Baylor Soccer wrapped up a demanding opening week of the 2026 season with a 4-1 victory over Hendersonville in a non-region match Sunday afternoon at Baylor School.
Playing their fourth match in six days, the Red Raiders broke through in the 36th minute when Brylee Faulkner scored off a free kick from Reese Rowlett, sending Baylor into halftime with a 1-0 advantage.
Baylor quickly added to the lead after the break. Ayanna Hamler converted a penalty kick in the 44th minute to make it 2-0.
In the 55th minute, Abby Lewis finished a cross from Rowlett to extend the Baylor advantage to 3-0.
Hendersonville ended Baylor's season-opening shutout streak with a goal from inside the box in the 68th minute, cutting the lead to 3-1.
The Red Raiders answered in the 74th minute when Adri Carey scored off a cross from Lewis to complete the scoring and secure the 4-1 victory.
"We had a very tough week with four games in six days, and the girls showed a ton of grit, fight, and resilience throughout the entire week," head coach Curtis Blair said. "With each game, I felt like we showed more maturity and continued to grow as a team.
"This was also the first goal we have conceded all year, and we are extremely proud of the defensive mentality and commitment the girls have shown. At the same time, we have to use moments like this to learn, fix our mistakes, and continue getting better.
"That's why we challenge ourselves with quality opponents, to find out who we are as a team, identify the things we are doing really well, and recognize the areas where we still need to improve. Throughout this week, you could see us starting to put the pieces together and develop our identity. There is still plenty of work ahead, but the growth we saw this week was exciting to watch."
Standouts: Mackenzie Douglass (GK), Harley Elam, Grace King, Charlotte Hoss and Kinsley Faulkner.
With the victory, Baylor improves to 3-0-1 on the season.
The Red Raiders return to action Thursday, August 27, when they host Farragut at Baylor School.
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