TCU soccer’s Grace Coppinger was recognized with Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors on Tuesday. The breakout defender was the only Horned Frog to be recognized in the major award categories. Moving forward, TCU will be without Coppinger, who will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Head coach Eric Bell has talked highly of the freshman’s maturity all season.

“It’s interesting,” said Bell. “You see some of these kids mature at different points in the season. I think we’re peaking at the right time and our kids are confident. That is what we hope to have within our environment. It takes a while for them to get adjusted to the speed of the game and the tactics that we employ. Once they no longer have to think about it and they can just go out there and play, it’s brilliant.”

Coppinger tallied career 11 starts as a Horned Frog and saw action in 16 games as a rookie.

She notched four points on the year with one goal and two assists. Coppinger tallied three of her points in a breakout performance against Iowa State on Oct. 9.

Coppinger played the entirety of eight matches this season which included seven in Big 12 play. The Big 12 Freshman of the Year amassed 1,087 total minutes on the pitch in 2022.

In games featuring Coppinger, the Horned Frogs tallied eight total shutouts.

Looking Ahead

The Horned Frogs, without Coppinger, will return to action this Thursday at 7 p.m. against Oklahoma in the semifinals of the Big 12 Tournament. The game will take place at the Round Rock Multisport Complex and will be televised on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.