No. 24 BYU women’s soccer team lost against TCU (2-1) in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Nov. 9.
The Cougars traveled to Fort Worth, Texas, on Nov. 9 to go head-to-head with the Horned Frogs on their turf.
In the first half, the Cougars controlled possession of the ball. The team’s offense was strong and took three shots on TCU’s goal within the first 10 minutes.
In the 25th minute, Mikayla Colohan set up Elise Flake for a goal. From outside the 18-yard box, Flake took a left-footed shot. The ball hit the left post and crossed over the goal line. This would be the Cougars’ only goal of the night.
By half, the score was (1-0). BYU had outshot TCU 9-3, led by senior Maddie Gates with three shots on goal.
Coming into the second half, TCU stepped up their game and became more physical and attacked the Cougars goal.
Within five minutes of each other, the Horned Frogs scored two goals on the Cougars in both the 56th and 61st minutes, gaining the 2-1 lead over BYU.
According to coach Jennifer Rockwood, the Cougars played one of their best first halves of the season but was shocked with what the second half brought.
“We set the tone, dictated the tempo and owned the width,” Rockwood said. “The second half I’m not sure what happened. TCU came out stronger and a lot more physical. Soccer is crazy and in less than a five-minute span we gave up two goals, and that will get you every time.”
The BYU defense stepped up and kept TCU from scoring any goals for the rest of the match.
With hopes to tie the game, forward Olivia Wade took a shot on goal in the 67th minute. Wade fired off a right footed shot but it ricocheted off the diving keeper’s hands, keeping the score at 2-1.
The Cougars offense became more aggressive and, by the close of the game, had 16 shots on goal while the Horned Frogs only had eight. Sabrina Davis had three saves in goal for BYU.
After a hard fought game, the final score was 2-1 for TCU. The Horned Frogs take a 13-5-2 record and will go on to the next round of the NCAA tournament.
The Cougars end their season as the West Coast Conference Champions with a 13-5-1 overall record.
