Women’s Soccer Falls in Hard-Fought Matchup Against (RV) Hastings

BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – The Baker women's soccer team battled (RV) Hastings for the full 90 minutes, but were unable to crack the scoreboard as the Broncos escaped with a 1-0 result on Sunday evening in Baldwin City, Kan.

The Wildcats had to overcome an unfortunate circumstance in the 36th minute after their rising freshman goalkeeper Sophia Holloway went down with an injury on a collision in the box and was ruled out for the remainder of the match.

Facing an emergency goalie, the Broncos were able to capitalize in the 42nd minute as their senior defender Lauryn Metz was able to slip a side shot from the edge of the box and score the lone goal of the match right before halftime.

"Credit to a quality side in Hastings as we knew it was going to be a battle," said Baker head coach Sara Matthews. "We've been working really hard on building our Baker competitive identity recently and I truly believe our heart came out tonight (Sunday) from start to finish."

Despite surrendering the first-half goal, the Wildcats defense held its own to fend off a tough Broncos attack that totaled 18 shots in the match with their impromptu replacement keeper Jorja Martin collecting six saves to keep it a one-score game.

After being held to one shot in the first half, Baker looked to strike on its limited number of chances in the second half. Five minutes in, Emma Schieber corralled a second ball and fired off a shot from 25-yards out that sailed high.

Scrambling for a late equalizer, the Wildcats registered a couple of shots off of free-kick opportunities in the final 10 minutes of play. First, Emme Nichols found herself with the ball at the top of the box and launched a quick shot that went high before Aubree Koren headed a ball towards goal in the 84th minute.

"Dangerous attempts against us were limited and we created several run-of-play and set-piece opportunities offensively," added Matthews. "We still need to learn and clean up a few things on both sides of the ball that would swing the result in our favor."

Up next, Baker continues its tough non-conference gauntlet with a home matchup against No. 23 Science & Arts on Sept. 9 at 5 p.m. at Hartley Field.

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