No. 12 Penn State field hockey (12-6, 7-2 Big Ten) fell to No. 10 Iowa (13-4, 5-4 Big Ten) 2-1 on a rainy Wednesday evening on Ohio State’s campus.

The No. 3-seed Nittany Lions, fresh off an upset of No. 1 Northwestern, traveled to Columbus, Ohio, for the Big Ten Tournament to face No. 6-seed Iowa — the only team that beat Penn State in its 8-1 month of October.

In slick conditions, Penn State struck first on a deep pass to Morgan Snyder, who found Joji Purdy for a one-on-one with Iowa’s goalkeeper. Iowa knotted it up in the final minutes of the first half with a breakaway and dominated the ball for most, if not all, of the second half. The Hawkeyes finally broke through and scored to win 2-1.

How It Happened

As rain fell in Columbus, Penn State kicked off the match with the center pass, but a turnover a minute later, due to the conditions, gave the Hawkeyes possession. Iowa played it back to its defense, which opened up a breakaway on the near sideline, but goalkeeper Aby Deverka stopped it.

Iowa got another look on a loose ball in front of the net after Deverka’s attempt to kick it away was unsuccessful, but she recovered and made another save.

The Nittany Lions took possession near the sideline, and Snyder launched a pass through the air ahead to Purdy. Purdy brought it into the circle, beat goalkeeper Julia Claessens one-on-one, and knocked it in for a 1-0 Penn State lead just five minutes into the game.

joji gets our first goal of the b1g tournament#GameOn | #PSUFH pic.twitter.com/QNvE6UE1PN

— Penn State Field Hockey (@PennStateFH) November 4, 2026

Penn State dominated ball control out of the center pass, but with over seven minutes left, the Hawkeyes came flying downfield. Fréderique van Cleef dribbled into the shooting circle, and Deverka met her halfway up to block her shot.

Each team made their pass heading downfield in the remaining minutes of the frame, but neither team had a goal, or even a shot, to show for it.

Penn State started the second quarter with the ball and played it backward to move forward. However, a misplayed ball by Olivia Marthins led to a turnover. Iowa finally moved into Penn State’s territory with over 11 minutes remaining in the half. The Hawkeyes earned the first corner penalty moments later.

Dionne van Aalsum took the shot for Iowa, but Deverka’s extension knocked it away. The Hawkeyes took it back into the shooting circle just a moment later and seemingly scored, though upon review, Amber Millard-Smith kicked the ball, and the goal was overturned.

Iowa continued to pressure with clean passes inside the shooting circle, earning its second corner of the match at the seven-minute mark. Van Aalsum took the shot, and Deverka’s leg pad handled it.

An errant pass after Penn State cleared the ball out of the circle set the Nittany Lions up downfield, but nothing came to fruition. The two teams exchanged possession near midfield with no threat to score until Van Cleef stole the ball away with three minutes remaining in the half.

She weaved through Penn State’s defense, pulling Deverka out of position next to the net, and fired a backhand shot into the top-right to knot it up, 1-1.

Van Cleef brought the ball into the shooting circle just a minute and a half later, but this time Deverka got her blocker on it to keep the score tied heading into the half.

Iowa started with possession to open the second half and threatened quickly, bringing the ball into the shooting circle. The Nittany Lions’ defense handled it and cleared the ball downfield.

Through the first five minutes of the first half, Penn State had not possessed the ball in Iowa territory. The Hawkeyes fired continuous shots inside the shooting circle that Deverka diverted, but the Nittany Lions couldn’t move the ball forward.

At the eight-minute mark of the half, Penn State finally had control of the ball downfield, but an errant pass gave it right back to Iowa.

The Hawkeyes found themselves down Penn State’s half of the field within seconds and already had recorded a few shots on Deverka. Natalie Freeman finally stopped the nonsense and moved into Iowa territory with four minutes remaining.

Ella Gaitan dribbled into the shooting circle and attempted a late pass, but no one was home. The offense finally came to life a little, clearing balls downfield and creating opportunities, even if nothing came of it.

Time expired in the third, tied 1-1.

The fourth quarter opened with Iowa in possession, pressuring the Penn State defense early, as the Hawkeyes did in the third.

They drained the Penn State defense for eight minutes before finally breaking through and scoring. Van Aalsum picked up a loose ball in the shooting circle, and her shot rolled past Deverka to give Iowa a 2-1 lead.

Penn State continued to struggle to move the ball downfield, and even when it did, the ball was stripped away. With four minutes remaining, Deverka was pulled to give the Nittany Lions an extra stick on the field.

They had the ball in the shooting circle, but couldn’t get a shot off. As time dwindled, the Nittany Lions couldn’t get the ball past Iowa, even with the extra stick. Finally, Freeman gained possession and sent it up to Purdy. With 50 seconds remaining, Sienna Dunn moved into the shooting circle but was credited with a foul, and Iowa took the ball back.

Iowa held on until the clock expired for a 2-1 victory.

Takeaways

• Morgan Snyder and Joji Purdy kicked things off for the Nittany Lions, scoring only their fourth goal of the season in the first quarter. It was Purdy’s fourth goal of the season, and after posting six last year, it’s a good time to get Purdy going.
• Penn State struggled to bring the ball into the shooting circle. The team did not generate a penalty corner against the Hawkeyes, who had two. But that wasn’t the extent of it. The Nittany Lions produced few shooting opportunities, recording two shots on goal to Iowa’s nine, and relied on their defense to neutralize the Hawkeyes.
• Aby Deverka was a major reason Penn State stayed in the game. Deverka made seven saves, most in the second half, when the Nittany Lions struggled to move the ball upfield.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions have been eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament, though their season may not be over yet. Penn State could still be selected as an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament.

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