TCU Athletics had another full weekend with five teams competing in action across the country.
Soccer
It’s amazing what a difference a week can make.
After a difficult 1-0 loss at Baylor last week, a dejected TCU head coach Eric Bell spoke about how his team needed to turn around a three-game winless streak.
Last night’s 1-0 road victory at Oklahoma gives the Horned Frog soccer team their second win in a row and brings them back to .500 in Big 12 play.
It was a disjointed match where both teams struggled to find their rhythm, but TCU got the golden goal in extra time with a Yazmeen Ryan free kick.
“As I told the team, I likened the game to a pitcher who didn’t have their best stuff but gutted it out and found a way to win,” Bell said. “We didn’t show the best version of TCU soccer, but we battled and found a way to win.”
A quiet first half saw both teams head to their locker rooms with the score tied 0-0. Poor passing led to a number of first-half stoppages, as did injuries– first-year midfielder Payton Crews left the game with an apparent leg injury and did not return.
Both teams performed better in the second half, but neither could find a goal in regulation. The best chance of the half came in the 59th minute, when an Oklahoma header was cleared off the line by TCU midfielder Tara Smith.
The game looked set to end in a draw until the 105th minute, when an Oklahoma handball set up Ryan for the eventual game-winner.
“There is still another level to be had with her,” Bell said of Ryan. “The version we are seeing now is quite good, but I think there is more to see.”
The victory moves TCU to 9-3-2 on the season and 2-2-1 in Big 12 play. This was the Horned Frogs’ fourth extra time game this season, and they have yet to lose a match that goes past regulation.
TCU soccer returns to action next weekend, when they travel to the state of Kansas for a pair of road fixtures. The Frogs will play at Kansas on Friday and at Kansas State on Sunday.
Equestrian
The No. 6 ranked TCU Equestrian team lost their first match of the season, falling 9-8 to No. 3 Texas A&M.
First-year Izzy Baxter continued her strong start to the season, capturing two most outstanding performer awards in equitation over fences and equations on the flats, including a career high score of 88 on the flat. Juniors Cydney Benes and Elena Hurd also captured MOP awards in horsemanship and reigning.
“Our team was strong and confident and I feel like we will be able to build off what we learned today in order to be more successful in the future,” said head coach Melissa Dukes after the match.
Swimming and Diving
The TCU Men’s and Women’s swimming and diving teams traveled to Miami for TYR Fall Classic this weekend, where the women finished third and the men fourth.
The women were in sixth place heading into the second day of the meet, but strong performances in the 200 IM by first-year Emily Visagie and senior Ally Robertson helped propel them into third with a team score of 390.
The women will return to action when they open Big 12 play at Kansas on Oct. 27 and both teams will compete in a meet with SMU and Iowa State in Dallas on Nov. 2.
Rifle
The TCU Rifle team had two matches against Coast Guard this weekend, winning both matches by at least 100 points.
They dominated the first match, beating the Bears by a score of 4,703 to 4,483. The Horned Frogs finished the first day with the top nine aggregate scorers, including season highs by sophomore Elizabeth Marsh and first-year Kristen Hemphill. Marsh also tied a career high with her smallbore score of 589.
On day two, three first year-shooters: Taylor Haffner, Angeline Henry, and Noelle Christensen led the way with the top three aggregate scores. Haffner’s aggregate score of 1,164 was a career high.
The Horned Frogs would go on to win the match 4,668-4,516. They return to action on October 20 at the Citadel.
