It was a microcosm not only of the season but of the past several years. Arizona had a match within its grasp only to turn the ball over in front of the goal while “building from the back.” The ball ended up in the back of the net for an opponent score. This time it meant a 1-1 draw between the Wildcats and the TCU Horned Frogs on Thursday evening at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium in Fort Worth, Tex.
The first half did not have a lot of offense. TCU had five shots but only one was on goal. Arizona
took just one shot in the first 45 minutes. That came in the 44th minute when Emmy Stoft put one on goal for the Wildcats.
The visitors from Tucson suddenly found their offense when they returned from the break. Mireya Stephenson passed the ball in front of the goal where Ella Weathersby was waiting. Arizona’s senior co-captain put it away to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead in the 48th minute.
It looked like Arizona would end the season on a high note. The Wildcats defended the one-goal lead for most of the half.
The Wildcats got lucky early in the 74th minute. A cross by TCU’s Cameron Patton led to shots by Madison Taylor and Emma Yolinsky. Ziller got her hand on one and the other went off the frame at 73:29 and 73:40.
Then, it happened. Something that has come back to bite the Wildcats more than once. A pass between the goalkeeper and a defender wasn’t crisp enough. Patton swooped in and picked it off. She dribbled to the edge of the box and sent a shot past goalkeeper Laurynn Ziller with the clock reading 73:49.
TCU pushed for the win. The Frogs took six shots over the final 16 minutes of the match. Arizona took just two and one was a desperation shot with two seconds left on the clock.
TCU ended with an 18-7 advantage in shots. The Horned Frogs put eight of those shots on goal compared to three for Arizona. The Wildcats also had a 6-0 deficit in corner kicks.
Arizona spent just nine percent of its possession time in the attacking third and 23 percent in its defensive third. TCU was in its attacking third for 17 percent of its possession time. It was in the defensive third just 10 percent of the time.
Arizona was picked to finish 12th in the 16-team league. It finished 10th, two spots below the cutoff for the Big 12 Soccer Tournament. The Wildcats conclude with a 5-8-6 overall record and 2-3-4 record in Big 12 play. They tied with Oklahoma State with 11 points, but the Cowgirls had a lower winning percentage with a 3-6-2 record.
TCU went to the national semifinals last season and was picked to win the Big 12 this year. Instead, the Horned Frogs end their season with a 5-9-3 overall record and a 2-7-2 Big 12 record. They end tied with Kansas State for 13th after KSU beat Utah 5-0 on Thursday.
