Soccer Set For Final Home Match On Friday
10/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Oct. 23, 2008
FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU women's soccer program will close out its home season this Friday against Mountain West Conference foe UNLV at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium.
Start time for the match is set for 7 p.m. in Fort Worth and will mark the final home match for seniors Courtney Johnson, Caroline Starns and Sara Schneider.
Following its match tomorrow, TCU will travel to Lubbock for a contest against Texas Tech on Sunday. The Horned Frogs and Red Raiders will begin play at 1 p.m. at the John Walker Soccer Complex.
Scouting TCU
TCU is off to its best record in 20 years with a 11-3-1 mark, including a 7-2-1 record at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium. The Horned Frogs enter tomorrow's showdown having netted 38 goals on the season, while holding opponents off the scoreboard seven times.
Against Utah last Saturday, TCU netted two second half goals to upend the Utes 2-0 at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium. For the match, Jordan Calhoun scored her 13th goal of the season and posted three shots, while Katie Taylor and Jackie Torda each chipped in with two shots apiece to lead TCU on offense. Calhoun, who only needs two more goals to become the all-time single-season leader in goals scored, has now posted goals in three of TCU's five conference matches.
TCU is currently ranked No. 9 in the Central Region by the NSCAA/Adidas regional rankings and No. 7 by Soccer Buzz Magazine. The Purple and White have recorded the fewest losses of any Mountain West Conference squad heading into tomorrow's match, while also posting the most goals of any conference team.
Scouting UNLV
The Rebels come into tomorrow's match having recorded a 11-5-1 record, including a 3-2-0 conference record. Overall, UNLV regained its touch on offense last weekend as it scored a combined seven goals in wins over Wyoming and Air Force.
Sophomore forward Ashleigh Shoughro, a transfer from San Diego, leads the Rebels and is second in the Mountain West Conference with 27 points on 11 goals and five assists. Junior midfielder Brianna Moore is next with 16 points, while forward Niki Connolly has 10 points. Junior Alicia Lugo continues to shine in goal as she is first in the conference with 4.38 saves per games, while also recording six shutouts.
For the second time in the last three weeks, Shoughro was named the Mountain West Conference Women's Soccer Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. Against Wyoming last Friday, she scored the first goal of the game in the 18th minute on a shot from seven yards out to give UNLV a 1-0 lead in the match. On Sunday, Shoughro netted the game-winner against Air Force, sending a shot to the top right corner in the 9th minute.
Scouting Texas Tech
Texas Tech has posted an 8-7-1 record heading into this weekend's contest. The Red Raiders, who are 5-3-0 at home this fall, have netted a total of 32 goals during the 2008 season.
In its last outing, Texas Tech suffered a 3-0 loss to Nebraska. In the match, Brittney Harrison led the Red Raider offense with four shot attempts, while goalkeeper Tina Rincon collected two saves between the posts. Despite the loss, the Red Raiders remain in 8th-place in the Big 12 Conference standings with nine points, five more than Baylor and Oklahoma.
Texas Tech is led on offense by Harrison who has posted seven goals on the year, while Katie Hinds has found the back of the net six times. The Red Raiders will close Big 12 play tomorrow at home against No. 6 Texas A&M.
All-Time Series
The Horned Frogs are 0-4-0 all-time against UNLV. In 2007, TCU connected on 17 shots, but dropped a 1-0 overtime match to UNLV at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium.
TCU, who has won seven of its last eight matches against the Red Raiders, have recorded an all-time mark of 10-3-2 against Texas Tech. Last fall, the Horned Frogs downed Texas Tech, 2-1, in front of 1,558 spectators in Fort Worth.
Follow The Horned Frogs
Fans not able to attend tomorrow's final home match against UNLV can follow the game live by logging onto www.gofrogs.com. There you can find links to gametracker and watch the match live via web streaming.
The Final Stand
For Courtney Johnson, Caroline Starns and Sara Schneider, Friday's match against UNLV will mark the final time they will compete at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium. The three seniors, who have played in a total of 160 matches, have been part of a total of 31 victories during their time in Fort Worth.
In The Polls
The TCU women's soccer team currently sits at No. 9 in the Central Region by the NSCAA and No. 7 by Soccer Buzz.
The Purple and White were previously ranked in both Soccer Buzz and by the NSCAA this fall. TCU currently sits at No. 59 in the official RPI rankings for the 2008 season.
TCU Promotions
Tomorrow's match against UNLV will mark Faculty/Staff Appreciation Night at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium. All faculty or staff will receive a free t-shirt and be admitted for free into the match with their TCU ID.
Conference Coming Down The Backstretch
BYU leads the Mountain West Conference race with a 5-0-0 record in league-play, while TCU, UNLV and Utah are all close behind with 3-2-0 league records. TCU, who upended Utah last weekend, will have to beat both UNLV and San Diego State to receive the automatic bye into the conference semifinals in Las Vegas.
Rewriting The Record Books
As a team, TCU currently sits at No. 1 in single-season records in assists with 36 on the year. The Frogs entering tomorrow's match are currently at No. 2 all-time in shutouts during a single-season, while also posting the fourth-best goal total in a single-season. The Horned Frogs have also posted the second-best point total entering this weekend.
Individually, Jordan Calhoun needs only two more goals to become the all-time leader in goals scored in a single season, while senior midfielder Caroline Starns currently sits at No. 2 in assists for a single season with seven on the year. On defense, sophomore Kelsey Walters needs only three more shutouts to move into first all-time in shutouts for an individual season.
TCU Building On Momentum
The Horned Frogs, who moved to 11-3-1 on the year and 3-2-0 in conference action last weekend, have now recorded the most victories in a single-season under Abdalla and the most in school history in 20 years. Overall, TCU needs only one more victory this season to post the best record in program history.
Fans Coming Out To Support
During the fall, TCU has posted three of the top-5 single-game attendance figures in school history.
Last weekend alone, the Horned Frogs had almost 3,400 people pack Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium to watch TCU take on BYU and Utah. Against Texas on Sept. 19, 2,161 watched as the Horned Frogs dropped a double overtime match to the Longhorns.
Horned Frogs Continue NCAA Domination
TCU's success has been noticeable while viewing the NCAA statistics this fall. Overall, the Horned Frogs have placed one student-athlete in the top-30 of the NCAA in two different categories. Freshman sensation Jordan Calhoun ranks No. 23 in points per game and No. 11 overall in goals per contest.
As a team, TCU sits in the top-30 in four different categories. The Horned Frogs have posted the 18th-best scoring offense in the nation, while ranking No. 22 overall in goals-against-average. Finally, the Frogs are 30th overall in winning percentage this fall and 21st overall in save percentage.
Mountain West Conference Statistics Update
The Horned Frogs lead the conference in eight different categories after 15 matches.
Overall, TCU obtains the top-spot in shots, points, goals, goals per game, assists, assists per game, goals allowed and goals-against-average. On offense, either Lizzy Karoly or Jordan Calhoun rank first or second overall in six different areas, while goalkeeper Kelsey Walters sits atop the conference in save percentage.
Up Next
TCU will close out its regular season at San Diego State on Nov. 5. Start time for the match is set for 3 p.m. PT.
