Oct. 8, 2013
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - If there is one thing the Penn State women's soccer team has prided themselves on this year, it has been their ability to control the flow of the game and outshoot their opponents on a consistent basis.
It is an aspect that the Blue and White once again displayed on Sunday, outshooting Minnesota 20-6 in a contest where at the end of the day, the ball just didn't bounce the Nittany Lions' way.
Despite getting 13 shots off in the second half, Minnesota goaltender Tarah Hobbs stood tall as the Nittany Lions dropped only their second game of the season, 1-0, just two days after they began the weekend with a 2-1 victory at Wisconsin.
"We came up with some great chances today but (Tarah) Hobbs was just tremendous," said Penn State head coach Erica Walsh. "We kept getting shots off we just couldn't get a ball into the back of the net."
After falling behind 16 minutes into the game on a shot by Minnesota sophomore forward Haley Helverson, the Lions turned the momentum of the game, keeping the ball in Gopher territory for the remainder of the game and creating numerous chances.
Even with the disappointment of having the Nittany Lions nine game winning streak snapped, Walsh remained positive about the fire that her squad displayed.
"I think we came out in the second half with a lot of energy," said Walsh. "We couldn't have been more committed to tying the game. We just didn't get the bounces we needed."
Walsh's crew started their first Big Ten road trip of the season with a bang on Friday, when they outdueled Wisconsin on the Badgers home turf.
During a first half in which they once again dictated the flow of the game, the Lions produced back-to-back goals from senior forwards Tani Costa and Maya Hayes during the final 15 minutes of the period, and didn't allow the Badgers to get on the board until late in the second half.
"I think our performance against Wisconsin was hands down our most complete game of the season," said Walsh. "Our offense was clicking and the backline gave a great defensive effort."
Hayes, who scored her team leading 13th goal of the season to give Penn State a 2-0 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first half, also had the opportunity to display her passing skills.
With the Nittany Lions offense knocking on the Badgers door just five minutes earlier, Hayes beat a defender before hitting Costa with a crossing pass that the senior slotted past keeper Genevieve Richards from six yards out to get Penn State on the board.
"I started off wide just to be an option but once I got the ball I headed towards the box and saw Tani making a great run," said Hayes. "Luckily I was able to find her and she got it into the back of the net."
Having fallen behind 2-0 and having had to fight their way back the last time they played a Friday night game on the road - at Oklahoma State - the Nittany Lions were determined to come out strong against Wisconsin.
At this point in the season, Hayes and her teammates have had enough experience to handle the atmosphere and the environment that comes with playing against Big Ten opponents on the road.
"I think that game (against Oklahoma State) gave us an idea of how to deal with the energy and the emotion of playing in front of a hostile crowd," said Hayes. "We didn't want a repeat of that first half so we made sure we were ready from the start."
While Hayes acknowledged that the setback to Minnesota was dissatisfying for a squad that hadn't lost to a Big Ten opponent in the regular season since 2011, the All-American believes that her team will come back stronger than ever.
The key now will be keeping their focus on the opponent at hand and not allowing themselves to think too far ahead.
"The second half (against Minnesota) was a completely different game and we know that we have it in us to take control of the game," said Hayes. "From here on out we just need to take it one game at a time and treat every game like we're playing for a national championship."