The sixth-seeded TCU soccer advanced to its third Big 12 Championship Final in the last four years with a 2-1 comeback win over second-seeded Texas Tech.
“You are looking for moments like that to kind of change the course of the season,” head coach Eric Bell said. “Our kids stepped up, battled and created situations. Then you have the beast that was in beast-mode take care of it and give us two goals. I can’t be more proud of our group or more happy for our group.”
The Raiders, No. 13 in the nation, opened the match with a goal just 53 seconds in. The goal was the fastest score in Big 12 tournament history.
Messiah Bright provided a striking equalizer in the 39th minute, sending the Frogs into a first-half draw. TCU was outshot 7-9 in the first half, forcing two saves out of TCU goalkeeper Emily Alvarado.
The second half showed the completion of the TCU comeback, with a 67th-minute unassisted strike from Bright once again.
Bright’s mark lifted her season goal total to 12, third-most in program history, and 18 in her career, which is tied for eighth all-time.
The Frogs were heavily outshot in the second half, with a tally of 3-12, resulting in 21-10 shot count. Alvarado finished the night with six saves, while the Red Raiders did not record one.
This win marks the third-straight win over the Red Raiders for the Frogs and completes a 5-0-1 record in their last six meetings.
TCU now moves on to play the No. 5 seed Kansas, No. 21 in the nation. Neither Kansas nor TCU have ever won a Big 12 soccer title, with Kansas last appearing in a 2015 loss to Texas Tech.
“I think our team believes we can beat anybody, and I believe we can beat anybody too,” Bell said. “We are going to get ready for Sunday and do our best to win a championship.”
The Big 12 Soccer Championship title game airs Sunday on FS1.
