TUCSON, Ariz. – The University of Arizona women's soccer team will host TCU on Friday, Nov. 10th at 7 p.m. MST in Tucson, Ariz. this week. TCU and Arizona have never competed in a match.
The Horned Frogs have a strong record coming into Tucson this week at 12-6-3 (6-2-1 Big 12). Of note: TCU was defeated 1-0 by Pac-12 opponent Colorado early in the season. This is the same squad that Arizona tied 0-0 in Boulder, Colo. Also both teams defeated Oklahoma 2-0 over the course of the 2017 campaign.
Pac-12 Wrap
The Wildcats wrapped up the 2017 regular season last Thursday with a 2-1 victory over state rival ASU. The Wildcats completed the Pac-12 season with a 7-2-2 record which was good enough for the number four spot in the standings (T-2nd best finish in Arizona history).
Team Accolades
This group of seniors (Bollinger, Brascia, Crisler, Park, and Crisler) has now become the first such group to earn three tournament berths in four years. That's a big milestone for head coach Tony Amato and it comes behind 44 total wins for the group. Additonally, three Cats (Morgan McGarry, Lainey Burdett, and Gabi Stoian) earned All-Pac-12 notations this season.
In the Burdett Cage
Junior Burdett has played all 18 matches for the Wildcats this season. Her goals-against average in those matches is only 0.73 as she has allowed only 14 goals. Although Burdett has a strong defensive line in front of her that has prevented most shots from finding the frame, Burdett has made some really huge saves this season. The match against Stanford saw 11 saves (career high) for Burdett, each one trumping the last as she used fingertips, kick saves, and fully-extended dives to hold back the Cardinal's swell of shots. Burdett has seven shutouts on the season (including against former No. 11 California), pushing her career count to 19 (2nd all-time). She has 190 career saves which is eighth all-time.
Unbeaten Streak
Gone slightly unnoticed, these Wildcats are unbeaten in their last seven matches with ties against Colorado at 0-0 (outshot 29-16) and No. 8 UCLA at 2-2. This is the second-longest unbeaten streak in Arizona history and the second-longest in the Pac-12 behind Stanford (W16).
No-Goal Zone
This one's for the defense. Arizona has only lost one match when they got on the board this season (No. 7 UCF, 2-1). In every other match when the Wildcats have scored at least one goal, they have won or tied the match. That's attributable to the rock-solid defense that has allowed only 91 shots-on-goal (5.06 per game) and have been a major component of Burdett's seven shutouts.
Distributed Attack
Try marking this: twelve different players have scored for the Wildcats this season, including one defender and five bench players. This allows the Wildcats to develop their attack in multiple different ways – whether they are passing directly to their striker's feet or over the top for speedy forwards to run onto, you can be sure Arizona has someone who can put the ball into the back of the net.
Crisler's Assist-lers
Cali Crisler is tied for the number one spot on the stat sheet this season because she has seven assists, her most recent one coming against Washington several weeks ago. She also earned her first goal of the season on a well-placed shot into the side netting against Utah. Arizona has taken 101 corners this season, over 80% of those coming from Crisler which have added to her ability to assist.
One More Go Around for Gabi
Senior Gabi Stoian is poised to finish her career as the most decorated player in Arizona history. Despite an injury early in the season, she has played just over 1,000 minutes for the Wildcats and has tallied four goals and two assists. She sits at second all-time in goals (29), assists (22), and points (79). She needs only four more goals, three assists, and four points to break into the number one spot in each category. With a (hopefully) long gambit of postseason matches, Stoian may just crack the number one spot after all.
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