A late game-winning goal gave TCU soccer a 3-2 victory Thursday over Oklahoma State in their final match of the regular season.
The win was the third in a row for the Horned Frogs and gives them confidence heading into the Big 12 tournament.
“We showed our character today,” said TCU head coach Eric Bell. “I thought in some tough times, we battled and fought to figure out a way to score goals.”
Those tough times for the Frogs began in the seventh minute when Oklahoma State opened the scoring. Taylor Olson played a cross into Grace Yochum, who slid in and finished at the far post.
The score remained 1-0 until early in the second half when a 55th-minute corner kick from McKenzie Oliver caused some trouble. Karitas Tomasdottir hit the crossbar with the ensuing header, but the rebound fell right to Kayla Hill, who tapped it in to equalize.
TCU took the lead in the 71st minute when Tayla Christensen received a pass from Yazmeen Ryan and finished for the first goal of her career.
However, their lead was short-lived– Oklahoma State’s Rachel VanFossen was left unmarked in the 77th minute and found space to tie the match.
The game-winner came in the 83rd minute when TCU’s Maddy Warren beat a defender and put a shot on goal. It was saved, but the deflection fell to Messiah Bright, who finished the chance for her fifth goal of the season.
Where did she come from?! Messiah Bright cleans up the rebound for her fifth goal of the season! #GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/dYndJckw1C
— TCU Soccer (@TCUSoccer) October 26, 2018
“This is a hard place to come in and play, and it’s always been that way,” Bell said. “Oklahoma State is a good team and I’m happy that we were able to come away with a win.”
The win concludes the regular season for TCU. The Horned Frogs finished with a 12-4-2 record overall and went 5-3-1 in Big 12 play, resulting in a fourth-place finish.
Next up for TCU is the Big 12 tournament, which begins Sunday. The Frogs will kick off the quarterfinals with a rematch against Texas Tech. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. in Kansas City.
