Texas Tech Edged Out At TCU, 1-0

Sunday, October 23

Fort Worth, Texas

3:00 P.M.

Texas Tech Athletics

8-7-2, 1-6-0

TCU

9-5-2, 1-5-1

Texas Tech

TCU

October 23, 2016 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

The Red Raiders drop a 1-0 contest on the road to the Horned Frogs on Sunday afternoon.

FORT WORTH, Texas – The Texas Tech soccer team suffered a 1-0 defeat on the road at TCU on Sunday afternoon at Garvey-Rosenthal Stadium in Fort Worth.

The Horned Frogs (9-5-2, 1-5-1) picked up the lone goal in the 60^th minute of the contest to slip past the Red Raiders (8-7-2, 1-6-1). TCU recorded 17 shots, but only had four on frame, as senior goalkeeper Lauren Watson tallied three saves. Tech finished the day with 10 shots, with only one on goal.

"The game unfolded as we had planned through the first 50-55 minutes," head coach Tom Stone said. "We had to play a little more direct given the kids we had injured and the nature of this game. Then, as has happened too many times this year, we switched off on a set piece.

"The scorer was man-marked and she had a zonal player in her way – she beat both of them to the ball and scored from very close range. As hard as that was, we threw everything forward in the last 20 minutes and had two really good looks at the goal, but we could not convert. TCU deserves credit for battling defensively in the last 10 minutes to secure the win."

The first half opened with a first-minute opportunity for sophomore forward Gwennie Puente, who charged into the zone and fired a shot that was blocked by the Horned Frog defense. She and freshman forward Jade King would have the only Tech shots in the frame, combining for three, with one on goal.

From the 21^st to the 29^th minute, the period featured a heavy dose of TCU attack, as the Horned Frogs earned three corners and tallied four shots over the eight-minute stretch. Watson picked up two saves during that span, with the rest of the frame featuring mostly neutral zone action.

"I would have to say the play of Lauren Watson and Brooke Denesik has been inspiring in the second half of the season," Stone said. "Both have been great leaders and they have brought their very best, despite this rough patch, to keep us in games. Lauren is having a great senior year and it's clear why we made Brooke a captain as a sophomore. Her future is bright here."

Tech quickly jumped on the attack in the second half, as the Red Raiders earned a free kick from just outside the box within the first two minutes that resulted in a shot from junior defender Rebekah O'Brien going just above the net. The action quickly shifted to the other side of the field, with the Horned Frogs recording six shots and receiving three corners over the next 13 minutes of play.

That set was capped by a score from TCU's Brittany Little in the 60', after a corner kick taken by Michelle Prokof from the left side of the field found its way to the far post, where Little used a header to bury the goal.

Over the last 30 minutes of play, the Red Raiders notched six shots, with several blocked on the way toward the TCU net. The Horned Frogs put up 10 shots in the second half, while earning six corners for a total of 10 for the match.

"Well, we were rolling at 8-2-2 and 1-1 in the Big 12 when the scoring drought hit and we have not been able to break down the wall that's apparently in front of it," Stone said on the offensive struggles. "Losing Jordie Harr was obviously a huge blow to our team, but it can't come down to just one player, as others need to step forward when they get their chance. Now, we find ourselves in a tough spot needing three points to carry on into the postseason and it will come against a top-10 team in the RPI, so that's going to be quite a challenge for us to face on Friday."

The Red Raiders will wrap up the regular season on Friday, Oct. 28, back in front of the Lubbock faithful against Oklahoma, as they celebrate senior night at 7 p.m. at the John Walker Soccer Complex.