PKs Spoil Women’s Soccer’s 2025 Season-Opening Match against Avila

BALDWIN CITY - A pair of penalty kicks proved to be costly for Baker women's soccer as the Wildcats dropped their first match of the 2025 season to Avila, 3-1 here Thursday night at Hartley Field.

The Wildcats wiped out the Eagles' first PK with Sidney Claeys netting a goal less than a minute later to tie the match at 1-1 in the 11th minute of an action-packed start to the non-conference matchup.

After the score remained level going into halftime, the Eagles added their second goal from the charity stripe to take a 2-1 lead in the 55th minute. With Baker trying to equalize late, Avila closed things out with a goal in the final minute to spoil the debut match for the 2025 Wildcats and first-year head coach Sean McAlister.

Avila held a 13-9 advantage in shots, but the Wildcats earned five corner kicks in the match and held the Eagles to just one corner set piece, which came midway through the first half.

It was a couple of deflected saves by keeper Sophia Holloway and the BU backline that led to a penalty in the 10th minute with a scrum in the box resulting in the visitors taking an initial 1-0 lead.

Claeys provided a huge response to quickly draw things even again as she was on the receiving end of a nice ball played over by Cato. The action started with Emme Nichols intercepting a short goal kick and passing over to Cato, who slipped a pass in the box to Claeys and the junior forward buried the first goal of 2025 for BU.

It was the second career goal for Claeys, who is in her third season with the Wildcats, after she scored one at home against Culver-Stockton last year. For Nichols, it was the first assist of her BU career, while Cato's assist gives her 23 total points for her career.

Baker will look to bounce back with a tough matchup at home against (RV) Mid-American Christian on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 11 a.m. at Hartley Field.

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