Gonzaga Women's Soccer Cannot Contain Castain in Fourth Straight Loss to No. 14 TCU
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Olivia Lester dribbles the ball up the field for Gonzaga. Credit: Olivia Lester/Instagram [/caption]
Even though they went into a matchup against TCU (6-1) on a three-game slide, expectations still had to be tempered for Gonzaga Bulldogs women’s soccer (2-5) as the Horned Frogs began play as the No. 14-ranked team in the country. But the Zags battled, resisting the heavy pressure TCU maintained throughout and kept the game close – even tied as late as 10 minutes remaining in the contest.
Both Horned Frog goals were scored by one of the best players in its program history, Seven Castain. She moved to third all-time with her 26th and 27th goals in a TCU jersey, providing all the offense to edge out the Bulldogs. In general, the Horned Frogs pride themselves on controlling the ball and limiting the opportunities of their opponent – ranking in the first percentile in the country in time of possession and passes made – and they executed their philosophy to a tee against GU on Friday night.
TCU took 20 shots during the match, with half of them being on frame, while Gonzaga mustered just eight in total. The Horned Frogs also took 10 corner shots, while the Zags only managed one in the category, an alarming stat considering how much the team depends on opportunities from the corner in its offensive operation.
Interestingly enough, GU capitalized on its lone corner chance, as junior Olivia Lester notched her first career score to knot things up at one. She headed the kick in the net off a perfect serve from Amelia Severn in the 77th minute, just catching it with the front of her head. The ball might’ve caught some of Lester’s body as well, as she walked into the net with the ball as she celebrated her first goal at the collegiate level.
The Horned Frogs got on the board first in the 26th minute. The team’s 6-0 forward Grace Vest danced around Emily Todd on the left side of the box. As she crept closer to the goal, Castain cut through the middle of the defense, and Vest geared a pass in her direction. The ball bounced off Taylor Gentry, slowing down and essentially getting placed on a tee for Castain, who fired it past the legs of keeper Michaela McCollum just inside the near post, with McCollum ending the sequence in a split.
Overall, McCollum had a solid bounce-back game in goal for the Zags after getting pulled from the net after halftime in the team’s last match against Utah Valley. She recorded seven saves in her 90 minutes of work, including a couple of diving plays where she left her feet to make clean catches on shots or just get a piece of the ball.
Three minutes after Lester’s equalizer, TCU and more specifically, Castain, responded. In the center of the pitch, she dropped the ball off to AJ Hennessey, who pushed it to Cameron Patton on the right side of the box. With Avery O’Donnell closing in to seal her off, Patton chipped a ball that curved to Castain, who floated near the left side of the net. As the ball flew through the air, McCollum shifted her feet to follow it. But it was a pristine pass to Castain, and she positioned herself perfectly for a header of her own that she knocked squarely into the right corner of the frame that McCollum vacated.
Although the Bulldogs didn’t have the ball much during the match, they got more shots off than they have in recent games. Samantha Snorsky led the team by taking three shots, with two being on goal. The Zags’ two best scorers, Severn and Katelyn Rigg, also got off a shot apiece after being limited offensively during the team’s losing streak. Keeper Kira Ybarra tallied two saves for TCU in the game. No other Horned Frog had more than one shot on target outside of Castain, who took five of that variety.
TCU is by far GU’s toughest opponent to date, and likely the most difficult foe they’ll face all season. Outside of their ability to control tempo, the Horned Frogs presented a poised attack in the attacking third. Their players knew where to be relative to where the ball was, and the shots on goal were more coordinated than anything the Zags have seen to this point. With their backs against the wall for much of the match, Gonzaga’s backline performed admirably given the circumstances, assisting McCollum with bodies in the box and near the goal, blocking several shots, and denying TCU from converting on their numerous chances. They also battled adversity physically during the game, as both McCollum and Gentry went down momentarily with cramps late in the match, getting massage treatment from their teammates after both instances.
The Bulldogs will venture to play Montana on Thurs, September 18, at 3 PM PT, the team’s final game before conference play begins. Now on a four-game skid, even with the positive signs shown against TCU, the Zags look to gain momentum in terms of getting in the win column before they play their first WCC opponent of the season.
