No. 4 Penn State women’s soccer (10-2-1, 9-2-1 Big Ten) ended its stint in the Big Ten Tournament with a 1-0 loss to Iowa (5-8-1, 3-8-1 Big Ten) in the semifinals Thursday evening at Jeffrey Field.
With a solid section of fans supporting them, the Nittany Lions couldn’t manage to find the back of the net in Thursday’s match. Despite outshooting Iowa 23 to 7, Erica Dambach’s squad was unable to keep pace with the Hawkeyes’ sole goal.
How It Happened
The Nittany Lions started off the match with plenty of pressure on the Hawkeyes, putting six shots shots on goal in just 15 minutes of play.
Iowa amped up the aggression and started playing rough against Penn State, but was given a yellow card in the 18th minute.
The Hawkeyes proved to be a challenge for the Nittany Lion attack, making sure that Frankie Tagliaferri couldn’t good touches on the ball. They were able to intercept balls in the middle, but couldn’t complete much of any plays toward Penn State’s goal.
Penn State did not get off to a good start in the second half. Iowa was on the ball quick and charged a nearly empty Nittany Lion half. Hawkeye Meike Ingles landed the first goal of the match with an assist from Hailey Rydberg in the 47th minute.
Penn State nearly found its footing in the 68th and 69th minutes, but three shots at close range by Tagliaferri, Sam Coffey, and Payton Linnehan didn’t go in favor of the Nittany Lions. Penn State got another chance with a free kick just outside of the 18 by Coffey, but she just slightly missed left of goal.
The Nittany Lions kept at it with shot after shot, just trying to land something to even the score, but to no avail. Despite Penn State’s 23 shots on goal compared to Iowa’s 7, the Hawkeyes’ lone score was enough to seal the win denying the defending tournament champs a berth in Sunday’s final.
Penn State Player of the Match
Sam Coffey | Midfield | Senior
Coffey was a huge player in shifting the game onto Iowa’s half and moving up Penn State’s offensive line. She played multiple runs toward goal and fed her other offensive players balls that had potential for goals.
Not only was Coffey connecting the offensive plays, she also fell back and helped Penn State’s defensive line clear the ball.
What’s Next?
Although the Nittany Lions won’t be advancing to the Big Ten Championship final, Penn State will learn its NCAA Tournament seeding during the Selection Show at 1 p.m. on Monday.
