Emma Yolinsky scored twice, but No. 15 TCU couldn’t finish the comeback as No. 18 Alabama handed the Horned Frogs their first loss, 3-2.
No. 15 TCU women’s soccer walked into Tuscaloosa unbeaten.
It walked out with its first loss of the season and a pretty clear reminder of how thin the margin can be against another ranked team as the Horned Frogs fell 3-2 to No. 18 Alabama on Thursday night at Alabama Soccer Stadium, dropping to 1-1-1 despite a two-goal performance from Emma Yolinsky.
TCU spent the entire night answering punches.
Alabama opened the scoring in the eighth minute on a penalty kick after a handball inside the box. TCU didn’t flinch.
Less than seven minutes later, Yolinsky forced a turnover, created space outside the area and ripped home the equalizer.
Then came another gut punch. A 17th-minute Alabama corner ended with a TCU own goal, putting the Crimson Tide back in front 2-1.
That score held until halftime, even though Alabama controlled much of the early shot volume. The Tide finished the first half with nine attempts compared with four for TCU.
But the Frogs came out with a different edge after the break.
In the 48th minute, Eres Freifeld worked down the wing and delivered a dangerous ball into the box. Yolinsky was waiting and buried a header for her second goal of the night.
Just like that, it was 2-2. The brace was the second of Yolinsky’s college career and her first since producing two goals against Grambling State in the NCAA Tournament.
Unfortunately for TCU, the tie didn’t survive long.
Alabama’s Ashley Roni broke free in the 55th minute and slipped a shot past goalkeeper Olivia Geller to restore the Crimson Tide’s lead at 3-2.
TCU still had opportunities. The Horned Frogs generated three more shots after falling behind and continued pushing for a third equalizer, but Alabama closed the door.
Geller finished with four saves while playing all 90 minutes. Yolinsky led the attack with four shots, tying her season high.
The loss also snapped TCU’s regular-season unbeaten run against ranked opponents, a streak that had dated back to Aug. 25, 2024.
Now the Frogs get a week to reset. TCU returns home Aug. 27 to face another SEC opponent, Georgia, at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium.
If Thursday proved anything, it’s that TCU has enough firepower to fight with ranked teams. Now it has to find a way to finish them.
