TCU Women’s Soccer: Horned Frogs Dominated By Duke In Loss

Another poor performance sees TCU drop points yet again

Nathan Cross

The Horned Frogs faced off against Duke for just the second time in history on Sunday. Their previous meeting in 2000 saw the Blue Devils victorious in a 6-0 rout of TCU, and the trend continued at Garvey-Rosenthal Stadium as the Horned Frogs posted their second-consecutive loss. Coming off an abysmal performance against the University of Southern California earlier in the week, Head Coach Eric Bell and Assistant Coach Ryan Higginbotham had their work cut out for them in preparation for Duke. It was not enough, though, as second-ranked Duke dominated the Horned Frogs to a 3-1 victory.

Duke came out of the gates and imposed themselves through their possession-based style of play. Extremely confident on the ball, the Blue Devils were patient and comfortable working on either flank and through the middle to unearth the perfect opportunity to pounce upon. For this approach to be deemed successful, movement off the ball, particularly from midfielder Sophie Jones, was essential. The senior from Menlo Park, California was constantly moving off the ball to create space not only for her to shine, but her teammates as well. Her tendency to roam all over the field, working from box to box, creating all sorts of problems for the Horned Frogs defense.

While Jones played a significant role in transition from defense to attack, forward Michelle Cooper continued to impress in her young college career. While only a sophomore, Cooper has tallied her name among a multitude of honors including the 2021 All-ACC First-Team and Freshman Team, and her 12 goals and five assists last season named Cooper the 2021 ACC Freshman of the Year. Most recently, Cooper was called up to the U-20 USWNT.

Cooper finished with a brace on Sunday and saw her goal tally increase to five on the season. Dribbling with the ball from midfield, her first goal came in the 10th minute when a diagonal run by Mackenzie Pluck dragged the TCU defender astray, leaving a gap for Cooper to exploit. It was a poor goal to concede as it came down to insufficient organization among the TCU back line. Credit to Cooper for using her speed and physicality to glide past the Horned Frog defenders and to calmly put it past the outrunning goalkeeper, Lauren Kellett.

Seven Castain (7) fends on Duke's Nicky Chico (17) at the edge of the penalty box / Nathan Cross

The Horned Frogs kept the Blue Devils at bay and entered the half only down one goal, but in the 53rd minute Cooper struck again to secure her brace and extend Duke’s lead to two goals. A short, untidy back pass to the goalkeeper allowed Cooper to get a crucial touch on the ball and score on an open net. Matters only got worse for TCU as a lack of communication between Kellett and her backline paved the way to conceding another disastrous goal, this time scored by Kat Rader, her third of the season.

Remaining compact on the defensive front, Duke minimized a lethal Horned Frogs attack that has scored 15 goals this season. The Blue Devil midfield pressured TCU from behind while the back line would close down the space and bring any sort of attacking opportunity to a halt. While the Horned Frogs were unfortunate to get any sort of momentum on the attack, it is important to understand the effect that missing Gracie Brian has on the team’s abilities to threaten in the final third. After sustaining an injury against UT Rio Grande Valley, Brian has missed both games since, in which TCU has scored only one goal and conceded six. Playing a massive role in the transition game from defense to attack, Brian’s absence in the midfield has clearly had an effect on the recent performances.

The Horned Frogs pulled a goal back in the 68th minute with a strike from Lauren Memoly. She found a way to squeeze the ball through a congested penalty area from the ensuing corner to get it past a diving Ruthie Jones. Memoly’s second goal of the season pulled TCU within two goals of Duke, but it was not enough to inspire a comeback.

The Horned Frogs have now lost two-consecutive games, conceding six goals in that span. Their season doesn’t get any easier as they will travel to College Station to take on Texas A&M on Thursday.

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