No. 2 TCU Soccer Soars Into the Quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament

The Horned Frogs score late and convert from the spot to win in penalties.

No. 2 seed TCU Soccer defeats the North Carolina Tar Heels in the Third Round of the NCAA Tournament on Monday, Nov. 24, at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium in Fort Worth, TX. | TCU Soccer

The TCU Horned Frogs are headed to the quarterfinals after a thriller that finished in penalties against the reigning National Champions, the North Carolina Tar Heels. While the opening 45 minutes were a back-and-forth, nothing could split the two sides in the first half.

In the second half, though, the Frogs were on the back foot. North Carolina held the majority of the possession, and outshot TCU 9-3 in the second half. The Tar Heels continued to pile on the pressure and found the breakthrough in the 82nd minute. A through ball from Riley Kennedy found its way into the penalty area before Olivia Keller came off her line to try and stop the play. Still, the ball got away from the goalkeeper, and Bella Devey put North Carolina ahead.

Moments later, with just four seconds left in the match, an in-swinging corner kick to the back post, and Kamdyn Fuller tied the game at the death for TCU. The Frogs produced some late magic and forced overtime. But with nothing to separate in the three overtime periods, it was time for penalties.

A.J. Hennessey was the hero for the Frogs as her penalty sent TCU into the quarterfinals round of the NCAA Tournament. Following the match, Eric Bell reflected on the game and the support from the fans. He said, “A lot of hard work and emotion goes into this. [Ryan] Higginbotham has been with me since day one. It’s been 14 years of trying, clawing, scraping, and fighting to get to this point. We released a lot of energy at this time. With the crowd, we had so many people there. The football team and so many other teams were there, and it was freaking awesome. I’m happy with the turnout, and the community came out and supported us like crazy. We think that during the penalty kick shootout, they gave us an advantage for sure.”

Monday’s victory marks TCU’s 10th NCAA Tournament win in program history. It is also just the second time in school history that the Frogs are headed to the quarterfinals round.

What's Next for the Horned Frogs?

The TCU Horned Frogs are now set to face the No. 1 seed Vanderbilt Commodores in Nashville, TN. Kickoff is set for Saturday at 6:30 p.m. CT. It will be just the second match ever between the two programs, and the first since 1997.