Nov. 8, 2013
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Penn State dropped a heartbreaker in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Friday, as Iowa defeated the Nittany Lions 4-3 in overtime. The Hawkeyes' used three second half goals to tie the match and scored in the first three minutes of the extra session to pull off the upset.
The Nittany Lions received goals from Jenna Chrismer (Mountain Top, Pa.), Taylor Herold (Fredericksburg, Pa.) and Brittany Grzwacz (Collegeville, Pa.). Penn State led the match at 2-0 and 3-2 but could not hold its lead.
The Nittany Lions could not have drawn up a better start to the match, as Penn State scored its quickest goal of the season. Iowa's keeper failed to clear the ball and Chrismer collected the loose ball and fired into the cage from just inside the right of the circle.
After the opening goal, Penn State continued to press forward looking to add to its lead. The Nittany Lions fired six shots between the fourth and 22nd minute but were unable to beat the Iowa keeper.
With 12:40 left in the first frame, Herold doubled the Penn State lead to 2-0 from a beautiful goal. Reddig ran the end line and slotted a pass to Herold who slid to her knees and one-timed a shot into the top corner of the cage. The goal was the junior's team-leading 12th score of the season.
PSU took the two-score advantage into the halftime break. Statistically, the Lions dominated the opening 35 minutes of play. The Blue and White outshot the Hawkeyes 11-3 and attempted five penalty corners, while holding Iowa to just two chances.
Penn State registered the first shot of the second half, with Ashtin Klingler (Selinsgrove, Pa.) having a great effort turned just over the bar from Iowa's goalkeeper.
In the 47th minute, Iowa drew back within one score, as Natalie Cafone, the Big Ten's second-leading goal scorer, beat Penn State's goalie in a one-on-one situation for her 20th goal of the season. The goal made the score cut the Nittany Lion lead to just 2-1 with over 20 minutes left in match.
Eight minutes after Iowa got on the board, it leveled the match at 2-2 off a penalty stroke. The Hawkeyes' Marike Stribos barely snuck a low shot past Kylie Licata (Mountain Top, Pa.) into the right corner of the cage.
The Lions had a barrage of penalty corners with two minutes left in regulation. Penn State earned a penalty stroke with 1:11 left on the clock after a Hawkeye stopped a PSU shot with her arm. Grzywacz stepped up to the spot and ripped a shot into the bottom right corner of the cage to give the Blue and White a one goal lead with a minute left.
Unfortunately for the Lions, the lead did not hold. Iowa was awarded a penalty corner with no time left on the clock. The Hawkeyes' Dani Hemeon found the back of the net and sent the match to overtime at 3-3.
Less than two and a half minutes into the extra session, Iowa's Cafone got behind the PSU defense and scored her second goal of the match to upset the top-seeded Lions by a final of 4-3.
The Nittany Lions now have to wait and see if they receive an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. Penn State will learn its fate on Sunday night at 10 p.m. when the bracket is released.
MATCH NOTES: The Nittany Lions now have an all-time record of 24-14 in the Big Ten Tournament ... Penn State is now 4-3 on Fridays ... The Blue and White's record moves to 20-27-1 vs. Iowa in the all-time series ... Chrismer's goal was the fastest scored by PSU all season ... PSU is now 9-1 when leading at the half ... The loss is Penn State's first in the Big Ten Tournament since dropping a 3-4 overtime decision to Michigan in the semifinals in 2010.