TCU Soccer earns 4-seed in sixth consecutive tournament appearance

TCU Soccer has earned a No. 4 seed and will open their sixth consecutive NCAA Championship Tournament appearance with a home game against SWAC champions Prairie View A&M.

This marks the second consecutive national seed for the Horned Frogs after having a 1-seed in last year’s tournament.

A national seed is a national seed, but I and many others have already begun to question why a power 5 conference champion that’s been ranked in the top 10 all season wasn’t given a higher seed.

Head Coach Eric Bell, excited as always for the opportunity to play at the highest level, weighed in on the Frogs seeding: “Honestly, I thought we were going to get a higher seed. We will use that as motivation to show them [the selection committee] and the rest of the country that we are better than a 4-seed.”

TCU sports of every kind are used to playing with a chip on their shoulder, which is exactly what TCU Soccer will have entering the first round of the tournament this Friday.

Regardless of where the Frogs were seeded, they are bound to face some tough opponents along the way. This is the NCAA Tournament after all.

As the 4-seed, the Horned Frogs share a region of the bracket with 3-seed Notre Dame, 2-seed Arkansas, and 1-seed Rutgers. Aside from the national seeds, Ohio State, Purdue, Princeton, and Ole Miss are some other potential quality opponents the Frogs could face at some point.

If all things go to plan, the Frogs could potentially face 1-seed and No. 4 ranked Rutgers in the Sweet 16, but Coach Bell and the Frogs aren’t worried about that quite yet.

“We’re not really thinking about them [Rutgers] right now, We’re thinking about Prairie View right now and if we have an opportunity to play them at some point, we’ll relish that opportunity but right now it’s all about Prairie View,” said Bell.

Something different from last year’s “bubble” in North Carolina, the Horned Frogs will have the opportunity to host their opening game against the Panthers in front of a home crowd.

Considering the NCAA has Garvey-Rosenthal Stadium listed as one of the top 5 places to watch college soccer, home field advantage could play a big part in Friday’s game.

“It’s awesome. We’ve earned that and hopefully we’ll have a large crowd out here on Friday to show for all the support they’ve given us throughout the course of the season,” said Bell.

The Frogs will begin their tournament campaign this Friday, Nov 12 at Garvey-Rosenthal Stadium against Prairie View A&M. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. CST, and although there is no official announcement as to where the game will be broadcasted, I would assume it will be available via livestream on NCAA’s website or ESPN+.