Preview: No. 6 Baylor Soccer Prepares to Host Last Year’s NCAA First Round Foe Texas State

The Bears of Betty Lou had a heck of a first week of the 2026 season, notching wins against No. 10 Arkansas and rivals Texas A&M. After a full week to recover, Baylor now welcomes the Texas State Bobcats to Waco for a Sunday night showdown and a rematch of last year’s NCAA first-round game in Waco.

This is what you need to know, starting with the quick facts:

• Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (after initially being scheduled for a half hour earlier)
• Entry to Betty Lou Mayes Field is free, and a broadcast will be available on ESPN+
• Texas State is coming off of a 3-2 comeback win over Texas A&M on Wednesday
• The Bears swept the Bobcats in 2025 with a 4-1 win in San Marcos and a 3-0 win in Waco in the NCAAs
• Baylor has never lost to Texas State, going 5-0-2 in the all-time series, including 4-0-1 at home.
• Hot streaks: 
  • Callie Conrad has scored a goal in both games so far this year.
  • Theresa McCullough & Brynnlee Bohannon both have an assist per game.
  • Lauren Omholt has one goal (Arkansas) & one assist (Texas A&M)

Now for the specifics:

Soccer has set the tone for the Baylor athletics season with two great wins and jumping from receiving votes in the United Soccer Coaches poll to No. 6. But the Bobcats are a dangerous squad, matching the Bears’ 1-0 victory over Texas A&M just this past Wednesday with a 3-2 win of their own over the Aggies.

“Texas State is an interesting team. They're certainly a team you can never take for granted or underestimate,” said Baylor head coach Michelle Lenard. “They've got a lot of individual talent. They're a little bit unconventional in the way that they set up and the way that they play. They don't always hold normal structures and positions. They move in and out of what most teams would consider more traditional attacking and defending shapes, and so that can mean that you can be really vulnerable in transition moments. They might have players somewhere other teams usually wouldn’t.”

The Bobcats aren’t only unconventional, they are also undeterred by setbacks. After falling down by a goal twice against Texas A&M, Texas State erased both deficits and even found a late winner to earn the program’s first-ever victory over an SEC foe.

Perhaps the Aggies got complacent or overconfident after creating a lot of great goal-scoring chances early on, but the Bobcats also have players with the quality to take advantage of momentary lapses in concentration. 

Two of those players are Victoria Meza (F #4) and Jenny Ngankem (D #33). Meza has scored four of the Bobcats' nine goals on the season, and Ngankem scored one and assisted one against the Aggies.

Meza is the primary attacking threat from open play, but Ngankem showed incredible skill on set pieces. 

Exhibit A: Ngankem to Meza.

Exhibit B: Ngankem with the finish.

The set piece threat is clear to Michelle Lenard and Baylor, though.

“They scored a couple of really nice set play goals against Texas A&M. We've dealt with that with them in the past. You know, we played them twice last year, so we take them very seriously. We know they're a really good team. That's why they're on our schedule.”

Texas State is expected to challenge for the crown of the new-look PAC 12 after being the Sun Belt’s representative in the NCAA Tournament last season. Teams that can win their conference and make the NCAAs should not be taken lightly, even if you have lots of momentum coming in or a multi-goal lead during the game.

“We're not going to underestimate them,” said Lenard. “We're not going to ever feel comfortable. We're going to have to put together a full 90 minutes against a very, very good Texas State team.”

Kickoff Sunday night is at 7:30 p.m., and entry is free. It is the “Welcome Back Students” game, so come out and help make Betty Lou a fun environment for all. Stream the game on ESPN+ if you can’t make it.