Aug. 30, 2007
FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU soccer program will open its regular season slate this Friday against Texas at Mike A. Meyers Stadium. Start time is set for 7 p.m. The Horned Frogs will return home on Sept. 2 to face off against Utah State. The match against the Aggies is set for 1 p.m. at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium and will mark camper day at the stadium.
Texas comes into the contest ranked No. 9 in the NSCAA/addidas poll, while Utah State will play Texas State on Friday before traveling to Fort Worth to take on the Horned Frogs.
Scouting Texas
Texas faced New Mexico to close out its exhibition campaign, tying the Lobos 0-0 in regulation on Friday, Aug. 24. UT was picked to finish second in the 2007 Big 12 Conference Preseason Coaches Poll and recorded four preseason All-Conference selections.
The Longhorns are ranked in the top 10 in four national coaches polls entering the TCU match. Texas is rated seventh in the 2007 SoccerTimes.com Preseason Poll, and ranked No. 8 in the first weekly poll from Soccer America magazine. UT is tied for ninth with Stanford in the 2007 Preseason National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Coaches Poll. In the 2007 Preseason SoccerBuzz Coaches Poll, UT stands at No. 9.
Scouting Utah State
The Aggies have 22 returning letterwinners and nine starters from last season's squad that went 10-8-2 on the year, including 5-0-2 in WAC play. Utah State was tabbed third in the preseason WAC Coaches' Poll, as the Aggies garnered two first place votes.
USU is led by sophomore defender Lindsey Smart, who was tabbed the WAC Preseason co-Defensive Player of the Year after being named the 2006 WAC Freshman of the Year.
Last Time Out
TCU closed out its exhibition slate last Saturday night with a 0-0 tie against No. 23 Oklahoma State at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium. The match against the Cowgirls was played in front of 1,238 spectators.
The Horned Frogs and Cowgirls went scoreless in the first half. For the period, TCU posted four shots, including two by freshman Jenna Hayes. Fellow freshman Jackie Torda, a Colleyville native, almost put TCU on the board early in the half, but saw her shot sail wide.
Following halftime,
Lauren Pope, a senior from Plano, looked to break the tie, but watched as her shot was saved by Cowgirl goalkeeper Erin Stigler. Senior
Angie Nickens followed with a shot of her own, but got it blocked by a OSU defender.
For the match, Hayes led the Horned Frogs with three shots, while both Michelle Nguyen and Torda chipped in with two apiece.
On defense, Kelsey Vross and Kadye Bowman split time in goal and had a solid night against the Cowgirls. Vross, who started the contest, posted four saves on the night, while Bowman came in midway through the second half and stopped three balls.
The Series
This Friday's match against Texas will mark the fifth meeting between to the Texas schools. Texas leads the series 5-4-0 and last posted a 3-2 victory over TCU on Sept. 31, 2000 in Austin.
The Horned Frogs lead the overall series against Utah State, 1-0-0. TCU defeated USU, 4-2, in 1996.
Follow The Horned Frogs
Fans not able to attend this weekend's home match against Utah State can follow the game live by logging onto www.gofrogs.com. There you can find links to gametracker or listen to the match live via webstreaming. All regular season home contests will be broadcast live via webstreaming on gofrogs.com.
Against Texas, fans can go to the following link to view the contest: http://live.texassports.com/soccer/game/.
Upcoming Promotions
Fans will be able to attend this Sunday's soccer match against Utah State for free with a valid ticket stub from the season opening football contest against Baylor.
Also on Sunday, the first 200 fans in attendance will receive a TCU soccer schedule shirt. The Utah State match will also mark camper day at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium. All campers are encouraged to wear their camp shirt.
Game Time Change
TCU's Oct. 3 contest against Prairie View A&M has been moved to 11:30 a.m. at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium.
The match against the Panthers will mark Fort Worth Independent School District day. Free admission will be given out to all participating schools.
A Good Start
TCU under third-year head coach Dan Abdalla is 2-0-0 in opening games. The Horned Frogs are also 1-0-0 when facing Texas schools on opening day. TCU upended Texas Tech, 4-0, in 2005.
Last fall, the Horned Frogs downed San Diego State, 1-0.
Freshmen Making Most
Against nationally ranked Oklahoma State, TCU had six true freshmen see action, including five that started. Freshman Jenna Hayes led the offensive attack with three shots, while fellow underclassman Jackie Torda posted two.
No Goals Allowed
Overall, three different goalkeepers combined to not allow a goal in preseason action for the Horned Frogs. Sophomore Kelsey Vross led the way for TCU with four saves, while redshirt freshman Kadye Bowman posted three. True freshman Kelsey Walters posted a first half shutout against Stephen F. Austin.
Next Opponent
TCU will travel to Houston on Sept. 7 to face Rice. Start time is set for 7 p.m.
