For five TCU seniors, Friday night’s rivalry match against Baylor represents more than just their last soccer game in Garvey-Rosenthal stadium.
Friday’s matchup of the TCU Horned Frogs (6-8-3, 2-4-1) and Baylor Bears (9-5-3, 2-4-1) has playoff implications.
TCU secured its spot in the conference tournament last Friday with a 1-0 win over Iowa State. First-year players shined on both ends of the field for the Frogs in the win.
Forward Michelle Prokof scored her team-leading eighth goal of the season to give TCU goalie Shannon Coffer, last week’s Big 12 newcomer of the week, a lead she and the Frogs’ veteran defense would not relinquish.
One member of the TCU defense, senior Morgan Lane, said despite securing a spot in the conference tournament, the team was determined to build off of last Friday’s victory.
“A lot of soccer is about momentum,” Lane said. “It’s a lot of taking the energy from last week and putting it into the next one.”
Senior defender Maddy Courvoisier also said the team would look to sustain the momentum from its victory over the Cyclones.
“If we didn’t win that game we knew it was going to be tough to make it to the conference tournament,” Courvoisier said. “I think we are just really focused on keeping the same mentality we had last week and getting a better seed in the tournament for next week.”
Baylor also secured its spot in the tournament last week with a win over Oklahoma State, the team’s first win in almost a month. Baylor spent the early half of their season in the top 25, rolling through their non-conference schedule and emerging unbeaten with a 7-1-2 record.
The Bears won their conference opener against Oklahoma, but then dropped five of their next six, playing Texas Tech to a scoreless tie. One of Baylor’s losses during that stretch came out of conference at the hands of BYU.
TCU and Baylor have played eight times overall, all resulting in Baylor victories.
When asked about playing their final home game for TCU, both Lane and Courvoisier spoke with mixed emotions.
“It’s crazy,” Lane said. “I still can’t really believe that four years have gone by this fast. But it will be a big game, especially because it’s against Baylor. That’s a good rivalry for us.”
Courvoisier said she expected to be emotional on Friday knowing it was her last home game.
“It’s going to be tough,” Courvoisier said. “My last game on this field, it’s where I’ve spent the last four years of my soccer career so it’s going to be kind of emotional.”
The game starts Friday at 7 p.m. at Garvey-Rosenthal stadium. Lane, Courvoisier, and fellow seniors Brittany Slyman, Maddie Payne, and Kristen Barg will be honored on the field in recognition of senior night.
