earned every part of their 2023 season-opening win with a final score of 2-0 over the Oregon Ducks.

WotM — Tyler Isgrig

The opener, the winner, and an all-around menace to the Ducks’ defense. What an addition to this team and what a performance, though many of her teammates played superbly as well.

Up Next — at Nebraska (Sunday, August 20 — 1:05 PM CST on BTN+)