October 19, 2012
WILD ONE IN WACO
Bears top Longhorns in 2OT

WACO, Texas — After 79 minutes of scoreless soccer, No. 20 Baylor and Texas exchanged goals in the final 11 minutes of regulation, and Alexa Wilde snatched the win for the Bears in the fifth minute of the second overtime.

Baylor's Dana Larsen struck first, at in the 80th minute, firing a shot from nearly 30 yards out. The ball hit the ground and bounced over the left shoulder of freshman goalkeeper Abby Smith and into the back of the net.

Texas sophomore Sharis Lachappelle leveled the score at 88:30, scoring off a 27-yard free kick. With just over five minutes remaining in the second overtime period, Wilde found the back of the net with a header off a cross from Larsen.

Baylor wasted little time trying to get on the scoreboard. Larsen recorded the first shot of the match in the second minute, but Smith made the save. Hannah Higgins tallied the Longhorns’ initial attempt in the seventh minute, sending the ball over the goal.

Freshman Kelsey Shimmick gave Texas their best first-half scoring chance, breaking in on Baylor goalkeeper Michelle Klos in the 29th minute, but Klos dove to her left and made the save to keep the match scoreless.

With nine minutes remaining in the opening half, the Bears nearly got on the board as Vic Hoffman’s initial shot was blocked and Smith fell to the ground. Smith deflected Hoffman’s second shot away and a Sliwinski attempt missed wide to end the series with the match still knotted at zero.

During the final 10 minutes of the match, Baylor recorded four shots before Wilde’s golden goal winner in the 105th minute. Larsen set up the play with a corner kick, sending in a ball that was headed back out to her by Zarnegar. Larsen settled the ball and sent it back in with a cross that Wilde headed past Smith to end the match.

“I am just really proud of Alexa,” head coach Marci Jobson said. “There is not one kid on our team that has continued to work on her weakness more this season than her. She has had a good attitude even when she has not been on the field and good things happen for people like that. Tonight, she was a difference maker. She came in and was a tremendous ball winner. She was just big time for us."

The sophomore’s golden goal kept Baylor (12-1-4, 3-0-3) undefeated in its last 13 matches and upped the Bears’ record to 7-0 at home this season. The loss drops Texas (7-8-1, 4-2-0) to 2-4 on the road this season and out of contention for the Big 12 regular season title.

Baylor will continue its three-match home stand by hosting Iowa State (10-8-0, 1-5-0) Sunday at 1 p.m.

“Iowa State is the type of team, who has a lot of heart,” Jobson said. “They have a lot of fight and they do a lot of things that I respect. It is going to be a tough game, but right now we have to focus on recovering."