No. 9 Baylor is heading into the final stretch of its regular-season road slate with a Thursday night stop in Tempe, where the Bears will face Arizona State at 9 p.m. CT at Sun Devil Soccer and Lacrosse Stadium.
The matchup lands with Baylor right in the middle of the Big 12 chase. The Bears are tied with Texas Tech, Kansas and BYU atop the conference standings at 16 points, backed by a 5-1-1 league record. Arizona State comes in ninth with 10 points, sharing that spot with Arizona after a 3-3-1 conference mark.
This will be the eighth all-time meeting between the programs, and Arizona State still holds a 4-3 edge in the series. But Baylor has taken the last three matchups, including a 4-0 win in 2024.
The Sun Devils are 8-4-3 overall and have leaned on Kierra Blundell, who has produced seven goals and three assists. Amy Medley leads Arizona State with five assists, while goalkeeper Kennedy Zorn has made 14 starts in 15 matches and has posted 44 saves, a 0.98 goals-against average and three shutouts.
Baylor enters at 12-2-1 overall and brings a two-match winning streak with it. Aryanna Jimison tops the team with 17 points on seven goals and three assists, while Theresa McCullough is next with 13 points from three goals and seven assists.
In net, Azul Alvarez has been ever-present for the Bears, playing every minute this season and putting up 54 saves with a 1.13 goals-against average. She picked up Big 12 Goalkeeper of the Week honors Wednesday after making a season-high seven saves in Baylor’s 1-0 win over TCU on Friday night.
After Thursday, Baylor stays on the road and heads to Arizona for a Sunday matchup at 2 p.m. CT.
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Baylor Fans Have A Lot Riding On This Saturdays Big 12 Slate
Week 8 around the Big 12 has a little extra weight for Baylor fans, with several league games carrying ranking implications and the Bears right in the middle of the conversation. Baylors trip to Kansas is part of a packed Saturday slate that also includes Texas Tech kicking off earlier in the day, and the broader conference picture is starting to look crowded enough that every result can shift the mood around the standings.
Beyond this weekend, Baylors path only gets more interesting, with games against UCF, BYU, Iowa State and Houston still to come. Several of those matchups figure to be competitive based on how those teams have played so far, which means this stretch should tell a lot about where the Bears really stand as the season moves deeper into conference play. [Read more 🡒]
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Baylor's Big 12 Hopes Ride On One Tough Kansas Test
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Isaiah Marshall adds another layer to the challenge, since his mobility can stress a defense that has to stay disciplined at every level. Baylors linebackers have been steady recently, and this test will show whether that group can help keep Kansas from turning scrambles and designed runs into the kind of momentum swings that can decide a Big 12 race. [Read more 🡒]