Nov. 6, 2008
IOWA CITY, Iowa - The top-seeded Nittany Lions defeated host and No. 8 seed Iowa 2-1 on Thursday night to advance to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament. Penn State now improves to 14-7 while Iowa ends its season at 9-11-1. Scoring for Penn State was senior defender Jessie Davis (Fairfax, Va.) and sophomore forward Danielle Toney (Northville, Mich.).
The Nittany Lions got off to a slow start in the first half giving up three tough shots from the Hawkeye strikers. After they settled down, they regained control and forced Iowa to play up to their tempo.
Penn State got on the board first after a well executed corner kick. Megan Monroig (Northumberland, Pa.) sent the ball sailing into the six yard box. The opposing teams battled for control as Zoe Bouchelle (Cockeysville, Md.) headed ball to Davis who then fired a shot just below the crossbar for her first goal of the season. The Nittany Lions continued to dominate the first half putting pressure on the net and limiting Hawkeye opportunities.
Penn State returned in the second half facing a tough headwind. But the Nittany Lions attacked quickly as Bouchelle picked up her second assist crossing the ball to Toney who then launched a shot into the lower right corner past a diving Emily Moran.
Iowa got on the board in the 76th minute on a breakaway. Stephanie Hyink sent the ball down the field to Alexandria Seydel. Seydel then found Alyssa Cosnek who headed the ball into the lower right corner of the Penn State net to make the score 2-1.
The Hawkeyes continued to take advantage of the wind at their backs with a few more scoring opportunities, but the Nittany Lion defense slammed the door as the clock winded down.
Throughout the match Penn State outshot Iowa 18-5. The Nittany Lions had a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks as well. Alyssa Naeher (Seymour, Conn.) tallied two saves while Moran collected three.
The Nittany Lions will return to the Iowa Soccer Complex at 4:30 ET tomorrow to face Michigan State. Tomorrow's match will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and live stats will continue to be provided throughout the remainder of the tournament.