TCU Women’s Soccer: Horned Frogs Dominate In 7-0 Victory over Santa Clara

On the back of a stellar comeback victory against the University of Minnesota, Eric Bell and his team geared up for a Santa Clara side that achieved a berth in the NCAA College Cup Semifinal last year. What appeared to be a competitive contest on paper, quickly turned into a one-sided affair as the Horned Frogs proved relentless going forward.

The Horned Frogs retained possession of the ball early on as the team’s off-the-ball movement created options going forward. While TCU controlled the tempo of the match Santa Clara’s defense remained compact, handling the Horned Frogs in their mission to penetrate the opposing back line. As seen in previous matches, TCU is tremendous in their build-up and continues to pose a threat around the penalty area, but at times struggles to get closer to the goal. Early on, it was also difficult to find their primary forward Messiah Bright as she was constantly under pressure from both center backs and defensive midfielders. Throughout the week, it’s evident Coach Bell and the team had deliberately prepared to generate attacks through many of the other talents on the field, which included attacking with both full backs down the flanks.

While Bright may have struggled to make an impact early on, she provided an assist for Gracie Brian who scored her first goal of the season. It only took a few minutes for Brian to double her tally and extend the lead to 2-0. This time it was assisted by midfielder Michelle Slater who put out a great performance after last week’s masterclass against Minnesota. Coach Bell praised Slater’s game and said, “She makes passes, she wins balls, she’s physical, she protects the ball.” He further explained that although the work Slater puts in off the ball doesn’t necessarily show up on the stat sheet, they make a massive difference within the game.

Following halftime, Messiah Bright netted her first goal of the season. The USWNT U23 call-up glided past the Bronco defenders, finding a window of space and curling a shot past a diving keeper. While her first goal of the season was inevitable, it had previously been a slow start to the season for the Dallas, Texas native. She’s often been found double-teamed by opponents attempting to negate anything that comes her way, but on Thursday she found the net to make it 3-0. The immense pressure from opposing defenses upon Bright doesn’t go unnoticed–Coach Bell explained, “That’s the good thing about our group; we’ve got talent all over the place… so we have other players to step up and pick up the slack.”

Just three minutes later, a lazy pass by Santa Clara’s Annie Karich allowed for Oli Peña to drive with the ball and find Camryn Lancaster who extended the lead to 4-0. To rub salt into the wound, goals from Tyler Isgrig, Remini Tillotson, and Kennedy Clountz made it an astounding 7-0 victory. Isgrig found the net for the second time this season with an inswinging free kick that found its way off the post and into the back of the net. Following the contest, Coach Bell talked about how while still a freshman, Isgrig has a “nose for the goal.” In just three collegiate games she has already shown such great confidence and poise in taking on defenders one-on-one and working down the wings to provide crosses.

Regarding the final three goals, all scored by freshmen, lends itself to the foundation of young talent that there is in this team. Not only are there veteran players helping the team, but there is an abundance of younger, upcoming talent that has established itself early on in this 2022 campaign.

After a somewhat disappointing draw to open up the season, Coach Bell, along with his staff and players, have answered back in an emphatic manner, winning back-to-back matches and outscoring their opponents nine to one. They will take this momentum to Edinburg when they take on UT Rio Grande Valley on Sunday, looking to extend their unbeaten streak to 18 matches.

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