Sept. 20, 2007
FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU soccer program returns to the road this week with matches against SMU and nationally ranked Missouri. Start time for the contest against the Mustangs is set for 7 p.m. at Westcott Field in Dallas, while the match against the Tigers will begin at 1 p.m. at Walton Stadium.
Last week, SMU (2-1-1) suffered its first loss of the season to Arizona State, 4-1. The Mustangs were outshot by the Sun Devils, 11-3. Following its match against ASU, SMU battled Texas Tech to a 0-0 tie in front of 643 people in Dallas.
Missouri (4-2-0) comes into this weekend having dropped both of its matches last weekend at the Stanford Invitational. The Tigers, who are currently receiving votes in the NSCAA/adidas Poll, fell 3-2 to No.1 ranked Stanford to open tournament action and then came back and dropped a 2-1 contest to No. 2 Santa Clara.
Scouting TCU (3-3-0)
TCU (3-3-0) dropped a 2-0 match to Arizona State in Fort Worth last Sunday afternoon and will look to get back on track this weekend. The Horned Frogs went 2-1-0 at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium last week. TCU opened the week defeating UT-San Antonio and followed with a 2-1 victory over Big 12 opponent Texas Tech. The Sun Devils ended the Horned Frogs home unbeaten streak at five games.
Scouting SMU (2-1-1)
SMU opened its season dropping UTSA, 2-1, in Dallas. The Mustangs then upended Kansas, 2-0, on Sept. 9 in Lawrence, Kan.
SMU is coming off its sixth consecutive NCAA appearance and a 17-5-1 overall record last season. The Mustangs, who earned the 2006 Conference USA regular season championship, were picked to win the conference again this fall.
Goalkeeper Ashley Gunter returns for SMU after a sophomore campaign in which she garnered second-team All-America honors.
Scouting Missouri (4-2-0)
Missouri comes into its Friday match with No. 19 California having played three consecutive ranked opponents. The Tigers, who opened the year winning four consecutive contests, will begin Big 12 play on Sept. 28 against Texas A&M.
This season, the Tigers have outscored their opponent, 11-3, in the second half of their first six games. They are currently ranked as high as No. 20 by SoccerTimes.com.
Last Time Out (Torda's late goal lifts TCU past UTSA)
Jackie Torda netted a goal in the 85th minute off an assist from Lizzy Karoly to give TCU a 1-0 victory over UT-San Antonio last Tuesday night at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium.
The Horned Frogs came out of the gates with a strong offensive performance that produced 10 of the first 12 shots through the first 25 minutes of the match. Overall, TCU outshot UTSA in the first half, 16-3, tallying eight shots on goal.
Overall, TCU improved to 2-2-0 on the year, while UTSA dropped to 1-3-1. On the night, Torda netted her second goal of the year in front of 886 people at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium. The shutout in the second period marked the third consecutive game that TCU has shut out its opponent for the half.
Last Time Out (1,558 watch TCU drop Texas Tech, 2-1)
TCU tallied two goals last Friday night, including one by sophomore Michelle Nguyen on a free kick to down Texas Tech, 2-1, in front of 1,558 spectators at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium.
Winners of two-straight and three of its last four, TCU pressured the Red Raiders all night long with a solid offense and key defensive stops late in the contest.
Jackie Torda, a freshman from Colleyville, put TCU on the board first off an assist from Chelsea Cody. Torda, who netted her third goal of the young season, got behind the Red Raider defense and beat Texas Tech goalkeeper Tina Rincon in the 31st minute.
On the night, Texas Tech outshot TCU, 19-15. Walters had another solid night in goal, stopping 11 shots overall. Nguyen led the Horned Frog offensive attack with six shots, including three on goal. Torda followed with four shots on goal.
Overall, TCU improved to 3-2-0 on the year and brought its home record to 3-0-0. Texas Tech dropped to 2-3-0 with the loss.
With the win, TCU's Walters has now won two-straight at home, while the shutout in the first half marked the fourth consecutive game TCU's defense has shut out an opponent for a half.
Last Time Out (TCU falls to ASU, 2-0)
Goalkeeper Kelsey Walters stopped five shots this past Sunday, including four in the first half, but it wasn't enough as Arizona State snapped TCU's three-match win streak at home with a 2-0 victory at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium.
Overall, TCU posted seven shots in the match, including four in the second half. The Horned Frogs were led on offense by Hayes and Nickens. The tandem recorded two shots apiece.
The Series
Friday's match against SMU will mark the 27th meeting between the two Texas schools. SMU leads the series 24-0-2.
Missouri and TCU have never met before on the soccer field.
Follow The Horned Frogs
Fans not able to attend this weekends matches against SMU and Missouri can follow the action by logging onto www.gofrogs.com. There you can find a link to gametracker.
Against SMU, fans will be able to listen to the match by clicking on the live audio link located on the schedule page.
All regular season home contests will be broadcast live via webstreaming on gofrogs.com.
Upcoming Promotions
TCU's Sept. 28 soccer match against Colorado College will mark TCU Greek Night at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium.
On Oct. 3, FWISD elementary school's will be given free admission to the Horned Frogs match against Prairie View A&M.
Torda Named Athlete of the Week
Jackie Torda, a freshman from Colleyville, collected her first honor as a Horned Frog this past week by being named TCU Female Athlete of the Week.
Last week, Torda netted two goals, including the game-winner against UT-San Antonio.
Overall, the Colleyville native leads TCU with three goals on the year and a .706 SOG percentage after six games.
A Real Crowd Pleaser
On Sept. 14, 1,558 people watched TCU upend Texas Tech, 2-1. The 1,558 in attendance marked the largest crowd to attend a TCU soccer game at Garvey-Rosenthal since 2,053 witnessed TCU take on Notre Dame last fall.
Three's the Key
Against Arizona State, three different Horned Frogs saw their first collegiate action.
Horned Frog freshmen Katie Howard, Julia Slater and Nikki Wilbur all gained valuable experience against the Pac-10 school and could see more action in this weekend's matches.
Overall, eight different freshmen have now seen action this fall.
Next Opponent
TCU will come back home to face Colorado College on Sept. 28. The match is set for 7 p.m. at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium.
