Bearkats open home slate vs. Baylor
9/3/2015 2:46:00 PM | Soccer
Sam Houston State soccer opens its 2015 home slate on Friday, welcoming Baylor at 6:30 p.m. from Pritchett Field, looking to bounce back after a pair of 2-0 losses to Conference USA foes Florida Atlantic and Rice last weekend.
The matchup will be the first of five 'Free Food Fridays' with the first 100 students in attendance receiving complimentary food from Pizza Hut and 3 Spoons.
“I know our players are excited to play at home,” eighth-year head coach Tom Brown said. “That certainly provides extra motivation. It's been a long two weeks on the road so we're excited to have a match against Baylor at Pritchett.”
The Bearkats (2-2) scored a combined three goals through their first two games, posting victories at Louisiana-Lafayette and UTSA, courtesy of senior Mariah Titus, junior Allie Johnson and sophomore Caitlin Schwartz, before being shutout against Florida Atlantic and Rice.
“We spent some additional time on building plays for the midfield and getting into the front third,” Brown said. “It still provided us a good chance to see our players against two opponents that presented some different kind of play. It's given us a chance to see a lot of players to see who need to play bigger minutes as we get into conference.”
Following the opening weekend wins, Titus was named Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week and Johnson earned Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week.
In the net, senior Kylie Hambleton has recorded 15 saves over three games, posting a 1.33 goals against average while senior Magen Ross recorded five saves and allowed one goal in a win against UTSA.
Meanwhile, Baylor (0-4) is seeking its first victory of the year after dropping three straight 2-1 matches to South Florida, Michigan State and Purdue and falling 1-0 to Indiana on Sunday. The Bears were picked eighth in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches' Poll and like the Kats, having tallied three goals on the season.
“They're always a very tough team,” Brown said. “They put a lot of pressure on their opponents and are very good in the air. I think just having to deal with those kind of pressures will be good for our players. In that sense, I think it's a good component to see how comfortable our players are on the ball.”
The meeting will be the third all-time between the squads with Baylor grabbing a 2-0 victory in 2010 and 3-0 win in 2011. Sam Houston is looking for its first victory against a Big 12 foe, having dropped its first 10 matches since the program began play in 2003.
The Bearkats will play four of their next six matches at the friendly confines of Pritchett. Sam Houston visits SMU and Prairie View next Friday and Sunday, respectively, before returning home for three straight in Southland Conference play beginning on Sept. 18 against Central Arkansas.
For the latest on Sam Houston soccer, follow @SHSUSoccer on Twitter and visit GoBearkats.com.
