COMING INTO HER OWN: CASTAIN SHINES IN THIRD SEASON AT TCU

Andrew Mosier | WPSL Communications

 

 

There was never any doubt Seven Castain would start scoring goals by the handful.

 

“It was just a matter of when,” said Texas Christian University Head Coach, Eric Bell. 

 

With two goals as a freshman, and a respectable seven goals last season, Castain, now in her junior year and a perennial Golden Boot Candidate over the last three seasons with her WPSL side, Utah Avalanche, found her stride in the collegiate game with 13 goals and counting as the fifth-seed Horned Frogs face fourth-seed Penn State in the second round of the NCAA Division I Women’s Tournament on Friday. 

 

Castain finished the regular season with 11 goals, which included a statement-making four-goal performance in the 6-1 win at then-14th-ranked Colorado after going down a goal in just the second minute of the match. 

 

“It’s just a matter of creating the right chances. Everything just started to click for us,” Castain said. “The credit goes to my teammates. They kept finding me in the right place at the right time.” 

 

Castain’s four-goal performance at Colorado made her just the third player in program history to score four in a game, and the 19th player to tally a hat trick. 

 

 

Seven Castain versus Oklahoma State; image provided by TCU Athletics Media

 

“Seven [Castain] has come a long way over the last three years. She was always the player that did the work when no one else is watching,” Bell said. “She has worked incredibly hard on her hold-up play and distributing the ball with her back to goal. The first couple of years she was anxious to get the shot off. Now she’s more composed in front of goal and getting the chances she wants.” 

 

With their foot firmly on the gas pedal after the dominant win in Boulder, the Horned Frogs won out the remainder of its schedule, outscoring opponents 18 to 5 to go 17-2-3 overall and an unbeaten 9-2-0 in Big 12 play to clinch the regular-season title for the third time in five years (2020, 2021, 2024), earning the No. 1 seed entering the Big 12 Tournament. 

 

Castain was one of six TCU players to be named to the All-Big 12 First Team along with fellow WPSL players, Oli Pena (SouthStar FC) and Maddie Mooney (PacNW, 2022). As the No. 1 seed, the Horned Frogs earned a bye into the quarterfinals, where they met ninth-seed Colorado, again, at the spectacular new CPKC Stadium, home of the NWSL’s Kansas City Current and the first soccer specific stadium built exclusively for women’s soccer. Once again, TCU conceded a goal just 38 second into the match off a flip-throw set piece that caught its defense off-guard.

 

“Unfortunately, we’ve been in that position quite a few times this season,” Castain said. “We are a team that likes to possess the ball, and we knew we were going to have most of the possession. It was just a matter of creating the right chances.”

 

The chance came just after the hour mark when Camryn Lancaster (California Storm), who was named 2024 WPSL Championships Most Outstanding Player, ran onto a sublime pass from Castain inside the penalty area, drawing the game level and tallying her second goal of the year. 

 

Camryn Lancaster versus Clarkstown Soccer Club in WPSL Championships Semifinal, 2024

 

Lancaster recorded eight goals in eight games for the 2024 WPSL Champions California Storm, including a goal in the Storm’s 5-0 semifinal win over Clarkstown Soccer Club and lone goal in the Storm’s 1-0 final win to give the Storm its fifth WPSL championship. 

 

A total of eight players on the Horned Frog roster played in the WPSL in 2024. 

 

“We always encourage our players to play in the summer leagues like the WPSL when they can. It helps keep them fit and sharp and they come into camp ready to rock-and roll,” Bell said. “We look at it as an opportunity to grow and build confidence and come back a better player.” 

 

For Castain, playing for the Avalanche in the summer has been a place to work on different aspects of her game at match speed, where the stakes are not do-or-die.

 

“With the Avalanche, I have the freedom to go out and try different things in games and if it doesn’t work right away, it doesn’t mean the difference between going to the NCAA Tournament or not. It’s all about development. I love being able to go out and play all summer against some really good players and get better.” 

 

Seven Castain with Utah Avalanche in 2024 WPSL Season

 

After Lancaster’s game-leveling goal, Castain put the Horned Frogs up one over the Buffs, bagging her 12th goal on the season from the penalty spot in the 74th minute. TCU secured the 3-1 win and put the Horned Frogs into the semifinals versus No. 4 BYU. 

 

For Castain, facing schools from her home state is always a little bitter-sweet, going against longtime friends and teammates. 

 

“I know a lot of the girls on those teams, playing with and against them growing up. It is always a challenge to play against them because we all know each other so well.”

 

Early in the season TCU hosted BYU in Fort Worth. After going down a goal early, Castain pulled the Horned Frogs level from the penalty spot. TCU eventually won 4-1. 

 

Once again, TCU conceded the opening goal before pulling level in the 40th minute as Castain put the Horned Frogs into the lead a minute later by tucking home a cross from freshman Cameron Patton, who played in the WPSL for Austin Rise FC.  

 

The win put TCU through to face the sixth-seed Kansas, with wins against Arizona State, West Virginia, and Texas Tech to reach the final. Going 13-4-6 overall and 3-3-3 in Big 12 play, though the two sides did not face each other in regular-season play. 

 

Kansas weathered wave after wave of the Horned Frogs attack before a lapse in concentration by  its defense led to a converted Jayhawk penalty kick in the 66th minute that TCU was unable to overcome, falling just short of its second Big 12 Tournament championship.

 

On the strength of its fourth Big 12 Regular Season title, the Horned Frogs entered its eight NCAA Tournament hosting Southland Conference Tournament winners, Stephen F. Austin. A penalty kick in the 57th minute was enough to put the Horned Frogs through to the second round to face Penn State (13-3-6) in Tallahassee, Fla. on the campus of Florida State University. 

 

The two clubs have only met once in competitive play—a 1-0 Penn State home win in 2023. The winner advances to face the winner of Florida State versus Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals on Sunday, November 24.