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 lots of pressure on the Hawkeyes, putting six shots shots on goal in just 15 minutes of play.

Iowa started to amp 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 Lions attack, really making sure that Frankie Tagliaferri couldn’t good touches on the ball for a goal. They were able to intercept balls in the middle, but couldn’t complete much of any plays towards 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. Iowa’s Meike Ingles landed the first goal of the match with an assist from Hailey Rydberg in the 47th minute that would’ve been an impressive save from Kat Asman.

Iowa continued its aggressive method of play that Penn State matched in the second half. But in the 61st minute, Iowa’s Samantha Cary was given a red card.

Penn State nearly found its footing in the 68th and 69th minutes, but the three shots at close range by Tagliaferri, Sam Coffey, and Payton Linnehan didn’t go in favor of the Nittany Lions. They were given 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. Regardless of Penn State’s 23 shots on goal compared to Iowa’s 7, the Nittany Lions couldn’t take the game.

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 towards 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 finals of the Big Ten Championship, we’ll still see Penn State at the Selection Show Monday, April 19, and from there to the NCAA Championships.