Cameron Patton Wants More After TCU Soccer’s Historic Run to the College Cup

When the TCU soccer team ran out of time against Florida State in December, the Horned Frogs were a goal shy of forcing extra time in a national semifinal. The 1-0 loss at the College Cup closed an 18-3-3 campaign, good for the second-most wins in program history and the Frogs’ first run to college soccer’s biggest stage.

Cameron Patton played all 90 minutes of that game.

The Austin, Texas-raised defender, a converted forward who enrolled at TCU in January 2024, started all 24 matches as a sophomore on her way to All-Big 12 first-team honors, recording four goals and eight assists from the back line.

Now she’s part of a returning core that includes sophomore midfielder Kamdyn Fuller, junior midfielder Morgan Brown and junior keeper Olivia Geller, all tasked with chasing more success in head coach Eric Bell’s 15th season at the helm. The Frogs open Big 12 play Sept. 17 at Oklahoma State.

Has a specific class or professor at TCU stood out? 

I took an NIL class with Antonio Banos [instructor and associate director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation] my freshman year. He made the environment amazing, and learning about NIL really helped. 

You’re essentially running a brand as a student-athlete — social media, NIL, all of it. How is your marketing coursework feeding into that? 

I’m starting to get into the marketing core classes, and it’s been really helpful. I’m understanding that marketing a company is kind of like marketing your own brand. My major is helping me in that area. 

You earned Academic All-District honors during the same stretch you were logging more than 2,000 minutes on the pitch. Is there a point in the season where balancing school and athletics gets tough — and what do you do about it?

I have to manage my time wisely. If I’m on the bus doing homework or at the airport, I’m making sure I’m getting my assignments done and communicating with my professors. They’re very helpful because they understand I’m part of the athletics program. Working with my academic adviser, Shawn Worthen ’01 (MEd ’08) [senior associate athletics director, academic services], helps me stay on track. It’s stressful, but it can be managed.

Was your brother Campbell Patton ’24 a factor in your decision to come to TCU?

Well, it was kind of a funny story. I looked at TCU because my brother was here, but he really had no say in where I was going to go. It was based on my soccer recruitment journey. Before I came on my visit, I was telling my head coach and my family, “I don’t want to visit TCU because I’m going to Texas.” And then my club coach said, “No, Cam, you need to take that visit.” I was like, “OK, fine, it’s going to be a waste of time.” That 48 hours I was at TCU, I was like, “I love it here.” The girls were amazing, the facilities were great, the coaches too. And honestly, the soccer and the playing style were even better.

What stood out during your 48-hour recruiting visit to TCU?

The main things were the culture of the team, the style of soccer they were playing and the competitiveness on the field. My host was AJ Hennessey, and we still have this funny thing: I left a pair of socks during my visit, and she still wears those socks to this day. She won’t give them back to me. But she made it so welcoming. She was a freshman, too, and she just knew her way around TCU. She was an incredible host.

Patton was recruited to TCU as a forward. The coaching staff moved her to outside back her first spring, but the goals kept coming. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

You’ve trained with the U.S. Soccer U-18 and U-19 national teams and caught the attention of San Diego Wave FC. Where does the professional dream fit into the bigger picture?

Soccer was my thing growing up. I just love the game and always wanted to take it as far as I can go. Going back to my club days, that’s all I wanted to do: just play soccer and get better. Having communication with San Diego Wave and the U-18, U-19, U-20 national camps and playing with those players, playing at that level, just opened my eyes to, “Wow, this level of play is just the dream.”

TCU had never played a soccer match in December before last year. You were in Kansas City for the College Cup. Did the weight of that feel real in the moment, or were you just locked in on the next match?

The pressure was a lot. But honestly, it was more excitement. When we got to the hotel, everything was so professional, so laid out, and we were like, “Wow, all the hard work we put in to get here just paid off.” There were nerves going into the game, but playing in the game was just like any other game because we’ve played at the Kansas City Current stadium before. It was definitely an experience to remember. 

What about the chemistry made an 8-0-1 road record possible?

We worked really hard on our team culture. We had meetings with Becky Burleigh [1998 National Championship-winning coach with Florida and TCU Soccer’s team leadership consultant], who does some team culture work with us. We just bought into being a team. We knew each other so well, and we loved each other. At the end of the day, we wanted to be there training together. We also bought into “this is going to be hard.” We chose to fight and just win. 

What makes the match day atmosphere at Garvey-Rosenthal unique?

My favorite match days are Thursdays at 7 p.m. The field is crazy big, but the fans we get make it feel not super big. I’m on the right side sometimes, on the flank really close to the fans, and just hearing them, having the lights, the buzz around the stadium, it’s amazing. Fort Worth is a soccer area, so we get a lot of fans.

Patton sometimes plays out on the right flank. At home, she says, that puts her close enough to hear the fans. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

You had a goal and an assist in the first-round NCAA Tournament win against Grambling State, and four goals and eight assists for the season as a defender. For a player whose primary job is stopping goals, how much of that offensive side is by design and how much is just who you are?

Some of it is definitely by design. I was recruited here as a forward, so when they told me my first spring, “Let’s try you at outside back,” I was like, “OK, let’s see how it goes.” I’d played it before, and I definitely had to work on my one-on-one defending. But the coaches didn’t want to take away my creativity. The way we play, my coaches want me to join the attack and show my creativity. I just have to make sure I know my real role is defender, so I have to run back.

NIL is still pretty new and changing fast. How do you navigate it day to day?

It’s really hard with women’s soccer, especially in college, to find the right NIL deals and grow your platform. It’s a lot of work. I’m with an agency right now, Legacy Frogs. I’m also reaching out to brands or having brands reach out to me, posting content on TikTok and Instagram. That gets the algorithm going. Right now I’m working with an electrolyte drink company on what’s more of an official brand deal.

Tell us about your dad’s business?

He runs a company called Freeform Sports, a 3D-printed athletic gear company. He actually 3D prints my shin guards. He scanned my shin, so they’re custom-made to it. He also 3D prints wristbands. He’s done work with the TCU football team, printed their thigh pads, made wristbands for them. He’s working on potential chest guards for football, too, and with a lot of different colleges around the country and a lot of different medical doctors.

Is there a path you see for yourself after playing?

The dream would be to play professional soccer, but also take part in my dad’s company. Taking over the marketing for that would be the dream. Or sports social media marketing for ESPN, just being around the sports world. I feel like my platform, being in athletics with this major, will get me those job opportunities.

You’ve been open about your faith. How does that travel with you into competition, into hard moments and into life as a college student?

I wouldn’t be able to do it without my faith. Before every game day, I write my prayer down, and I have certain rituals. I pray at certain times. I have a game-day verse for every single game. It puts the pressure off of me. God has a plan for me, and he’s given me the abilities to be the best I can. Whatever happens, happens, and he has me. Trusting in him has allowed me to play free and to be the player that I am.

Patton wants to play professionally and has an eye on marketing after that, either for her father’s company or in sports media. Courtesy of TCU Athletics

If a high schooler asks you what it’s genuinely like to be a student-athlete at TCU, what do you tell them?

It’s an opportunity that not many people get, and I would take it if you have it. Honestly, these have been the best two, three years of my life: being able to represent TCU and the student body by playing a sport, and also representing the Lord by playing the sport. Wearing purple is an incredible feeling. I’m very thankful I decided to take this path. You’re really highly respected, and it’s an amazing opportunity.

Editor’s Note: The questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.

— As told to Corey Zapata-Smith