FORT WORTH, TX — Rivalry games are supposed to be tense, chaotic, and cruel. Sunday night at Garvey-Rosenthal Soccer Stadium checked every box. For 85 minutes, it looked like Texas A&M might just steal one from their nationally ranked neighbors. Then AJ Hennessey, the veteran forward with a knack for breaking hearts, showed up with the type of late-game dagger that cements legacies. Her 86th-minute header lifted No. 4 TCU to a 2-1 win over the Aggies, a result that felt both inevitable and brutal at the same time.
For the first half, TCU was everything you want out of a top-five team: poised, composed, and downright bossy with the ball. The Frogs’ midfield turned possession into an art form, pinning A&M back and creating wave after wave of pressure. Seven Castain nearly broke through in the 17th minute, but her shot was denied. Still, the vibes were clear — TCU wasn’t chasing this game; they were dictating it.
The breakthrough finally came early in the second half. In the 52nd minute, Castain slipped a pass to freshman Emma Yolinsky, who threaded a perfectly weighted ball into Sydney Becerra’s path. Becerra spun her defender like she was running a TikTok dribbling tutorial and smashed a shot inside the right post. First goal of her TCU career, and it looked like the Frogs were cruising.
But Texas A&M wasn’t here for moral victories. Just six minutes later, Leah Diaz pounced on a sloppy pass in the attacking third and lashed a left-footed shot past keeper Olivia Geller. Suddenly, it was 1-1, and the Aggie bench came alive. The rivalry tension hit red alert.
From there, it was chaos. TCU pressed, peppering Aggie keeper Sydney Fuller with shots. Fuller turned into a one-woman highlight reel, swatting away a penalty, smothering crosses, and generally holding the game together with duct tape and stubbornness. The Aggies had no right to be level at that point, but Fuller made it so.
And then came the 86th minute.
Becerra, once again the magnet in the midfield, drew in multiple defenders and released Yolinsky down the left side. Her shot forced Fuller into another sprawling save, but the rebound hung in the air like a balloon at a kid’s party. Waiting? AJ Hennessey.
The senior didn’t hesitate. She launched her forehead through the ball, sending it crashing into the back of the net. Stadium erupts, Aggie hearts sink. 2-1 Frogs. Ballgame.
That was career goal No. 11 for Hennessey, her second of the season, and easily her most clutch. For TCU, it was déjà vu — their third win this year sealed by a goal in the final 10 minutes. For A&M, it was another chapter in a rivalry that’s starting to feel like Groundhog Day.
You can’t script soccer more cruelly. A&M had clawed back into it, weathered the storm, and had their keeper playing out of her mind. Then one rebound sealed it. The defining moment wasn’t just Hennessey’s finish — it was Yolinsky’s willingness to rip a shot and Fuller’s save hanging in the wrong place. Soccer is a game of inches and ricochets, and this one broke TCU’s way.
For TCU, this is a statement win wrapped in a rivalry cherry. Beating A&M is never just another W, and doing it with a late game-winner at home is the kind of narrative fuel top teams build seasons on. The Frogs are now 5-1, winners of four of the last five against the Aggies, and showing the kind of late-game bite that makes them dangerous in postseason scenarios.
For A&M, it’s a moral victory wrapped in heartbreak. Fuller’s heroics and Diaz’s equalizer prove the Aggies can hang with elite programs, but the inability to clear danger in crunch time will haunt them. SEC play looms, and if they bring the same grit, they’ll be fine — but Sunday was a reminder that “almost” doesn’t count.
When the final whistle blew, TCU’s sideline looked like a mosh pit. That’s what rivalry wins feel like — ugly, dramatic, and unforgettable. The Frogs got their “quality brand of TCU soccer” back, as head coach Eric Bell put it, and they did it at the expense of their biggest in-state nemesis.
As for Texas A&M? Sometimes being the underdog means living on the edge of heartbreak. They fought, they scrapped, and their keeper was heroic. But in Fort Worth, late goals belong to TCU.
Next up, the Frogs host Gonzaga on Friday. The Aggies? They lick their wounds, reload, and start SEC play against Georgia.
For now, though, Sunday night in Fort Worth belonged to Hennessey — and the Frogs are still proving that if you blink late, they’ll beat you.
