A strong first half by No. 11 TCU Soccer on Sunday paved the way for a 3-0 road victory against Iowa State, putting the Frogs at the top of the Big 12 standings.
Highlighted by senior forward Messiah Bright’s 30th career goal, the win marks the fifth-straight victory for the Horned Frogs, with four of them coming in conference play.
Bright becomes just the second TCU player ever to reach the 30 goal mark.
“I’m really proud of the group for the professional way in which they approached this game and this weekend,” head coach Eric Bell said. “We were dialed in mentally and really focused. They made a difficult trip look easy.”
In the initial minutes, Iowa State executed a high press, trying to prevent the Horned Frogs from taking the ball comfortably out of the back.
However, TCU consistently broke through the pressure with fast transitions, allowing for an advantage in the open field for their attacking players.
In the 4th minute, one of those quick transitions had junior midfielder Gracie Brian threading the needle behind the backline and finding first-year forward Camryn Lancaster in the box. Lancaster chipped the ball over junior goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz for the first goal of the afternoon.
The Horned Frogs replicated Iowa State’s pressure but with more success, recovering possession in the final third to create goal-scoring opportunities.
In the 18th minute, junior forward Grace Collins curled in a corner kick into the penalty spot where Bright doubled the lead off an aggressive header that bounced off Silkowitz’s hands and into the net.
“She’s [Bright] been one of the best forwards in our league and in the country,” Bell said. “She’s helped take our program to a different level. She’s a fantastic young lady and a fantastic soccer player. She’s going to continue doing great things and I think the best is yet to come for her.”
Seconds before the end of the half, senior defender Brandi Peterson cut inside and scored from 25 yards out to extend the lead for the Frogs on a shot that went in after hitting the crossbar and the keeper.
With a significant advantage to start the second half, TCU slowed down the pace of the game, and the scoreline remained for the rest of the contest. This allowed Bell to go 23 players deep and give some rest to his regular rotation players.
The Horned Frogs outshot the Cyclones 26-5 and recorded their fourth-consecutive shutout for the third time in program history.
TCU will host Kansas State in its final home game of the regular season on Friday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and the match will be available to stream on ESPN+.
