October 30,2009
BEARS EARN TOURNEY BERTH
Baylor ties Oklahoma 0-0 on road

NORMAN, OK – Defense wins championships. Baylor is not looking at a championship just yet, but the Bears do believe in defense. The Green and Gold earned a Big 12 tournament berth Friday night, its first since 2006, with a 0-0 tie at Oklahoma.

Baylor (8-5-5, 3-4-3) wound up tied for the seventh seed with Kansas University and Texas Tech, but ultimately won the slot with the third tiebreaker, goals scored against among the three teams, which defines defense. Baylor will face number two seed Texas A&M (12-5-2, 6-2-2) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. at the Blossom Soccer Stadium in San Antonio, Texas.

“This was a tough game,” head coach Marci Jobson said. “It was a great team defensive effort. We had our opportunities to win, but so did they and we showed plenty of heart to come away with a result.”


“It’s been our goal all year and it feels so great to have achieved it,” Jobson said. “The girls are really proud to have come through and reached it. This is a close-knit team and we are excited to continue our season together.”


Lotto Smith led the way with six shots in the game, while Bethany Johnston had two shots on goal.


The Bears headed into the half tied at zero, after being outshot 8-3.


Baylor woke up in the second and applied pressure, taking three shots in the opening six minutes of play and forcing Kelsey Devonshire to make a pair of saves. The shots were even at seven apiece in the second half, as the two teams entered overtime tied at zero.


BU continued the offensive attack in the first overtime, taking five shots, including three in a 1:22 span. Devonshire made two saves in the first overtime to keep it even.


Gianna Quintana came up with a pair of saves in the second overtime to ensure her fourth shutout of the season and the seventh for the Bears to send Baylor to San Antonio.


Tickets to the Big 12 Soccer Championship are available for purchase through Ticketmaster statewide in Texas, various outlets in San Antonio or through the San Antonio Sports Foundation web site at www.sanantoniosports.org. Prices are $7 per session, $12 for a three-day pass or $99 for a team pack of 20 tickets. Tickets will also be sold on game days at the stadium box office.