Best season in Baylor soccer history ends in Sweet 16

You know it’s a good sports weekend when having one of your teams reach the Sweet 16 isn’t even the top story.

That was the case for Baylor soccer, which was knocked from the headlines by football’s upset of No. 1-ranked Kansas State. Head coach Marci Jobson’s squad defeated Georgetown in overtime Friday night in the NCAA tournament’s second round, then fell to 20-time national champion North Carolina on penalty kicks in the Sweet 16 Sunday afternoon.

Playing on the road, the Bears held a 1-0 lead over the Tar Heels with less than nine minutes to go before UNC forced overtime. After playing through two extra periods with the score stuck at 1-1, the game moved to penalty kicks, where the hometown Tar Heels claimed a 4-2 edge to advance to the Elite Eight.

Baylor finished likely the best season in program history with a record of 19-1-5, setting school records for wins and winning percentage and bringing home the Big 12 tournament championship. The Bears led the Big 12 in every offensive category and featured the nation’s No. 2 scoring defense to boot. After making the NCAA tournament only twice in the first 15 years of the program, Jobson has now led Baylor to back-to-back postseason appearances, including the program’s first Sweet 16.

It was actually quite a weekend for Baylor athletics, featuring not just football and soccer success but also equestrian’s win over No. 1 South Carolina and Brittney Griner’s NCAA-record eighth career dunk.

Sic ’em, Baylor soccer and Baylor athletics!