BYU women's soccer scores twice in final 6 minutes to salvage rain-soaked draw with Baylor

PROVO — In the span of 90 minutes, plus a pair of hour-long weather delays, the BYU women's soccer team showed both its high-level ceiling and the follies and inexperience of youth.

Allie Fryer didn't let it cost the Cougars a result, though.

Fryer scored two goals, including the equalizing penalty kick in the final minutes, and Erin Bailey added a goal as BYU rallied to tie Baylor 3-3 after two hour-long weather delays Thursday night at South Field.

Lucy Kesler had an assist for BYU, which dropped its second draw at home in conference play in dropping to 6-5-5 and 4-2-3 in Big 12 play.

"Five minutes cost us three goals, I think. That's super disappointing," BYU coach Jennifer Rockwood said. "I thought we played a pretty good first half, and should've put a couple more goals in. But we had a few missed opportunities, and it came back to cost us, for sure.

"It does show certainly some grit from this team to come back when they were down, for the starting group to get the tie and save it, but we haven't been able to put together a full 90. We've played some really good soccer, and had some opportunities to get all 3 points in all of these conference games, but just fell short. It shows a bit of our inexperience."

After an hour-long weather delay for lightning, BYU and Baylor kicked off with rain above South Field and occasional hailstorms brokering down the reduced sold-out crowd that stuck around through the storms.

Bailey notched a goal for a fourth straight game, finishing a right-footed chance in the 22nd minute after MacKenzee Vance found Ella Rustand to initiate a counter attack that led to the Cougars' 1-0 lead.

BYU out-shot the Bears 13-5, holding the visitors (7-6-4, 2-5-3 Big 12) without a shot on target to the Cougars' nine en route to the 1-0 halftime advantage.

"Erin's a goal scorer; that's what she does," Rockwood said of her standout striker from Layton. "She missed most of the season with an illness, and I think she's just been super anxious to get back on the field. She's found herself in some good spots, and that first goal was a nice finish with her left foot. … Now she's got some confidence that she can score for us."

It could have been more, too.

Vance ripped a shot from distance that Baylor goalkeeper Azul Alvarez tipped with a minute remaining. Bailey roofed a shot over the crossbar from inside the penalty area. Fryer forced another save five minutes before the half.

But after another half-hour weather delay for lightning, Baylor found the equalizer.

Tyler Isgrig, the Bears' leading scorer with five goals and six assists, struck a slippery cross into the box in the 49th minute that caromed off Avery Frischknecht's shin and past BYU goalkeeper Lynette Hernaez for a goal.

Two minutes later, Ashley Merrill stretched the Bears' lead to 3-1, putting away a spilled shot for the two-goal advantage. Within moments, BYU made a goalkeeper change, replacing Hernaez with backup Kelsey Hoopes the rest of the way.

With temperatures dipping below 48 degrees, the Cougars were just getting warmed up. Or at least, Fryer was.

The junior from Spanish Fork scored her seventh goal of the season in the 85th minute, finishing off a ball laid off by Lucy Kesler at the top of the arc to cut BYU's deficit to 3-2.

Fryer made it eight on the season moments later, converting a penalty kick after Baylor was called for a handball in the box to pull even and help the Cougars salvage a draw.

"It was good for Allie to put a couple in," Rockwood said. "We've just got to be a little bit more consistent. Both (Bailey and Fryer) had other opportunities, and that's a positive. … It's just finishing a few more would be a big difference for us right now."

The Cougars host Houston on Monday (7 p.m. MDT, ESPN+) in the regular-season home finale. The regular-season finale is Friday, Oct. 25 at Texas Tech before the Big 12 women's soccer championships begin Oct. 30 in Kansas City.

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