No. 15 Penn State women’s soccer (8-3-1, 2-2-0 Big Ten) was defeated by No. 18 Iowa (8-0-3, 3-0-1 Big Ten) on Thursday night.

After an early goal from the Nittany Lions, Iowa equalized quickly and defended strongly through the rest of the game. Penn State couldn’t find an equalizer after a second Iowa goal, leading to its second consecutive loss.

How It Happened

Penn State started the game extremely strong, scoring in the first minute. Amelia White evaded Iowa’s defense on the right side and shot a powerful ball into the near post to beat Iowa keeper Macy Enneking.

Amelia White BURIES her first of the 2024 campaign!

1H | 3:08 | PSU 1, IOWA 0#WeAre pic.twitter.com/SgCu0cNL9q

— Penn State Women’s Soccer (@PennStateWSOC) September 27, 2024

Just three minutes later, Iowa exposed a lapse in the left side of Penn State’s defense and rocketed a goal straight into the top right corner. The Nittany Lions played a high press directly after their score to put more pressure on Iowa, but the lack of numbers defensively led to the quick response.

Following the equalizer, a tackle from midfielder Jordan Fusco created a set-piece opportunity to continue the quick start to the game. Fusco took it herself, but the ball whipped near the far post wasn’t met with any contact.

Penn State continued applying considerable amounts of pressure while only keeping three defenders behind. The rest of the team scrambled for the ball, which led to a shot by Natalie Wilson that was deflected out of play. Wilson continued chasing the ball, eventually crossing in a favorable ball in the 12th minute again not met by any attackers.

Through 15 minutes, Penn State dominated possession in Iowa’s half. Iowa broke through with a counterattack, letting a shot loose that required goalkeeper Amanda Poorbaugh to fully extend, but the ball sailed over the crossbar.

Defender Ginger Fontenot made a great tackle to break up a promising Iowa attack. Forward Frankee Flesher’s shot was deflected, leading to the Nittany Lions’ first corner kick of the night. Devon Olive dawned over the ball and shot a low cross that Mieke Schiemann got a foot on but couldn’t score.

Iowa began to apply more pressure after Penn State’s rapid start cooled down. The Nittany Lions won a free kick that Iowa immediately regained possession of, leading to a cross that had to be reviewed for a possible handball. The referee issued a no-call as play resumed.

The Penn State midfield began to lose its form as wayward passes found themselves with the Hawkeyes. In the 30th minute, Iowa directed a ball into the box that dinked over the Penn State defense. Hawkeye attacker Maya Hansen warped the ball with the outside of her foot, completely throwing off Poorbaugh to score in the bottom right corner. The goal was the culmination of the complete shift of momentum that glaringly appeared once Penn State pulled pressure away.

The last 15 minutes of the first half saw three Penn State counterattacks that did not find the back of the net. Fontenot trailed forward and backward trying to open up space, but the Nittany Lions headed into the break losing 2-1.

The second half started with heavy Penn State pressure similar to the first half, but Penn State made no breakaways. Fusco and White played together heavily on the right side, whipping balls into the box that were met with nothing but the staunch Iowa defense. Fusco covered the whole field early in the second half, filtering balls up top that could not compete with the Hawkeye defenders.

A scramble at midfield led to an Iowa attack that ended with another penalty revision against the Nittany Lions. The play was reviewed and no penalty was given again, saving the Nittany Lions early in the second half. White trailed back and forth up the right side to break up Iowa passes as Penn State began to lose the possession battle.

Olivia Damico and Kaitlyn MacBean headed the ball to each other in the 55th minute, but MacBean was tackled hard in the box to stop the chance. Overall, Penn State’s pressure was not present like it was at the beginning of the first half, causing substitutions to be made. Julia Raich came on for Riley Gleason while the Nittany Lions searched for a spark.

A series of slide tackles in the midfield couldn’t be controlled by either team until Iowa set up a through pass that was shot but saved comfortably by Poorbaugh. In the 60th minute, White took the ball up the right side and unleashed a promising cross forward with just a little too much power. However, the chance signaled Penn State finding a flow and opening the game up.

Penn State continued to win the ball in the midfield, but couldn’t find the last pass to create a solid chance at goal. Iowa’s defense intercepted passes and fed the midfield, which in turn made great crosses that Iowa got off to test Poorbaugh. Poorbaugh had to continuously come off her line and make awkward saves as the game began to slip and Iowa created more chances. As the 75th minute neared, Penn State was stuck defending and could not move the ball into Iowa’s half.

In the 77th, midfielder Olivia Borgen was fouled hard in a promising spot for a cross around midfield. Olive loomed over the ball and pinged it to the far right side, where it was headed out. Katie Scott fought to win the ball back and crossed the ball back into the box for a clear chance, but Iowa remained firm and cleared the ball away.

In the last 10 minutes, Iowa’s advantage allowed it to comfortably sit seven players back while simply kicking it up to players in the attack. A shot in the 84th minute was almost perfectly dinked over Poorbaugh, but a phenomenal save pushed the ball over the crossbar, keeping the Nittany Lions’ hope alive.

Fusco and White linked up again on multiple passes attempting to break through the Hawkeyes’ defenders, but ultimately to no avail. A final foul by Kaelyn Wolfe in the last two minutes sealed Iowa the win as Penn State’s final chances did not find the back of the net.

Takeaways

• Iowa’s defense was impenetrable after White’s early goal. The entire second half was a dogfight for Penn State to even get into the attacking third with promising passes. The extremely strong defense smothered the Nittany Lions completely.
• Jordan Fusco and Amelia White have great chemistry on the right side. Their one-two pass combinations and speed generate a lot of creativity that just needed to be finished off with cleaner crossed into the box.
• Penn State’s energy as a team significantly diminished after the initial 20 minutes. The high press of midfielders and attackers led to the early goal, and that strategy was immediately abandoned after Iowa’s equalizer. The high press and energy are essential to creating goal-scoring opportunities early on.

What’s Next?

Penn State will travel to Nebraska to take on the Cornhuskers on Sunday, September 29. Kick-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. as the Nittany Lions attempt to end their two-game skid.