Jayhawks fall to TCU, 1-0, in double OT

FORT WORTH, Texas – Playing a woman down for over 40 minutes and seeing itself out-shot 22-6 proved to be too much for Kansas to overcome Friday evening as the Jayhawks were upended by the TCU Horned Frogs, 1-0, in double overtime. TCU sophomore Tara Smith netted the golden goal in the sixth minute of the second overtime period to hand KU its fourth-straight loss.
 
The defeat saw Kansas drop to 5-5-1 on the season as well as 0-1-0 in Big 12 play. TCU moved to 7-3-0 and 0-1-0 in the league with the victory.
 
“We just started the game slow again. We need to figure out a way to come out with more energy,” said associate head coach Kelly Miller following the match. “It wasn’t a team that I’m used to seeing over that first 45 minutes. I loved that team that played the last 45 minutes. They had the heart that we’re used to seeing. We just need to find a way to avoid those slow starts.”
 
The Jayhawks were forced to play on their heels for the majority of the opening half. TCU neutralized the Kansas attack by holding possession and getting toward the KU goal early and often. The home side ended the first 45 minutes outshooting Kansas by a tally of 11-3, which went along with five Horned Frog corner kicks.
 
The situation became more dire for the Crimson and Blue after senior Hannah Lukinac was sent off with a red card less than 20 minutes into the second half. A collision between Lukinac and a TCU player at midfield as both were going for a goal kick was deemed to be overly aggressive by the Jayhawk, leaving Kansas one player short for the remainder of the match.
 
From there, the KU backline bent but refused to break with TCU using their man-up advantage to continuously attack the Jayhawk 18-yard box. The Horned Frogs managed four shots over the final 17 minutes of regulation, but were unable to find the back of the KU net. Kansas held off the attack to force extra time, its second overtime match of the season.
 
Still down a player, TCU made it tough for the Jayhawks to form an attack in the extra time periods. KU’s best look came in the 102nd minute, when Grace Hagan sent in her team’s only shot on frame of the match. It was a strike from more than 20 yards out that the TCU keeper snagged in the heart of the goal.
 
Nearly four minutes later, the TCU offense finally broke through as Smith caught up to a loose ball atop the Jayhawk penalty box and sent in a strike that snuck inside the upper left corner of the KU frame. The goal, Smith’s second of the season, brought the match to an immediate end and gave Kansas a loss to start Big 12 play.
 
The home team ended the match outshooting Kansas by a tally of 22-6, which included six shots on goal to just one for the Jayhawks. Though KU goalkeeper Maddie Dobyns took the loss, she still managed to collect five saves and was forced to defend 11 TCU corner kicks.
 
The defeat brought KU’s current losing skid to four games, the Jayhawks’ longest since the 2010 season. The match also marked the first time Kansas has been shutout since its season opener on Aug. 18. Prior to Friday, KU had scored at least once in nine-straight matches, its longest streak since 2011.
 
UP NEXT
The Jayhawks will now head to West Texas to take on the Texas Tech Red Raiders on Sunday, Sept. 24. The match, which will be streamed on TexasTech.tv, will kick off from the John Walker Soccer Complex at 1 p.m. KU will then head to Ames, Iowa for its final match of its five-game road stretch when the Jayhawks take on Iowa State on Friday, Sept. 29 at 7 p.m.