Emotions were high in the Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium on Thursday night, as TCU soccer came back from a 1-2 deficit to secure the win over the Kansas State Wildcats.
“We knew that it was going to be a difficult game to play based on how they had performed,” head coach Eric Bell said.
The Frogs had the lead early thanks to senior forward Messiah Bright, who found the back of the net just nine minutes into the game. First-year forward Camryn Lancaster slipped a perfect ball to Bright, who then split through her defenders firing home the opening goal of the match.
“They’re a tough duo to deal with,” Bell said in regards to Bright and Lancaster.
Though TCU outshot Kansas State 12-2 in the first half, neither team scored for the rest of the half after that opening goal, as the game became a defense dog fight.
Just three minutes into the second half, though, Kansas State forward Marisa Weichel won over possession from the TCU backline and scored, making it a 1-1 match. Nearly 10 minutes later, midfielder Brookelynn Entz fired a shot from the top of the 18 that went over TCU goalkeeper Lauren Kellett’s head, giving the Wildcats a 2-1 lead.
Kansas State’s first-ever lead against a ranked opponent was short-lived, though.
Junior midfielder Gracie Brian gave the Frogs their equalizer, poking in a pass from Bright at the 6-yard box. Two minutes later, senior defender Brandi Peterson found Lancaster wide open, and she fired a shot directly to the back of the net, putting the Frogs back in the lead.
For the rest of the half, the Wildcats had no true scoring opportunities, and TCU was able to hold for the 3-2 victory.
“With teams like this, that are fighting for their lives as far as the conference tournament is concerned, you know they are not going to give up,” Bell said. “They came back and scored two goals, but I was really pleased with how we responded.”
TCU will close out the regular season Thursday, Oct. 28 at Texas Tech. Game time in Lubbock is set for 7 p.m., and the match will be televised on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.
