Baylor Soccer Sees Season Ends in 2-1 Overtime Loss to Ohio State in Sweet Sixteen
SOUTH BEND, IN — Baylor Soccer saw its 2025 season end in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the third round of the NCAA Tournament Sunday afternoon.
A goal from graduate midfielder Kai Hayes erased a 1-0 second-half deficit, but the Bears could not turn the momentum from that equalizer into a winning goal. The Buckeyes dominated the majority of the game, peppering Azul Alvarez’s goal with 34 shots and 15 corners, forcing 10 saves.
The opener came in the 65th minute when Baylor turned the ball over trying to build out from the back. Ohio State quickly moved the ball from the midfield line to the edge of the Baylor box, where Amanda Schlueter received and set up to shoot. After a couple of touches to find a shooting lane, Schlueter’s attempt raced past a diving Alvarez and into the lower left side of the goal.
1-0 Ohio State.
Baylor would answer quickly, but against the run of play. In a spell of possession that was not easy to come by for Baylor during the game, Hannah Augustyn found Lauren Omholt down the left wing. Omholt’s first touch smartly kept her speed advantage and played her closer to the end line. From there, the junior found Kai Hayes slowing her run for a cut back. Hayes’ first-time attempt was deflected by a diving defender, but the shot stayed on goal. With the Ohio State keeper wrong-footed by the deflection, the ball trickled into the very bottom left corner of the Buckeye goal.
1-1 with 20 minutes to play in regulation.
While the game did go to overtime, the Bears did have to make one final save in regulation to keep their season going. A 90th-minute shot from Ohio State had Baylor scrambling, and defender Blythe Obar had to head the ball out of goal. Alvarez may have been able to make the save herself, but it was a bit of a scramble and Baylor was better off not having to find out the answer to that question.
The first overtime saw both teams create good chances that very well could have ended the game. Ohio State forced a couple of good saves out of Alvarez around the 95th minute, and then they hit the crossbar with an effort from distance in the 98th minute.
Between those chances, Olivia Hess put a tricky shot low across goal from the left side. Had Callie Conrad been a step quicker for Baylor, she may have gotten to the ball before the Ohio State keeper and redirected it for a winner. What could have been.
Sadly for the Bears, the Buckeyes dominated the start of the second overtime and found their winner six minutes into the period, courtesy of Anika Poremba. Poremba picked up the scraps of a blocked Amanda Schlueter shot that sent the Baylor defense scrambling. All Poremba had to do then was beat Alvarez to the far post with her shot, which she coolly did.
2-1 Ohio State.
And Baylor’s season ends at the Sweet Sixteen.
This being Baylor’s first trip to the NCAA Tournament since back-to-back Elite Eight runs in 2017 and 2018, the third round is a great accomplishment. With this season also being the first year in the NCAAs under Michelle Lenard — who took the program over heading into the 2022 — this could be the start of a new, fun era of Baylor Soccer challenging for postseason success.
While the loss will sting, the Bears were outplayed today, which has only been the case a handful of times all season. The Bears can return to Waco knowing that they were not beaten on a fluke, but also that they earned every bit of their success on the season. 2025 was a great step forward for Baylor Soccer.
