No. 19 Penn State field hockey (11-5, 5-2 Big Ten) falls to No. 6 Iowa (12-3, 4-3 Big Ten) on Sunday afternoon.

The Nittany Lions’ eight-game win streak ends after Dionne van Aalsum scored Iowa’s lone goal in the second half.

How it Happened

Penn State controlled the opening possession for about two minutes before turning it over to Iowa. 

Both teams used their defensive skills to prevent any goal-scoring opportunity, and the first shot didn’t come until the 10:30 mark of the first quarter for the Hawkeyes.

The Hawkeyes earned their first penalty corner with 6:46 left in the first quarter. Frederique Van Cleef went behind the line for the Hawkeyes and couldn’t convert, but another penalty corner was drawn for Iowa.

Aby Deverka deflected the second penalty corner with her stick, allowing the Nittany Lions to regain possession and prevent an early Iowa lead. 

Iowa tried to work something up in the final 30 seconds of the quarter; with less than three seconds left, Iowa got a good shot that Deverka blocked.

Lara Pyle, who netted the lone goal in the upset victory over No. 16 Indiana on Friday, worked through multiple Iowa defenders, but the Hawkeyes poked the ball away.

Penn State thought it had a good look after an Iowa turnover at the 16-minute mark, with Sienna Dunn in control, but the Hawkeyes quickly stole it before Penn State could set up.

Tess Reed got a good look for Iowa inside the 7:30 mark of the second quarter, but Penn State worked her outside shooting range and forced a turnover.

Iowa recorded its third penalty corner with 6:15 left in the second after Deverka blocked a shot by Van Cleef. Amber Millard Smith went behind the line for Iowa, but Tea Fortpeid blocked a shot.

Penn State got its first shot at 24:36, but Julia Claessens made the save.

Penn State had a good lock with 45 seconds left in the first half as Ella Gaitan found Dhage right outside the circle, but the Hawkeyes quickly stole it away.

The first penalty corner of the second half came with 13:31 left in the third quarter. Millard-Smith went behind the line for the Hawkeyes and found Dionne van Aalsum, who found room behind Deverka to give Iowa a 1-0 lead.

Josephine Purdy took the first shot of the second half for Penn State, but Claessens stopped it. Pyle took the first shot of the fourth quarter for the Nittany Lions, but Claessens blocked it in the net.

Iowa earned another penalty corner with 8:21 left in the final quarter; Van Cleef went behind the line, and Deverka blocked a shot by Fortpied.

With 4:24 left in regulation, Gaitain replaced Deverka, leaving the net open. Lexi Haig shot for Iowa on the empty net, but Lilly Holmes made a much-needed defensive save.

With 56 seconds remaining in regulation, Purdy took Penn State’s fifth shot, but Claessens blocked it. 

Penn State earned its first penalty corner with 51 seconds remaining. Camryn Standish went behind the line for the Nittany Lions, and Gaitain looked to score the equalizer, but Claessens made a needed save to keep the game from turning over.

With nine seconds left in regulation, Penn State earned its second penalty corner of the match. Standish went behind the line for the Nittany Lions, and a last-minute effort by Gaitain went high, and the Hawkeyes prevailed 1-0.

Takeaways

• At the end of the first quarter, Penn State had zero shots, and Iowa had five. Penn State played well defensively, blocking most of the ball movement despite Iowa’s aggressive offense.
• At halftime, Penn State had only one shot on goal and one total shot, while the Hawkeyes had eight total shots, two on goal. Iowa also had three corners and Penn State had zero.
• Penn State will need to take more shots if it wants a chance to beat No. 2 Northwestern at home on Friday. They had seven shots, only three on goal, all game, while Iowa had 15 shots, five on goal. 

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will finish out the Big Ten regular season on Friday, October 30, as they host No. 2 Northwestern at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex at 3:00 p.m.