Iowa soccer loses to Penn State at Big Ten Tournament

The No. 5 Hawkeyes could not defeat the No. 4 Nittany Lions in the Big Ten Quarterfinals after giving up two first-half goals.

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Wyatt Dlouhy

Iowa Head Coach Dave Diianni speaks to the team during the Iowa versus Ohio State game at the University of Iowa Soccer Complex on Sunday, October 27, 2019. The Hawkeyes defeated the Buckeyes 2-1 in double overtime.

Isaac Goffin, Sports Reporter

Iowa soccer could not capitalize on its opportunity to win the Big Ten as it lost in the conference quarterfinal, 2-0, against Penn State on Sunday.

Freshman midfielder and forward Payton Linnehan scored in the 21st minute, the ball just over the goal line before bouncing off the crossbar. The goal was originally not called but was after review, giving the Nittany Lions a 1-0 lead.

Fourteen minutes later, sophomore midfielder and forward Rachel Wasserman scored in the top-right corner of the net after a corner kick, giving Penn State the winning lead.

It was the third game this season where the Hawkeyes were shut out.

“All year this team has given us its best and today was the same,” head coach Dave DiIanni said in a release. “We played with courage and competitiveness against a good Penn State team, and, unfortunately today, we were punished for two mistakes and didn’t capitalize on the opportunities we had.”

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Though the score doesn’t suggest it, the Hawkeyes did have plenty of chances to score, as they outshot the Nittany Lions 12-6 and had six shots on goal compared to the Nittany Lions’ three. The Hawkeyes also led the game in corner kicks, 3-2

The Nittany Lions did have more saves, as they saved six shots compared to the Hawkeye’s one. At the beginning of the second half, Hawkeye senior goalkeeper Claire Graves was subbed out for redshirt freshman Monica Wilhelm.

The Hawkeyes will have to wait until Nov. 11 to see if they made the NCAA Tournament.

“We have had a fantastic season, won some big games on the road, and accomplished something that has only been done once in our history: winning 15 regular season games,” DiIanni said in a release. “I am proud of how this group of women has grown and developed as players and people this season. This group has done enough to get a call in a week. Now, we wait a week to find out.”