Baylor Soccer: Schedule, Tickets, and What Students Need to Know
Baylor soccer doesn't get the same headlines as football or basketball, but both programs have résumés that most universities would kill for. The women's team won a national championship in 2005 — the first women's national title in Baylor history — and has made the NCAA Tournament eight times. The men's program has claimed four Big 12 Conference championships and earned multiple top-seed Tournament berths in recent years. If you haven't made it to Betty Lou Mays Field yet, you're missing some of the best free athletic entertainment Baylor offers.
Here's everything you need to know: how the ticket system works, what the season looks like, what to expect at the stadium, and why Centre's location makes soccer matches the easiest game day on campus.
Free Tickets: How Baylor Students Get Into Games
Every Baylor student gets free admission to all home soccer games — both men's and women's. No lottery, no priority points system. Just show up with your valid Baylor student ID.
The only logistical piece: digital tickets are available starting Monday of each home game week at 4 p.m. through your Baylor Athletics online ticket account at baylorbears.com. You'll download them to your phone or print them before arriving. Your name on the ID must match the name on the account — so if you haven't set up your student ticket account yet, do it before the first home match.
For questions about soccer-specific ticketing, the Baylor Athletics ticket office is reachable at 254-710-1000.
There's no student section the way football has a full cheering bloc, but soccer crowds at Betty Lou Mays have genuine energy, especially for Big 12 rivalry matches against Texas Tech, TCU, and Oklahoma State.
Betty Lou Mays Field: What to Know Before You Go
Betty Lou Mays Field sits at 1700 S University Parks Dr, Waco TX 76706, on the Brazos River waterfront — part of the Jim and Julie Turner Riverfront Athletic Complex. The venue opened in 1999 and holds 3,000 fans, which means it sells an intimate, close-to-the-action experience that McLane Stadium's 45,000-seat setup can't replicate.
From Centre at 1901 S 11th Street, the field is roughly a 10-minute walk — follow the path south along the Brazos River frontage, cross the Speight Avenue bridge area, and you'll hit University Parks Drive. No parking permit needed if you walk. For students who prefer to drive, campus lots along University Parks Dr are available on non-game weekdays; for game-day parking, check the Baylor Parking & Transportation website at dps.web.baylor.edu.
The Brazos River setting makes this one of the most scenic venues in the Big 12 — if you haven't sat in those bleachers on a cool October evening, it's worth going once just for the atmosphere.
Baylor Women's Soccer: A Program Built on Championships
Baylor women's soccer has one of the more underrated histories in collegiate sports. Founded in 1996, the program broke through in 2005 with a national championship — becoming the first Baylor women's team to win a national title. The Bears have also won two Big 12 regular season titles (1998, 2018) and two conference tournament titles (2012, 2017).
The 2025 season continued that tradition. The Bears went 13-4-4 and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. That kind of performance puts them consistently in the field even in years they don't win the Big 12.
The season runs August through November, with Big 12 Conference play beginning in late September and the NCAA Tournament bracket typically announced in mid-November. Women's soccer often overlaps with football season — which means some weeks you can catch a football game on Saturday and a soccer match on Sunday at the same campus.
Key Big 12 opponents to circle on the calendar: TCU, Texas Tech, Kansas, Oklahoma State. When those teams come to Waco, the Betty Lou Mays crowd tends to fill in more than a typical midweek conference match.
Baylor Men's Soccer: Four Big 12 Titles and Counting
The men's program has been one of the more consistent performers in Big 12 soccer over the past decade. Four conference championships and an NCAA Tournament record of 22-16 tell the story — Baylor men's soccer shows up in March, not just October.
The Bears have earned top seeds in recent Tournament cycles: 1-seeds in 2021 and 2022, and a 3-seed in 2023. That's a program that belongs in conversations about the best soccer at the Power conference level.
The Fall 2026 schedule includes 19 total matches with 10 home games. The season opens in mid-August with a home match against Texas A&M, then Big 12 Conference play begins in late September. Key home stretches include three-game homestands in late September and October, with rivals Kansas, Colorado, Kansas State, and TCU all appearing on the home schedule. The season concludes in early November, with NCAA Tournament consideration following for teams that qualify.
Men's and women's matches are sometimes scheduled as doubleheaders on the same day — arriving early for the first match and staying for the second is the most efficient way to get two games out of one trip to Betty Lou Mays.
How to Follow the Season
A few tools that make tracking Baylor soccer easy:
- Baylor Bears app — push notifications for score updates, schedule changes, and ticket availability
- baylorbears.com/sports/womens-soccer/schedule and /sports/mens-soccer/schedule — official schedules with TV broadcast info
- Big 12 standings page — updated in real time throughout conference play
- Baylor Athletics on Instagram (@baylorathletics) — match previews, highlight reels, and postgame content
Women's matches that reach the NCAA Tournament typically air on ESPN+ or WatchESPN. Men's Tournament matches follow similar distribution. If you can't make it to the field, the streaming setup is straightforward.
Where Centre Fits In
Centre Apartments sits at 1901 S 11th Street — genuinely walking distance from Betty Lou Mays Field along the Brazos River corridor. The combination of a 10-minute walk to soccer, the same distance to Foster Pavilion for basketball, and under a mile to McLane Stadium for football makes the Centre location practically built for Baylor sports attendance.
Soccer especially rewards proximity. Unlike football, where you might plan your whole day around the game, soccer matches are easy to work into a regular Tuesday or Thursday evening — class ends, you grab dinner on South 8th Street, and walk over to the field for a 7 p.m. kickoff. That's a routine that's only possible if you live close enough for the walk to feel trivial.
If you want to see the venue before committing to a full match, check out the neighborhood page — the Brazos River waterfront walk passes right by the facility. Or schedule a tour to see Centre and walk the route yourself.
What to Bring and What to Expect
Betty Lou Mays is a compact, no-frills venue compared to McLane or Foster Pavilion, and that's part of the appeal. A few things to know before your first visit:
Seating: Bring a cushion or stadium seat if you plan to stay the full 90 minutes. The bleachers are aluminum with good sightlines but no padding.
Concessions: Light concessions are typically available at home matches. Eating beforehand gives you more flexibility.
Weather: October and November in Waco can run anywhere from 85°F to 55°F. Check the forecast and layer accordingly — a light jacket in your bag is never a mistake.
Parking: If you drive, campus lots along University Parks Drive are available. Centre residents who walk won't need to worry about any of this.
Dogs: Betty Lou Mays is an outdoor venue on a river trail. Some students bring dogs for casual matches — verify with Baylor Athletics whether this is permitted before bringing one.
The Short Version
Both Baylor soccer programs are worth following — the women's national championship and the men's four Big 12 titles make them among the most decorated programs on campus. Tickets are free for all students, the venue is genuinely beautiful, and the proximity to Centre makes it one of the easiest game-day commitments in Baylor athletics.
Explore the floor plans to find a layout that fits your group, and see how walkable Centre's location makes every home match on the Baylor calendar.
