Baylor Bears
Overall Rank: #21
Conference Rank: #2 Big 12
Baylor Team Page
Baylor had a superb season in the Big 12, reaching a 10-1-1 record. Their foray into the NCAA Tournament did not go quite as well. After knocking off Texas State, the Bears got throttled by North Carolina 5-0. The experience in the tournament will help and Coach Marci Jobson has her squad ready to compete for a Big 12 title yet again in 2012. And maybe this time they can make a stronger tournament run.
2011 Record: 15-4-3, 10-1-1
2011 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Marci Jobson
Strengths:
The Bears return a ton of scoring threats on a team that ranked 40th in the nation by averaging two goals per game. Striker Dana Larsen led the way with 11 goals. Midfielder Lisa Sliwinski only started two games during the entire 2011 campaign, but she netted nine goals and dished out three assists. Starting or not, Sliwinski will make an impact on every game. Fellow midfielder Hanna Gilmore added six goal and will provide even more senior leadership in the middle of the pitch. Alexa Wilde had a very promising freshman campaign. She was not on the field too much, but she did tally four goals and could be in for a breakout year if she can find the minutes. Natalie Huggins was one of the usual starters up front along with Larsen. She is not a prolific scorer, but she is a nice complimentary player to Larsen and can do the work to set her up. With Karlee Summey, Justine Hovden, Vic Hoffman, Michelle Hagen, Larissa Campos and Alex Klein all returning to the midfield and striker positions, Baylor will not have any trouble finding the back of the net.
Weaknesses:
The Baylor defense was superb for most of the 2011 campaign. There were some bad days, but now they must replace their goalie and a couple defenders. Courtney Seelhorst has started the last two seasons in goal and in 2011 she totaled 63 saves and ten shutouts. Behind Seelhorst there is not much experience to be found. Senior Catie McGowan has been around the program for quite some time, but she made one appearance back in 2008 as a freshman and one in 2011. Last season she played just 22 minutes and did not register a save. Sophomore Michelle Kloss and freshmen Meredith Stark and Megan Grindstaff are the other keepers on the roster, but obviously nobody has the experience that left with Seelhorst. The loss of Staz Salinas and Hannah Dismuke may turn the defense as a whole into a problem area. Salinas was a four-year starter for the Bears and Dismuke was a three-year starter on the back line. However, Dismuke did more than just defend; she also led the squad with seven assists during her senior campaign.
Final Projection:
Coach Jobson will find quality replacements for the departed players, but it remains to be seen if they can equal the production of last year’s squad. Finding a new goalie who can be consistent is critical, but replacing a dynamic player like Dismuke will be equally important. And not one player can replace Dismuke. Carlie Davis and Selby Polley should do a fine job anchoring the new look defense, but Dismuke’s ability to create for her teammates will likely need to be picked up by the midfield. That means players like Summey need to step up and help feed the goal scorers.
Projected Postseason: NCAA Tournament
Returning Leaders:
Goals: Dana Larsen, Senior, F, 11
Assists: Vic Hoffman, Junior, F, 3; Natalie Huggins, Sophomore, F, 3; Lisa Sliwinski, Senior, M, 3; Karlee Summey, Junior, M, 3
Shots: Dana Larsen, Senior, F, 44; Lisa Sliwinski, Senior, M, 44
Saves: None
Madness 2012 Women’s Soccer Recruit Rankings:
#68 Jordan Hatler
