Baird leads Lady Vols vs. ASU

Goalkeeper Molly Baird led the UT defense Friday night when the Lady Vols faced Arkansas State in their first match of the First Tennessee Lady Vol Classic. Though the Vols were defeated 3-2, Baird kept the game close with her goal protection during the waning moments.

After Baird helped hold the Sun Devils scoreless the first half, ASU’s Lindsey Johns made a close-range shot off a backline clear to bring the score to 2-1. During the last two minutes of regulation, the Sun Devils were able to get off two shots on goal. Baird saved the first shot with a dive across the goal line with 2.29 left on the clock, but the second shot landed in the net with only 13 seconds left to send the game into overtime.

“It’s always exciting to make a big-time save like that,” Baird said. “The goal at the end of regulation, though, is never what you want.”

In the first round of overtime, Baird made another save after ASU’s Karin Volpe fired a shot amongst confusion in the box.

“I really was just trying to stay focused,” Baird said. “We’re defending as a team, and we’re attacking as a team, you know, so we all were just trying to get the ball cleared out of there.”

The Sun Devils sealed their victory in the second round of overtime at 106:49 with a shot from Volpe in the far right corner of the goal. Despite the loss, Lady Vol head coach Angela Kelly said she was proud of Baird’s effort during the game.

“We have this thing called the POG (player of the game), and I just gave that to her right now,” Kelly said. “She came up with some huge saves tonight, and I’m real proud of the way she’s playing. It’s great to have that kind of experience back there.”

After playing behind Jamiel Johnson as a redshirt sophomore in 2008, Baird saw action in only one game last season against Chattanooga, helping record a shutout victory for the Lady Vols. Most of Baird’s sophomore season was spent recovering from a severe meniscus and ACL tear suffered in a game against LSU during her freshman year.

Baird was a 2006 NSCAA/Adidas high school All-American in helping lead Needham Broughton High School to a North Carolina High School Athletic Association state championship. The Raleigh, N.C., native was also a five-year member of the Region III Olympic Development team and a member of the Super Y League National Select Team in 2004-2005.

A business major, Baird is a member of organizations such as Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee at UT. She and the Lady Vols will hit the road Sept. 4 to face the University of Minnesota at 8:00 p.m. in Minneapolis, Minn.