K-State soccer falls short of upset at No. 7 Baylor

Kansas State soccer utilized the combination of Adelle Francis and Alix Regier for a pair of goals on Sunday at seventh-ranked Baylor, but the Bears tallied three second half goals to fend off the upset, 3-2, at Betty Lou Mays Soccer Field.

“The team has continued to respond well to the adversity we have faced this season and how they showed up to compete against Baylor was no different," head coach Colleen Corbin said in a statement. "The group was intentional about receiving information for this matchup and applying that information in real time. There is a desire we compete with and win at the highest level and we knew that if we put our best foot forward, that we were going to have a chance to beat a top-ranked team and earn a result.”

For the second straight road match, K-State (5-5-4, 0-5-1 Big 12) went on top first, 1-0, in the 35th minute. Sophomore forward Alix Regier attempted a shot from inside the Baylor 18-yard box. The ball was deflected by a defender and fell to the feet of junior forward Adelle Francis. With Bears goalkeeper Azul Alvarez out of position, Francis calmly finished into a wide-open net from six yards.

K-State held an 8-4 lead in total shots at halftime, including a 3-0 edge in shots on goal.

In the 66th minute, K-State was called for a handball 20 yards from its own goal. Baylor (11-2-1, 4-1-1) sent Noelle Sather to take the free kick and she finished into the upper left corner to tie the game, 1-1.

In the 71st minute, the Wildcats retook the lead. K-State won possession at midfield in a transitional moment and Regier slid a through ball ahead to Francis. The product of Perrysburg, Ohio, went in alone on Alvarez and beat her with a shot from 16 yards to the left post.

Francis has tallied three goals this season, all in Big 12 play. She is tied for second in program history for goals scored in Big 12 games in a season. She is the fourth player in program history to score two goals in a Big 12 match and tied the school record with eight other players for goals scored in any match.

With her two assists, Regier set the school record for assists in a Big 12 match.

In the 74th minute, Baylor’s Grace White poked a shot from eight yards inside the right post to square the match at 2-2.

In the 77th minute, Baylor’s Theresa McCullough drove to the middle of the field and scored inside the left post from 22 yards to take a 3-2 lead.

Baylor ended with an 18-12 advantage in total shots, including a narrow 6-5 margin in shots on goal.

“Obviously it's incredibly disappointing to not earn the result," Corbin said. "Baylor is one of the best teams in the country and we went up on them on two separate occasions. We once again did enough to win the game but not enough to see out the result. This team is capable of competing against any team in the country — I truly believe that. It comes down to details.

"Everything matters always, and we will be intentional about continuing to grow in our preparation and our mentality as we navigate this incredibly competitive conference. Life isn't always fair, and neither is soccer. We need to make sure we are taking care of all of the controllables to set ourselves up for success the best that we can. Always proud to be their coach and looking forward to how we respond on Friday against another ranked opponent in Colorado.”

K-State returns to Buser Family Park on Friday as the Wildcats host Colorado at 6:30 p.m.