Baylor Soccer stayed undefeated against the SEC in 2026 with a 2-1 win at the University of Texas on Thursday. Here are some of my thoughts and takeaways from that game as the Bears head into a Sunday night showdown with Pepperdine. Bears vs. Waves kicks off at 7 p.m. (ESPN+) and entry is free as always.
» Theresa McCullough scored her first goal of the season on Thursday night to win the game for Baylor. It was a great example of how the senior winger both makes the right decision at a high rate and makes the most of her time on the field.
While it all looked very simple/obvious, McCullough had to have the composure to just keep taking what was right in front of her. Some players get antsy and force the issue, which in this case would have been trying to find a cross or a cutback that just wasn’t there. Texas had numbers, but no one went and stopped McCullough, leaving her only option to drive closer and shoot. She was in control and picked her spot. Great composure for someone who only plays about half of each game. She now has one goal and two assists in 166 minutes, so a goal contribution every 55 minutes.
» Aryanna Jimison’s goal is a great example of what she brings to the team.
While the Bears have other players that can hit this kind of shot (Hess and Sather both quickly pop to mind), Jimison might be the best at it on the team, and she’s probably the least shy to take the chance too. Games are often won and lost through moments of individual brilliance. Jimison can pull those out of nowhere, like this goal.
» This was another game where Baylor got pressed rather effectively by their opponents. While the Bears adjusted better to Texas than they did to Texas State, the Bears still need to take these opportunities to learn new solutions to the different ways they get pressured and turned over in a systematic sense. That’s what these tough non-conference games are for, along with building an NCAA resumé. The second half versus Texas was a good sign in that sense, with Baylor handling pressure better and creating more on offense.
» Off of the above point, I think these last two games have shown that the Bears do miss Noelle Sather a bit. Being able to bring a midfielder who is very good at breaking a press and progressing the ball off of the bench is huge. So, while I’m sure her teammates are cheering her on, I bet Michelle Lenard would not be upset if Canada’s U-20s did not make a deep run at their tournament.
» Staying on personnel notes: Coach Lenard is trying to use her bench better to avoid racking up too many hard minutes on the starters and key substitutes. Kate Runyon, a forward who transferred in from Tennessee, made her season debut on Thursday night. Kaitlin Swann has put in some good minutes in the midfield in the last two games. And Caroline Staubach has gotten some run in the attack. Hopefully this trend can continue through the second half of the non-conference to keep the Bears fresh for Big 12 play.
» Baylor is now halfway through the non-conference. At 3-1-0, the Bears are in great shape resumé-wise. Texas State should be near the top of the PAC 12 if not win it. Otherwise, Baylor is 3-0 against the SEC — a good mark no matter what happens against LSU this Thursday. With remaining games against Pepperdine (Sunday), at LSU (Sept. 3rd), vs. Marquette (Sept. 10) and at Oral Roberts (Sept. 13) before Big 12 play starts, Baylor really should finish with at last five non-con wins. Six would be ideal, and a sweep to 7-1-0 could keep NCAA resumé pressure off of the team as they hopefully get into a Big 12 title race.
» Looking back at those SEC wins, how great is it to beat the Horns and the Aggies in the same season? Doesn’t matter the sport, it’s just fun. Now if the team can add wins over TCU, Texas Tech and Houston in conference play, that would be one heck of a season against in-state rivals.
» Back to the game, Baylor seemed to be better at playing down the wings in this one compared to the Texas State game. I think the struggles against the Bobcats forced the Bears to improve on this aspect of their game. Yes, the midfield had a better game in Austin, and that took pressure off the wings, but Omholt, McCullough and White all looked a little more certain of what to do in whatever situations they found themselves in. Plus they all felt more connected or in-tune with the rest of the team.
» Azul Alvarez doesn’t seem settled right now. She’s still stopping shots really well, and she’s winning aerial battles in the box at a rate normal for her. It’s really just the decision-making on when to leave her goal line or not. I think it’s just going to take more reps/games to fully put Texas State behind her. I bring this up because I think on Texas’ goal, Alvarez had a chance to beat UT’s McDonald to the initial ball. Nothing for certain, but I think Azul would’ve gone for that ball if this wasn’t the game after Texas State. Perhaps she did, in fact, do the right thing, though. I’m not on the coaching staff for so many reasons.
» Fast opponents and Baylor’s desire to play a relatively high defensive line can be a dangerous combination. McDonald got played in behind the back line a few times throughout the game. Sydney Miller and Nyela Calnek showed great pace themselves to chase the Longhorn down and minimize the risk of all, but the one chance show that Baylor has the pieces to execute their strategy. They just need to keep getting better/more consistent step-by-step and game by game.
» This is a fun team. I’ve been around enough teams working for both SicEm365 and as a freelance photographer over the last five years. It doesn’t really matter the sport; the teams that enjoy each other and pour their passion and energy into each other just find ways to get better results. Look at the celebrations after each goal. Look at the energy the bench has throughout the full 90 minutes. Y’all should hear the pregame huddle speeches the players give. I’ll leave those among the team, but trust that the passion is infectious. Kaitlin Swann gave a good one before they took the field to play her little sister and the Horns in Austin.
