For the first time ever, the TCU Women’s Soccer Club team is headed to nationals.
On Nov. 17, the team will fly to Phoenix, Ariz., to compete against the 24 top club teams in the nation.
The team made it to regionals after losing only two games in league play. The first loss was to Texas A&M University during the season opener, and the second was a forfeit to Texas Tech University.
The top two teams at regionals will go on to compete at nationals, Sus Enos, a senior film-television-digital-media major and captain of the team, said.
TCU kicked off regionals with a 2-1 victory over Louisiana State University and followed it with a loss to University of Texas and a win over University of Houston.
In their final game at regionals TCU beat Texas State University 3-1.
TCU had a small team of 13 women at regionals, Kadye Bowman, the head coach, said. The team had two subs and a schedule of four games in 36 hours.
“Everyone was exhausted, and we didn’t know how good Texas State would be, but we just went into the game hoping for the best,” Bowman said.
TCU scored the first goal against Texas State, she said. During the second half, one of the TCU players received a red card, and the team was forced to play while down a player.
“With only two subs and one player short, the whole team was running on fumes and adrenaline,” Bowman said. “It was unbelievable when we won,”
Enos started playing for TCU four years ago when the club began, she said.
“This is my last year I get to play, and I never would have guessed that we could get this far,” Enos said.
Everyone on the team is there to have fun, Enos said. Practices are a time for the players to get together and enjoy each other and the game.
“We all really love each other. We laugh a lot and goof off. Sometimes we really don’t get much done during practice,” she said.
The team tries to balance a competitive atmosphere with the fun of the game, Bowman said.
“A lot of the girls might know each other through sororities or other organizations, but at practice everyone just has a good time,” she said.
At regionals the team strengthened their bond. A lot of players have found their home within this team, Bowman said.
“It is a pretty different group of girls from different organizations and backgrounds, but they all love soccer, so it’s a really cool atmosphere,” she said.
The team has adopted the nickname the “Big Green” in honor of their fun-loving attitudes and team diversity, Bowman said.
As they move to nationals, the team will work more seriously on skills and fundamentals during practice, Bowman said. But they won’t forget that their love of the game and that the fun they have playing is what got them to this point.
