First-year midfielder Oli Peña earned herself her second career goal on Thursday for No. 11 TCU soccer in a hard-fought win against No. 21 ranked West Virginia University.
The Horned Frogs traveled to Morgantown to face the Mountaineers on their home turf, a field that the TCU franchise has never won on before.
The match kicked off and was mostly scoreless for the first 25 minutes. Both teams worked to prevent any goal-scoring opportunities for the other. In the 15th minute, defenders freshman Brenna Brosam and graduate student Jenna Winebrenner broke up a scoring chance for the Mountaineers.
With under 9 minutes left in the half, West Virginia upped the pressure, but TCU’s back four remained strong and in control of the ball.
The Horned Frogs’ best look came in the 41st minute when Junior midfielder Skylar Heinrich fired a shot high over the crossbar after receiving the ball off a corner kick.
At the end of the half, the Mountaineers held a 4-2 shot advantage, with TCU sophomore goalkeeper Lauren Kellett only having to make two saves to keep the game scoreless.
“It’s hard to be patient,” said head coach Eric Bell. “West Virginia’s defense made it hard to play through them. We had to pick our moments.”
West Virginia started the second half with high pressure. They had several great opportunities, including a shot that Kellett punched right over the crossbar in the 61st minute, but was ultimately unable to put any shots in the back of the net.
In the 77th minute, TCU was finally able to get on the board. Junior striker Grace Collins’ corner was knocked down by the Mountaineer goalkeeper, and Peña fought in the box to tap the ball into the back of the net.
TCU beat WVU 1-0, marking the first time the Horned Frogs won a match in Morgantown.
“First off, I’m happy we won. It was a very tactical game. Not a lot of opportunities for either team,” said Bell. “We were fortunate to come away with a win in a tough place to play. I’m proud of our group for finding a way to win.”
TCU finishes the road trip on Sunday, Oct. 17 against Iowa State University. The contest will be televised on ESPN+ at 1 p.m.
