photo by: Mike Gunnoe/Special to the Journal-World

Kansas forward Lexi Watts dribbles the ball downfield against TCU during the Big 12 tournament final at CPKC Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024 in Kansas City, Mo.

Kansas City, Mo. — Picked to tie for 12th in the Big 12 prior to the season, still just sixth place in the league by the end of the regular season, the Kansas soccer team stunned the conference by winning the league tournament on Saturday night.

Makayla Merlo’s penalty kick went down as the lone goal for the Jayhawks against TCU. KU beat its most difficult foe yet in the seventh-ranked Horned Frogs, the regular-season champions who had not lost since Sept. 5.

The 1-0 result goes down as KU’s eighth straight victory, including four in the Big 12 tournament.

One year ago under former coach Mark Francis, the Jayhawks lost seven times in conference play and didn’t win a Big 12 game until the last day of the season. Now, in their first season under Nate Lie, using many of the same players from that team together with some of Lie’s recruits, they are headed to the NCAA Tournament as an automatic qualifier.

Lie is the first Big 12 coach to lead a team to a tournament title in his first season with the program. KU will learn its postseason opponent in a selection show to be streamed Monday on NCAA.com.

Merlo’s goal arrived, like so many for KU this year, as a result of the Jayhawks’ high-pressure style. Lexi Watts forced a mistake by TCU goalkeeper Megan Plaschko and won possession in the box. Watts got brought down immediately by TCU defender Maddie Mooney to prevent a sure goal.

On the penalty, Merlo went right and Plaschko went left, allowing the Jayhawks to break the scoreless tie and go on to a Big 12 title.

They did not find it easy to get there. Off a corner kick not long afterward, TCU’s Seven Castain had a shot hit the underside of the bar and bounce out safely into the arms of KU goalie Sophie Dawe.

Dawe’s services were required early and often. TCU had outshot KU 6-2 in a scoreless first period, and in fact the Jayhawks went more than half an hour between attempts on goal as they battled to gain ground against the Horned Frogs.

The opening moments of the second half diverged from that pace, as two brilliant goal-scoring opportunities went unfulfilled on each side.

Dawe denied Caroline Kelly once from point-blank range on a breakaway and then had to sprawl out to her right to stop another attempt from Bella Diorio. Meanwhile, Saige Wimes got into extremely threatening position twice but couldn’t muster a strong shot on either occasion, though she did draw out the first save of the match for Plaschko.

The Jayhawks improved to 13-5-4 on the year.