TCU Tops UNLV in Vegas

Jackie Torda, a junior from Colleyville, put the Frogs on the board in the 36th minute, drilling a shot from 25 yards out into the back of the net over the outstretched arms of Lugo. In the 46th minute, sophomore Kaitlyn Shelledy netted her first goal of the season off a cross from Michelle Nguyen. On the play, Nguyen took a pass on the left side of the field and played it across the box to a streaking Shelledy who dived in front of the net to head the ball past Lugo.

TCU missed on several scoring opportunities late in the match as several Frogs had opportunities to break the 2-2 score. Torda fired first at the goal, but her shot hit the crossbar in the 82nd minute. A few minutes into the overtime, sophomore Katie Taylor appeared to have secured the TCU victory off a pass from Katie Runyon, but she was called for offsides on the play to keep the score knotted at 2-2. Shelledy almost found the back of the net midway through the overtime, but her shot hit the crossbar.Torda put TCU ahead for good in the contest in the 98th minute and secured the Purple and White's ninth victory of the season.

Overall, the Frogs, who hit two crossbars in the match, totaled 13 shots, including two in overtime. Torda led the offensive attack with two goals on three shots, while Jordan Calhoun, Nguyen and Shelledy chipped in with two apiece. Kelsey Walters had a solid night between the posts, saving six balls.

With the win, TCU moved to 9-8-0 overall and 2-4-0 in the Mountain West, while UNLV dropped to 5-7-5 overall and 1-3-1 in the MWC. By defeating the Rebels, the Frogs moved one step closer to qualifying for the 2009 Mountain West Conference Championship in two weeks. The Purple and White will close regular season action next Friday night at home against San Diego State. Start time is set for 7 p.m. at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium.