‘Every game is like the Super Bowl.’ TCU soccer embraces Big 12 title as ultimate goal
The TCU women’s soccer team is one of just 20 programs in the country that has played in the last four NCAA tournaments. But the Horned Frogs won’t be chasing No. 5 in 2020.
Instead, the NCAA has canceled its fall championships, leaving the Big 12 championship as the ultimate prize this season. For TCU, that’s a lofty enough goal considering the program has never won a conference championship in its history.
“That is the big carrot, right? We haven’t won one as of yet since I’ve been here,” said coach Eric Bell, who is entering his ninth season. “That’s definitely the goal. Our kids are champing at the bit to see if we can win it. I think we have a really strong shot at winning it.”
Bell described every game as being “like the Super Bowl” in a shortened season amid the coronavirus pandemic. TCU will play nine conference-only games in the regular season without a Big 12 postseason tournament scheduled.
TCU will begin its pursuit of a regular-season championship at Baylor on Friday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
TCU’s home opener is scheduled for Sept. 18 with the Texas Longhorns visiting town. TCU will not sell tickets for home games at Garvey Rosenthal Soccer Stadium with attendance limited to current students and individuals on a player/ guest pass list.
The Horned Frogs have high hopes for this season. They had two players — senior midfielder Yazmeen Ryan and junior forward Messiah Bright — named to the preseason All-Big 12 team.
Bell believes Ryan is one of the best players in the conference, saying: “She’s a handful for anybody whether defensive or attacking. She’s a game-changer.”
Ryan had a career year in 2019, registering 23 points including a career-high seven goals and a school-record tying nine assists.
Bright, meanwhile, is coming of a 30-point season (12 goals, six assists). It marked just the third time a Horned Frog posted a 30-point season.
“Messiah Bright is a fantastic athlete and she’s starting to become a lot better soccer player as well,” Bell said. “She’s having a terrific preseason and looking forward to her showcasing her talents.”
Bell also mentioned senior goalkeeper Emily Alvarado as one of the leaders and a player to watch this season. Alvarado had seven shutouts in 2019.
“She’s one of the best goalkeepers in the country,” Bell said. “She’s a senior and she’s blossomed into a leader on and off the field. The players are taking her words to heart.”
TCU was picked to finish third in the Big 12 behind Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. But the Horned Frogs feel they’ll be in the mix for a conference crown with experienced players such as Ryan, Bright and Alvarado and only one or two freshmen in the starting lineup.
As with any team these days, the key will be staying healthy and avoiding a coronavirus outbreak within the program. Bell mentioned different COVID-19 measures being taken on road trips such as spacing out on the team bus and avoiding group meals.
But the game-day mindset remains the same.
“Every game is important in college soccer. This is no different,” he said. “Obviously the stakes are a little bit higher because these are the only nine games that we have. We don’t have the ability to play a 20-game season, so every game is a huge game. It’s going to be like the Super Bowl, so you’re trying to win the game to get three points on the board to try to win the league.”
