Ranked 15th nationally, Baylor soccer ready to build on stellar season

Baylor soccer turned heads across the country last fall with a stirring postseason run that featured some of the sport’s most dramatic moments of the season. In a memorable month of November, the Bears earned their first-ever Big 12 tournament championship and reached the NCAA’s Elite Eight for the first time in program history. As they head into the 2018 season, they do so with some newfound respect.

The Bears will begin the 2018 season ranked 15th nationally in the preseason coaches poll. It’s the third time Baylor soccer has been ranked in the preseason poll (and the second-highest preseason nod in program history, behind 2013’s No. 13 ranking). League coaches picked the Bears to tie Texas for third in the Big 12 this fall, matching the program’s best-ever preseason placement.

With seven of eleven starters returning, head coach Paul Jobson will have a veteran team to work with as they build on last season’s success. A pair of preseason all-Big 12 selections — senior midfielder Julie James and senior defender Sarah King — will lead the way. They’ll again face a challenging schedule, which begins Thursday night against Abilene Christian at Betty Lou Mays Field. In addition to a tough Big 12 slate, the Bears will play seven non-conference opponents who are either ranked or receiving votes.

Sic ’em, Baylor soccer!