by Fort Worth, TX – In the first-ever meeting of two conference powers, the TCU women’s soccer team was able to overcome an early deficit and secure a 3-2 victory over the No. 17 Georgia Bulldogs on Thursday night at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium.
The Rundown
A match containing no shortage of dramatics got off to a quick start when Cam Patton took the first shot on goal for the TCU Horned Frogs in the second minute. Followed by what would seemingly be the first goal of the game after Kamdyn Fuller successfully recovered Patton’s shot off of the right post and put it into the back of the net. However, Georgia’s head coach Keidane McAlpine took advantage of the newly implemented video review challenge rules, and the goal was disallowed due to an offside Frog on the original cross to Patton.
The Bulldogs would go on to strike first in the seventh minute when a through pass by Kiera Staude assisted Mya Townes to get passed the Frogs’ keeper and easily put it into the back of the net. Just over three minutes later, the Frogs would regain the momentum with a bend it like Beckham’esque shot from Eres Freifeld, clearing the goalie and putting the ball into the top corner from the far side of the 18-yard box. The match would remain at a deadlock until after the first hydration break. That is when a set piece by TCU to resume the match had Bella Diorio cross the ball over the defensive line and into the box where Grace Coppinger finished it off with a header. The score would remain 2-1 as the teams headed into the locker room.
The Frogs would hold onto the momentum that they took into the locker room, increasing their advantage a little under halfway into the second half with Emma Yolinsky’s third goal of the season. The match would then hit a lull with both teams fighting for possession over the course of 25 minutes before Georgia made a late push, pulling within one on an Emma Pettersen goal in the eighty-eighth minute. Despite the late effort it was not enough for the Bulldogs to come away from the match with any points.
Kee-On Players of the Game: Bella Diorio and Grace Coppinger
The two Kee-On Sports Players of the Game — Diorio and Coppinger — stood out for their impacts on both offense and defense. Diorio assisted on two of the three Horned Frog goals while Coppinger played all 90 minutes in her first appearance of the year after being newly reinstated Thursday morning by the NCAA after an appeal that granted her another year of eligibility. Coppinger also scored her first goal for the Frogs since the 2023 campaign.
What’s Next
Both teams hit the road as TCU makes the trip down to College Station to take on their third straight SEC opponent in a Thursday matchup against Texas A&M scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff. As for the Bulldogs, they will head back to Georgia and make the two-hour trip south to take on Mercer on Sunday evening at 6 p.m.
