The Baylor Lady Red Raiders won again at home last night to give their twelfth win of the season and one step closer to regionals. They faced off against Franklin County’s Lady Rebels in girls’ soccer to prove once again that they can beat elite programs. Although the game was close all the way until halftime, Baylor Played their game and put in plenty of goals to seal a 4-1 win over the Lady Rebels.
The game kicked off already looking to be an interesting one due to the extreme weather expected that evening. Luckily for Lady Red Raiders, the rain would hold off just enough to let them fight it out on the pitch. Within the first two minutes of the game Baylor would find their first goal with hope to keep the lead for the rest of the eighty minutes. The goal would be scored by Elizabeth Silva from the top of the box. Wasting no time, the Lady Rebels would respond with a goal of their own from Gracen Baggett. The counterattack would even things up with plenty of time left.
A second goal would be scored before halftime by Elizabeth Silva again. This time by a perfectly set up corner. She placed herself just right to receive it and smash it into the back of the net. Halftime would come with a 2-1 lead by Baylor and a lot of drama left to be seen. Both teams were on top of their game, but the rain was picking up and the conditions would make it challenging for each side.
The second half would start strong again, but this time only for Baylor. The Lady Red Raiders seemed to have Franklin County’s number, and the scoring would not stop. The third goal for Baylor would be scored by defender Zoe Misenhimer from the penalty spot. The ref noticed the handball right away and gave Baylor the kick. Misenhimer placed it to the right and it was never going to miss. The fourth and final goal came late in the match with only a few minutes left. The goal was scored by Alison Noland after a substitution to set in stone their victory with a score of 4-1.
Long time head coach of Baylor, Curtis Blair, was available for questions after the game. He gave plenty of insight to the season and his team, “We haven’t played in over a week and the first half took us a little while to get into a rhythm. I think the second half we were starting to get into a rhythm attacking wise. We knew they had some really good and talented individuals, and it just took us a while to break them. Once we got the second goal the game really opened up for us. We have been working on our attacking third and I thought today we created some really great chances. We just have to continue to work on finishing those. It’s preparing us for the state tournament. That’s what we are always looking for and that’s why we try to play the best teams. hopefully when we get into the regional tournament and state tournament, we will have seen everything.”
Game Summary
Franklin County 1 0 -- 1
Baylor 2 2 -- 4
Goal Scorers:
Franklin County- Gracen Baggett; Baylor- Elizabeth Silva 2, Zoe Misenhimer, Alison Noland.
Assists:
Baylor- Zoe Misenhimer
(Contact Alex McElyea at alexmcelyea26@gmail.com)