Baylor Soccer Ready to Open Season vs. TCU
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Baylor opens its 2020 season at home against TCU on Friday. The match will be aired on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
Baylor is 16-6-1 all-time in season openers, including a 15-2 mark at home.
The Bears have won their last four season openers by a combined score of 13-2.
This is the sixth time Baylor has opened a season against a team coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance (2015, 1-2 (2OT) vs. South Florida; 2006, 1-0 vs. Northwestern State; 2004, 2-7 at Notre Dame; 2001, 0-3 at Arizona State; 2000, 1-2 at SMU).
BU has opened a season at home all but seven seasons since the program began in 1996.
This will be the 11th time, and first since ACU in 2018, that Baylor has opened its season against an in-state school.
The Bears return 14 letterwinners from a year ago, including eight starters. Leading the way are midfielder Ally Henderson and defender Sarah Norman, who each topped the team a year ago in minutes played, along with goalkeeper Jennifer Wandt.
Henderson is one assist away from tying for eighth in program history with 13 career assists. Last season, she recorded a stretch of four games with an assist from Sept. 22 to Oct. 3.
Wandt looks to move up in the Baylor record books in a few categories: Third in career saves (199), fourth in career goalkeeper minutes (5,781), third in career solo shutouts (25) and second in career wins (39).
Elizabeth Kooiman returns after finishing last season as a unanimous selection to the Big 12 All-Freshman team. The forward looks to build off a year that saw her net the program's first hat trick since 2010 as she finished the season as the Big 12 leader in shot accuracy.
Many new faces will take the field for Baylor this season as BU welcomes in 14 freshmen, one of the largest incoming classes in program history.
Head coach Paul Jobson returns for his eighth season at the helm (13th season overall) at Baylor. He is the program's all-time wins leader (84) after passing his wife, Marci (78, 2008-14) last year.
Baylor was picked seventh in the Big 12 Preseason Poll and received one first-place vote.
Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field has undergone some recent upgrades. After a new pitch was installed with an updated drainage system in 2019, new LED lights were added in August.
Baylor is 13-2-3 all-time vs. TCU. Six of the last nine meetings against the Horned Frogs have gone to overtime.
TCU was picked to finish third in the Big 12 Preseason Poll as the Horned Frogs return preseason all-conference selections Yazmeen Ryan and Messiah Bright.
Last season, Raegan Padgett led the way with two goals as the Bears defeated TCU, 4-0 after a nearly three-hour weather delay. Danielle Hayden and Elena Reyna each added goals, while Wandt recorded two saves, both of which came in the first half.