Replacing a senior starter is difficult in any sport.

Just ask Iowa freshman goalkeeper Kathleen McGraw, who has assumed the spot in the cage left by now-graduated netminder Lissa Munley. The former Hawkeye started at goalie in 82 out of a possible 83 games during her Iowa career and posted 15 shutouts.

To say Munley leaves big shoes to fill is a colossal understatement. But McGraw broke through during Iowa’s 1-0 victory against Penn State on Sunday, earning her first career doughnut.

McGraw might not record 14 more in her career, but Sunday’s performance may have made those shoes just a tad more snug.

“It’s a tall task to be a freshman in goal at any program,” Iowa head coach Tracey Griesbaum said. “To be in the Big Ten and handle the schedule that we do and be a freshman … It’s a lot on their shoulders.”

Initially, things didn’t look so promising. McGraw’s first start came on Sept. 5 at UMass. She allowed four goals in Iowa’s 4-3 defeat.

But since then, she has gotten better.

In seven out of her 10 starts afterward, she has given up two goals or fewer. She helped the Hawkeyes earn a shutout in Iowa’s 12-0 win against St. Louis on Sept. 19, sharing time with fellow freshman Kelsey Boyce.

Griesbaum is aware of the strides McGraw has made. The 10th year head coach said McGraw has appeared more confident each week.

Still, the youngster needed more than just confidence to help her team nail down a 1-0 victory against Penn State. She needed grit — and she had it.

McGraw and the Hawkeye defense faced four-straight Penn State penalty corners in the game’s closing minutes. The second was blocked, but McGraw proved to be as clutch as a freshman goalie could, stopping the Nittany Lions’ first, third, and fourth shots.

Although appearing cool behind her goalie equipment, McGraw admitted that her heart was “going a little bit.”

Even after posting her first career shutout, the Atherton, Calif., native was quick to give credit to her teammates. One of those teammates, senior Meghan Beamesderfer, was at a loss of words when trying to express how proud she was.

“[McGraw’s] been playing awesome this entire season,” she said. “I’m just so proud of her. I have so much — what’s the word? I believe so much in her, so I’m really happy that she was able to get a shutout.”