TCU soccer (8-4-1) finished their road trip with a comeback win, defeating Iowa State (3-9) 2-1. The victory is TCU’s first in their last four matches.
The first half was dominant for the Frogs, outshooting Iowa State 14-2. The second half remained similar in shot totals, 13-5, totaling at 27 shots with eight on target for the Frogs and only seven shots with three on target for the Cyclones.
The opening goal came by Iowa State in the 53rd minute, giving Iowa State their first goal scored since Sept. 15. They had been outscored 6-0 before the go-ahead goal.
“They scored against the run of play and we showed a lot of character and grit to come back and score two,” Bell said. “I think the win was deserved. I felt we dominated the lion’s share of the game and played some really good soccer. In the final third it was better than it was on Thursday which we had talked about the last two days.”
The Frogs quickly bounced back, hammering in twin goals by Gracie Brian in the 62nd and 74th minutes. The goals by Brian lifted her above Yazmeen Ryan for first on the team in scoring, and the victory was TCU’s first comeback win of the season.
“It shows that no matter what, if we continue to play TCU soccer, no matter what the score is we are going to give ourselves a chance to compete,” Bell said. “We are going to grind it out. We believe that we can come back. We’ve shown it and now I’m sure that will give us confidence moving forward if we ever find ourselves down a goal again.”
Three Horned Frogs also marked their first assists of the season, with Chaylyn Hubbard, McKenna Saul and Haley Mallion all earning their lines on the stat sheet. Saul’s assist was the first of her career.
The win over Iowa State is TCU’s first since 2017. The match was also the TCU’s first non-shutout win against Iowa State since entering the Big 12.
“I’m proud of our group for doing what we asked them to do and doing it to the best of their ability and giving us a chance to win,” Bell said.
TCU comes back home to face-off against Baylor in a 7 p.m. Thursday night showdown under the lights of Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium. They look for their first win over the Bears since 2017.
