Tyler Isgrig’s late first-half PK and a strong defensive stand lifted Baylor past Wisconsin 1-0, sending the Bears to the Round of 16 for the first time since 2018.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Baylor women’s soccer is back in the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 for the first time since 2018, holding off a heavy second-half push from Wisconsin to secure a 1-0 win Thursday at Notre Dame’s Alumni Stadium.
Senior midfielder Tyler Isgrig delivered the game-winner on a penalty kick in the final minute of the first half, and the Bears (14-4-4) survived wave after wave of pressure from the fourth-seeded Badgers to advance for just the fourth time in program history.
Senior defender Hannah Augustyn, who helped anchor Baylor’s 12th shutout of the season, said the moment was years in the making.
Baylor controlled early possession, firing four shots in the opening 20 minutes. Isgrig nearly put the Bears ahead in the 17th minute when her strike from the right side hit the far post.
The breakthrough came with 34 seconds left in the half, when Wisconsin’s Delaney Cox was called for a foul in the box after undercutting Augustyn on a cross from Alysiah Lockett.
Isgrig then buried the penalty past her former club teammate, Badgers goalkeeper Drew Stover, for her 10th goal of the season.
Wisconsin (14-6-2) controlled the second half, outshooting Baylor 13-4 and earning seven corners, but goalkeeper Azul Alvarez and the Bears’ back line held strong. Alvarez delivered a crucial punch save in the 86th minute to preserve the shutout — her 11th solo clean sheet of the year.
Baylor coach Michelle Lenard said the Bears relied on toughness and discipline to withstand the pressure.
“Sometimes, you’ve got to do whatever it takes,” she said. “As much as we were under pressure, I also felt like we stayed connected, we stayed organized and we won the duels that we needed to win. Bend, don’t break, right?”
Baylor moves on to face unseeded Ohio State — which upset No. 1 national seed Notre Dame — in Sunday’s third-round match at 1 p.m. CT, again at Alumni Stadium. The game will stream on ESPN+.