No. 3 TCU defeats No. 4 West Virginia to claim Big 12 Conference title

FORT WORTH  – Grace Collins’ goal in the 51^st minute stood up as the game-winner as No. 3 TCU defeated No. 4 West Virginia 1-0 to take home the program’s first-ever Big 12 Conference championship.

Emily Alvarado recorded three saves to tally her seventh shutout of the season.

No matter what angle, it's a beauty from Grace!!! #GoFrogs pic.twitter.com/1GCWQUGtbz

— TCU Soccer (@TCUSoccer) November 7, 2020

The Rundown 
West Virginia had the better of the chances in the first half, outshooting the Horned Frogs 5-3. Emily Alvarado came up with three huge saves in the half to keep it scoreless.

Her best save of the night came in the 21^st minute when she made a diving stop on a Mackenzie Aunkst shot through traffic from the top of the 18.

The Frogs came on late in the first half, forcing the Mountaineer keeper into a pair of saves. They carried the momentum into the second half where they dominated the play early.

TCU was finally rewarded in the 51^st minute. Gracie Brian worked the ball to Grace Collins. She worked her way into the 18 and fought past her defender to fire home a shot into the far upper corner of the goal for the 1-0 lead.

West Virginia ended up with seven shots in the half, but none on frame as the Frogs made Collins’ goal stand up for the victory.

Stat of the Game
3 – Grace Collins has scored the last three goals for the Horned Frogs. All three have stood up as game-winners.

Quotes of the Game
Head Coach Eric Bell 
On the atmosphere:
“It was awesome. We had people that couldn’t get in and they were behind the goal outside the fence. That’s what college sports are all about – the homefield advantage. I think our group took advantage of it.”

On winning the Big 12 title:
“It’s a big step for our program. I’m really proud of our group. It’s been a long time coming. We’ve made it to some Big 12 Tournament finals and weren’t quite able to win the games. To be able to do it against West Virginia, who has been the perennial power in the league, I don’t think I would have had it any other way. To beat a group that is very talented and come away with a championship is awesome.”

Notes
• TCU improved to 3-0 against Top-10 opponents this season.
• TCU completed its first-ever undefeated run through a conference schedule.
• TCU was held to its lowest shot total of the season (4).
• TCU tallied its seventh shutout of the season.
• Grace Collins scored her fifth goal of the season and the eighth of her career.
• Collins’ game-winning goal was the third of her career.
• Emily Alvarado picked up her seventh shutout of the season and the 20^th of her career.
• Chaylyn Hubbard, Tijana Duricek, Michelle Slater, Payton Crews, Brandi Peterson, Olivia Hasler and Gracie Brian played the entirety of the match.

Up Next
TCU completed an undefeated run through the Big 12 and finishes the fall season with an 8-0-1 record.