The sun set on the Roadrunners’ hope for victory when the women’s soccer team hosted the Baylor Bears on Sunday, Sept. 9.
Over 500 fans gathered at the Rec Field as the Roadrunners faced a 4-0 defeat to the Bears, following their previous loss to Kent State in the UTSA Classic last Sunday.
“[Baylor] was more physical than us. We like to possess in the back, work it through the midfield and get it forward, but they took us completely out of our game,” Head Coach Steve Ballard said.
Ballard’s audible frustration with the field official’s rulings increased as the Bears exhibited their competitive aggression against the Roadrunners.
“Their whole game is physical and the official let them play that way,” Ballard explained. Only 18 minutes after kickoff, Ballard’s protests resulted in a yellow card from the officials.
Despite the efforts of senior midfielder Lindsay South and junior forward Maria Jose Rojas, both of whom scored goals in the previous match against Kent State, neither team scored by halftime.
However, in the fourth minute of the second half, freshman goalkeeper Katarina Pus faced Baylor senior midfielder Dana Larsen one-on-one and allowed the first point of the evening.
Another goal was scored by the Bears ten minutes, after a corner kick was headed into the goal by junior defender Kat Ludlow, assisted by junior midfielder Karlee Summey.
Senior midfielder Hanna Gilmore scored Baylor’s third point when the ball was kicked off the cross bar and into the goal.
The relentless Baylor offense put the pressure on the exhausted Roadrunners as the night dragged on, with 10 fouls and 11 attempted goals.
Pus defended the goal for over 80 minutes, but despite her outstanding effort, a corner kick by freshman Katie Daigle earned the Bears their forth and final point and, thus, sealed the fate of the defeated Runners. Thescoreboard read 4-0, a shut-out, when the final buzzer sounded.
“Our girls fought hard. We just didn’t put it together. They put so much pressure on us we couldn’t do much,” Ballard said.
The Bears upheld their intimidating reputation, leading the all-time series 4-0-1, according to the UTSA Athletics Department.
The UTSA women’s soccer team has not yet defeated Baylor, only tying with the Bears in 2007.
Despite their discouraging loss, the ladies of UTSA soccer exited the field with a determined hope for the season.
“We fought hard and we’re going to go on from here. We’re going to get this done right,” Ballard explained.
The Roadrunners hope to break their two-game losing streak in Huntsville against Sam Houston State University this Friday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m.
