Oct. 29, 2013
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa- Even in the midst of a tough stretch, the Penn State women's soccer team proved one thing about their character; they refuse to give up no matter the situation.
Going up against Big Ten leading Nebraska, the Nittany Lions rallied back from a 2-1 deficit to send the game to overtime, before going toe to toe with the Cornhuskers for two extra periods in a game that ultimately ended in a 3-2 loss for Penn State.
"They gave the performance of a winning team today," said head coach Erica Walsh. "Obviously it's frustrating to get this kind of result but we saw a lot of positives."
One positive thing Walsh saw out of her squad was the continued determination and resolve that they have displayed all season.
Following a goal by Nebraska freshman forward Jaycie Johnson with seven minutes remaining to put the Cornhuskers up one, the Nittany Lions stayed calm and battled back.
Their relentlessness paid off with just under two minutes left on the clock, when freshman defender Brittany Basinger sent a ball into the box that senior forward Maya Hayes headed in to send the game into overtime.
"We showed great effort, great heart, and great desire at the end [against Nebraska]," said Walsh. "We were very effective with our second and third chances which I liked to see."
In a match that saw Walsh's crew outshoot Nebraska 19-16, the Nittany Lions traded blows with the Cornhuskers throughout overtime before Johnson tallied her second goal of the afternoon three minutes into the second extra frame to end the game.
What stood out to Walsh after the game was not the fact that her team came out on the wrong end of the score, but rather the leadership that her veterans displayed.
"I saw great senior leadership out there today and especially in overtime," said Walsh. "Not only were Maya (Hayes) and Taylor (Schram) leading the charge but I heard so many different voices out there."
The loss came two days after the Nittany Lions dropped another had fought contest in which luck was hard to come by at Iowa.
Against the Hawkeyes, senior forward Tani Costa acted as the catalyst, drilling in a penalty kick and adding a second goal in an evenly fought match that ended as a 3-2 Iowa win.
Costa, who has been extremely effective coming off the bench for the Nittany Lions, gave what Walsh described as one of the best performances the senior has ever given.
"She is definitely playing the best soccer of her career right now," said Walsh. "She is dependable and does everything we ask of her and more."
Despite coming up short in consecutive heartbreakers, the Nittany Lions can walk away from this weekend having learned multiple things about themselves.
The biggest takeaway for the Lions is that no matter how close to defeat they may seem, they still have the skill and firepower to turn things around.
Secondly, Walsh believes her crew proved they have the ability to play with the best the Big Ten has to offer, with just a few tough bounces separating them from victory last weekend.
"The way we played [on Sunday] was top notch," said Walsh. "It hurts to lose but we know what we have to do moving forward."
Above everything else, the reigning National Coach of the Year believes the leadership and teamwork displayed by her squad will make them harder to break moving forward.
From seniors like Hayes and Schram all the way down to freshmen like Basinger, every member of the Lions knows what is needed of them to be successful.
"I think everyone on the team saw what it meant to be a leader," said Walsh. "They know what the expectations are and they know what they're capable of."
With only one regular season game remaining before the Big Ten Tournament begins, Penn State is looking forward to more opportunities against their in-conference foes.
Moving forward, the Nittany Lions will look to use what they learned this weekend to find success in the future, starting on Friday, Nov. 1 at Michigan State.
"This weekend was a reality check for us," said Walsh. "Still, at the end of the day we know we got better."