Receiving a Big 12 Conference championship ring in May was a special moment for Kylie Bahr. The hardware was a reminder of all the Texas Tech soccer team achieved in 2023, and a symbol for the work the Red Raiders put in to get there.

All of last year's successes, and the history made, are now in the rearview mirror. Bahr and her teammates are able to appreciate what they achieved while knowing it's going to take that much more to do it again.

"We don't necessarily try to look toward the end goal because that's not realistic," the junior defender said Monday. "We say one game at a time, this game and then the next game. ... We do have a target on our back because we did come off a really great season, but that's not necessarily something we're going to keep on our shoulder."

By the end of the 2023 campaign, the Red Raiders set numerous program marks, earning the team's first regular-season conference title, hosting the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament and vaulting to the team's highest national ranking in history.

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As Tech continued to succeed throughout the year, fans started to take notice, setting John Walker Soccer Complex attendance records for postseason matchups with Princeton and North Carolina. Throughout the season, players said they never talked about what could be until it actually happened, not even acknowledging a potential conference title until the time finally came to clinch it.

The same approach, Bahr said, will be used this year.

"You've got to be thinking beyond that," head coach Tom Stone said of the Big 12 title. "You've got to have bigger goals than just that. By doing so, then you might win it along the way, but you may not win it and have a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, which is also awesome.

"I think it just kind of solidified that narrative. It emboldened our girls to know that they can play with anybody and we're excited this year about again playing against anybody."

A similar message came from both Bahr and Stone before the Red Raiders head to Denver for a scrimmage on Thursday. What they accomplished in 2023 is great, but it's not going to do anything for them in 2024.

"We do say a lot like be humble and hungry," Bahr said. "You want more, you expect more, you're still striving for more, but at the same time you still gotta win. Nothing is going to be given to you."

Goalkeeper decision looming as Texas Tech soccer heads to Denver

The Red Raiders have a slew of returning players, including leading goal scorer Ashleigh Williams and Big 12 Conference freshman of the year Sam Courtwright. However, there are several holes to fill after the graduation of the conference's defensive player of the year, Hannah Anderson, and goalkeeper of the year Madison White.

White's absence in the net may be felt the most early on. She set several program records, including career shutouts, and had been the starter for five years.

Stone said he and assistant coach Blair Quinn haven't decided who will replace White. Battling for that distinction are junior Faith Nguyen, who transferred in from UCLA last month, graduate senior Sidney O'billovich, redshirt sophomore Madeline Mueller and freshman Grace Pilling, a native of Preston, England, who joined the team this offseason.

"All four of them are training their tails off," Stone said. "They're all into it and Blair's doing a great job keeping them all getting reps, understanding what their job is. I don't think we'll name anybody by Denver, but certainly by the opening game we gotta at least know who's gonna play the first half, who the starter is."

Macy Blackburn return could be sooner than expected

Another key returner is defender Macy Blackburn, who earned first team all-Big 12 honors and was a third team All-American despite missing the final eight games of the season. For the second year in a row, Blackburn had her season come to an end early due to injury.

When Blackburn could return to the pitch for Texas Tech is still in question, but Stone said it could be sooner than later.

"I think she's closer than we thought she'd be at this point," Stone said. "I can't say any much more than that because I don't know. But she looks, other than getting tackled or knocked over by someone going at full speed, she's doing everything. We're excited about her return. Obviously, she's a difference maker."

Blackburn notched 11 assists and a pair of goals in her 15 games in 2023. She was one assist away from tying the program record for single-season helpers. Entering the 2024 campaign, the redshirt junior needs just five assists to break the career record, a mark currently held by Taylor Lytle, who will be inducted into the Texas Tech Athletics Hall of Honor in November.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech women's soccer 'humble and hungry' after 2023 success