TCU women’s soccer faced a 0-1 loss against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the NCAA Championship. The second-round match took place in Tallahassee, Fla., ending their run in the tournament.
The Frogs last faced the Nittany Lions on Aug. 27, 2023, where they also lost in a shutout 0-1 match.
Penn State, sporting white and blue jerseys, entered as the No. 4 seed with TCU just below at No. 5.
In the NCAA second round, fans looked to TCU’s star midfielder, Oli Pena, to lead them to victory.. Penn State’s standout forward, Kaitlyn MacBean, who had scored 15 goals this season, aimed to maintain her team’s momentum.
A Scoreless Battle
The game opened as a chess match, with both teams playing wide and fast. Thirteen minutes in, the aggression set in. The board tallied two shots for Penn State to TCU’s one, with two Horned Frog fouls.
Penn State’s white and blue defense remained compact as TCU’s purple squad inched closer to the box, testing goalkeeper Mackenzie Gress with consistent action. Despite TCU’s Seven Castain and Bella Diorio leading possession time in the first half, opportunities for shots were scarce against Penn State’s counter high-pressure defense.
The opening half stayed neutral with both teams entering the locker rooms scoreless, 0-0. Penn State remained comfortable in the match. The blue and white’s history of countless appearances in the NCAA Championship Tournaments echoed in their play, defending well and adjusting to the Frogs’ quick offense.
At halftime, the Frogs had racked up nine shots and four shots on goal while Penn State sat with two shots and no shots on goal. Both teams were unable to convert. The intensity was palpable as the purple numbered six fouls, doubling the blue and white’s three.
MacBean’s Goal Seals the Win
Into the second half, Penn State began to bring the pressure higher up the pitch. Out of the gates, Kaitlyn MacBean’s 43:36-mark goal was denied by an offsides ruling. MacBean immediately responded with an undeniable shot to the back of the net at 43:07 to make the board 0-1 with the Nittany Lions at the advantage. This marked her 16th goal of the season and set the tone for the rest of the match.
Looking for the equalizer. #GoFrogs | #FIGHT pic.twitter.com/3JCqtS6aKM
— TCU Soccer (@TCUSoccer) November 22, 2024
Penn State dialed up the defense and possession time, looking to throw TCU off their game. Urgency surged as Horned Frogs attempted to work quickly and spread their offense wide, but Penn State’s tight defense continued to clear their possession. Facing the last 20 minutes of the match, TCU recorded four shots on goal without a conversion.
With four minutes left on the clock, a high boot gave Diorio the most dangerous penalty kick of the match, but she was again unable to finish.
To finish off the match, TCU tallied 15 shots to Penn State’s three.
The score settled at 0-1 in a Penn State Nittany Lion win, ending the Horned Frogs’ 2024 season.
