Preview: Baylor Soccer Looking for Consistency Against Louisiana Tech

Thursday night marks the home opener for Baylor Soccer as they take on the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at 7 PM CST. 

The Bears (1-1-1) will be the first Big 12 opponent to ever play the Bulldogs (2-1-1) and will be looking to string together back-to-back good performances. 

The last game for the Green-and-Gold was an intense 1-1 draw against Texas A&M. The Aggies rode a 75th-minute penalty kick to the result in front of a massive crowd of 6,700 on their “Fish Camp Night”.

Heading into that challenge, Baylor head coach Michelle Lenard said that the biggest question for her team was their youth. How would her young squad cope with the pressure?

They handled themselves very well, playing with poise and resolve. The penalty call itself was one that many referees simply would not make and some viewers would call simulation from the A&M attacker. 

So with that question answered, what is the next focus for Michelle Lenard’s Bears?

“It's about consistency. We played really well against Oregon. We didn't play our best against Nebraska and we played well against A&M. So now we need to string together two solid performances, be consistent, and continue to play the way that we want to play.”

Whether the Green-and-Gold are in front of thousands of fans, playing on a field with thick grass or turf or simply at home at Betty Lou, they need to play the Lenard way. The Baylor way.

The performances at Oregon and Texas A&M show they are more than capable of it. And now they get to finally play a game at home in front of the Baylor faithful, friends and family. 

But again, the expectations don’t diminish. “They're going to enjoy playing in front of their friends and family,” said Coach Lenard, “so I expect nothing but the best from us in that environment.”

Extra Notes:

• Lenard said she will keep the goalkeeper competition open, likely playing both Short and Zirkel over the next couple of games
• Skylar Zinnecker, who scored her first career collegiate goal against Oregon, had her Dad in attendance to see it.
• Hannah Boughton offered that the Bears could have found more offensive chances against the Aggies
• Both players were overall happy with the team’s play in College Station, but both also know the team can improve and showed their desire to do so this week.