No. 7 Baylor soccer avoids upset with 2nd half surge against Kansas State

No. 7 Baylor soccer avoids upset with 2nd half surge against Kansas State Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Editor Senior midfielder Theresa McCullough battled her way downfield with under 15 minutes left to play in a 2-2 match. After being held for part of her run, she broke free with an open look at the goal. McCullough ripped off a shot from outside the box, beating the diving effort from Kansas State goalkeeper Maddie Sibbing. “She was obviously grabbing my shirt, and I just used that to my advantage to turn her and wait until she’s in my path,” McCullough said. ” Once I cut her off, then I just go forward, and then I was somehow open … and I felt like shooting.” McCullough’s late goal capped off a second-half surge that lifted No. 7 Baylor soccer (11-2-1, 4-1-1 Big 12) over Kansas State (5-5-4, 0-5-1 Big 12) 3-2 to avoid the upset. Baylor made the first blow in the second half after being outshot 8-4 going into halftime. Omholt found herself one-on-one with Sibbing after a turnover in the Kansas State end. She tried to place a shot over Sibbing’s head, but the keeper got a hand on the ball for her first save of the match. The Bears lived in the attacking zone in the second half, leveling the shot totals at nine apiece in the 60th minute. The floodgates opened midway through the half. Baylor faced another chance to tie the match with a Wildcat handball. Junior midfielder Noelle Sather curled the ball around Sibbing on a free kick to pull even in the 66th minute. “As soon as Noelle was approaching it, I was like, ‘That’s a banger,’ because she’s so good at those,” McCullough said. “She bends it in perfectly. I don’t know how she does it.” Five minutes later, Francis received a through ball while racing a clean path to the Bears’ net. She beat an aggressive Alvarez for her second goal to put the Wildcats back ahead 2-1. Freshman forward Grace White had an open look off a blocked shot in the box. She ripped the ball on a volley to tie the match at two with 15 minutes left. “There were so many defenders in one spot, but I noticed I had a decent amount of open space,” White said. “I was calling for it, but luckily, it honestly just hit the right bounce, and I was able to just slot it in the corner.” The Bears entered the match searching for a bounce back after being shocked 3-0 by No. 24 Colorado on Thursday, but the first half looked like they were still a step behind. “We’re still dragging a bit from the trip up to Colorado,” head coach Michelle Lenard said. “But to go out and continue to press and find the game-winning goal, I think, is just an example of how the team continues to grow.” Baylor’s defense waded the Wildcats’ offensive spurts early in the first half. Kansas State pressured the Bears with quick runs to the net but could not retain possession. Fifth-year defender Natalie Vatter made a heroic stop in the box in the 24th minute to highlight the Bears’ quiet half. “Our defenders have put in some long, hard minutes this season,” Lenard said. “They just continue to show up, and they’re not perfect. We made mistakes back there, but Natalie Vatter is like the hardest grinding kid in the country.” The Wildcats flipped the script as the first half progressed. They put three more shots forward after Vatter’s heroics. Kansas State broke ahead 1-0 when forward Adelle Francis lasered a ball past Alvarez on a ricochet in the 35th minute. The match finished with 30 shots despite the slower first half, with Baylor holding the advantage 18-12. Baylor will gear up for its match against TCU at 7 p.m. Friday at Betty Lou Mays Field. Baylor soccer Grace White Kansas State Soccer michelle lenard Natalie Vatter Noelle Sather Theresa McCullough