Nov. 18, 2013
By Matt Allibone, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa- Heading into the opening game of the NCAA Tournament, Tani Costa was well aware that she was about to play her final match under the lights at Jeffrey Field, and the Penn State senior forward was determined to make it count.
Going up against a Monmouth squad that hadn't allowed a goal in nine straight games, Costa broke down the barrier in the Hawks defense, scoring twice to help the Nittany Lions kick off the NCAA Tournament with a 3-0 victory.
"The energy before the game in the locker room was absolutely electric," said Costa. "I felt so confident and happy to have one more chance to play with my teammates on Jeffrey Field."
With Penn State taking control of possession right off the bat, the Honolulu, Hawaii native didn't wait long to make an impact, getting the Lions on the board just over six minutes into the game.
Positioning herself in her favorite spot in front of the net, Costa finished off a beautiful slotted cross from sophomore forward Mallory Weber to put Monmouth in an early hole.
"Mallory [Weber] is so fast and she is able to get around almost any defender," said Costa. "She put it on the ground perfectly for me and I just did what I always do."
The Nittany Lions would continue to keep the Hawks under fire for the remainder of the first half, getting 14 first half shots, yet finding themselves unable to extend their lead.
With the Blue and White looking to put more distance between themselves and Monmouth, Costa would once again come through, this time six minutes into the second half with the help of fellow seniors Taylor Schram and Maya Hayes.
The Nittany Lions have worked on their ball movement all year, and it showed during a brilliant series of passes that saw Hayes send a through ball to Schram who then fed a pass to Costa that the Nittany Lions second leading scorer finished off from 12 yards out.
"Taylor [Schram] is so tricky and it's really fun to score on a play like that," said Costa. "It was definitely one of my favorite goals because you don't get plays that work out that well often."
Not only did the goal give Costa her career-high 10th goals on the season, it gave the Nittany Lions more breathing room in a contest that they had control of for virtually 90 minutes.
Monmouth goalkeeper Ashley Lewis, who entered the game having registered 16 shutouts on the year, made nine saves in a valiant effort that eventually came up short against the Nittany Lions relentless attack.
"When you're only up one goal you can't have a lapse and you have to stay urgent," said Costa. "We just had to keep our foot on the gas pedal."
As impressive as the offensive was in getting off 25 shots, the Nittany Lions defense was just as stellar, limiting Monmouth to 11 shots and keeping them off the scoreboard to register their sixth shutout of the season.
Not only did the Nittany Lions backline stymie the Hawks attack, they also provided the finishing touches on the team's scoring, with junior defender Whitney Church heading in a third Penn State goal off of a corner kick from Schram with 25 minutes remaining.
"We held it strong in the back and it's great to be getting shutouts at the end of the season when they matter the most," said Church. "On the goal I was just happy to help out in any way I could and I got a great ball from Taylor [Schram]."
Having entered the tournament as a No. 4 seed after experiencing a number of tough losses earlier in the season, the Nittany Lions went into Friday night striving to establish consistency and put forth a complete team effort.
After an excellent week of practice, head coach Erica Walsh had very little to complain about following her team's victory.
"All around I think it was a really strong performance which is what you need at this point in the season," said Walsh. "I'm proud of the fight our players showed tonight."
For Costa, being able to be the catalyst for her team in her final home match made the game one of the most memorable ones of her career.
"This one definitely ranks up there because it was my last game on Jeffrey Field and I was able to help my team get a win and advance," said Costa. "Playing on this field under the lights and in these conditions is just magical to me."