Saturday, September 21, 2019

Arizona soccer uses three second-half goals to beat TCU in non-conference finale

Jill Aguilera | Photo by Ryan Kelapire

Samantha Falasco has a knack for scoring big goals against TCU.

Two years ago, the center back headed in the equalizer late in an NCAA Tournament game, which the Wildcats proceeded to win in dramatic fashion.

Saturday, she followed it up by calmly slotting a penalty kick to break a 1-1 tie in the 61st minute and give the Wildcats a lead they would not surrender in an eventual 4-3 victory.

“That was really exciting to be able to play them here again and beat them again,” said Falasco, who was once recruited by TCU coach Eric Bell. “I was very confident myself. I like taking them. So it was a really good opportunity for me to just step up and help my confidence going into the rest of season.”

A handball along goal line led to the PK and resulted in a red card, helping the Wildcats (6-1) stay on the front foot and hang two more second-half goals on the undermanned Frogs (6-3).

Those tallies came courtesy of Jill Aguilera, who scored two goals in 26 seconds to give the Wildcats a three-goal lead in the 80th minute. Aguilera rocketed a free kick from well beyond the box, then finished with her left foot in the box after collecting a cross from Jada Talley and outmuscling a defender.

“I think it was crazy...just to keep playing hard and we’ve been playing for each other, that’s what we talked about a lot at halftime,” Aguilera said. “And I think that’s a definite good thing that came out of that.”

Even down a player, TCU didn’t go away quietly. Yazmeen Ryan scored on a long free kick in the 83rd minute, and the Frogs struck again in the 87th minute on a give-and-go between Ryan and Messiah Bright.

“I think we took our foot off the gas a little bit,” said UA forward Brooke Wilson. “And I think that in big games, especially with starting Pac-12 next week, that’s something that we can’t do, and it’s just definitely a learning curve for us, but we just have to [learn from] it.”

Wilson got the Wildcats on the board in the second minute of the match by winning a header over a taller defender and making a long run, before placing a shot in the lower left corner.

TCU answered nine minutes later off a distant goal from Grace Collins. The first half was fairly even, with TCU recording four shots to Arizona’s five.

The Wildcats kicked it into another gear in the second half, eventually finishing with a 19-8 shot differential, including several shots from distance that required TCU goalkeeper Emily Alvarado to make a diving stop.

“I think that it was known that they were a tall, brutal team,” Wilson said, “and so we just knew that we had to bring out the same energy and battle, and I think that at halftime we kind of got drilled a little bit for not having enough grit and that’s one of our core values. So to come out there and start the second half with a lot of that I thought was really good.”

Things got chippy midway through the second half, when a TCU defender exchanged pleasantries with UA forward Iyana Zimmerman after a hard tackle. The Wildcats managed to keep their cool, instead letting their game do the talking.

“We just gotta stay composed and not say stupid things or do stupid things,” Aguilera said. “And I think that we did a really good job of that. No yellow cards for us. They had a red card and a yellow.”

Falasco made sure the Wildcats capitalized, even though she isn’t Arizona’s usual penalty taker. That’s her best friend, roommate, and fellow senior Kelcey Cavarra. Both wanted to be the hero, but Cavarra eventually relented and let Falasco do the honors.

“We were going back and forth, saying I’m gonna take it, no I’m taking it,” Falasco said. “Then she was like, “OK, don’t miss.”

Both sport the same french braid, so Wilson initially thought Cavarra converted PK.

“So when I saw Sam was the one who turned and celebrated, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s so exciting,’” she said.

Falasco didn’t think Arizona played its best game, but beating an NCAA Tournament-caliber team is a sweet way to cap the non-conference season no matter how it goes down.

“I mean college soccer, you gotta find ways to win games, and credit to our group for doing that,” said UA coach Tony Amato, who notched his 200th career victory. “I thought in the first half, there was some little things from the grinding bit the competitiveness stuff that I wanted to improve on, and I thought we did in the second half.

“There was some soccer stuff that we need to do a better job to give up those two late goals, but credit to TCU down 4-1 to come back and score those two goals and really put us under pressure at the end. But I’m proud of the team to find a way to win. And ultimately, that’s what we’re trying to do.”

Animals on the loose

Arizona soccer went viral before the game after it announced its petting zoo promotion had to be put on hold after sheep and goats escaped at a previous event and were roaming the streets of Tucson.

“I didn’t even know that was real. I thought it was a joke,” Wilson laughed. “That was the craziest thing ever. But I was really excited to have a petting zoo. I hope there was a pig.”

There were no pigs, but the unruly sheep and goals did eventually make it to Mulcahy Stadium. Here is exclusive video proof:

Postgame interviews



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