Women's soccer defeated by Nittany Lions 4-1

IU Coach Amy Berbary said she believes good teams create chances. Great teams finish them.

Sunday, Penn State finished its chances, and IU did not.

After heading into halftime at University Park, Pa., tied, the Hoosiers gave up three unanswered goals in the second half to lose 4-1 to the No. 8 Nittany Lions.

“We played well,” Berbary said. “We had our chances, but we couldn’t always take advantage.”

Penn State got on the board early with a goal in the sixth minute to take the lead.
The Hoosiers scored an equalizer in the 25th minute to regain some momentum when senior forward Rebecca Candler assisted junior midfielder Monica Melink for her second goal of the season.

Junior midfielder Abby Smith said the first half created excitement in the locker room, but it did not carry over into the final 45 minutes.

“We were really pumped going into the second half,” Smith said. “We kept them 1-1 and had a great goal from Monica. The second half, it kind of got away from us.”

The Hoosiers gave up three unanswered goals to the Nittany Lions in the second half despite only being outshot 16-17.

Berbary blamed the goal differential on not being able to finish opportunities.

“We had plenty of opportunities, but it’s kind of been the story of our season,” Berbary said. “We have created chances, but we really haven’t been able to execute them and put them away.”

The Hoosiers had a number of chances to score including a late chance in the first half to take a 2-1 lead off a shot from Candler.

Smith said she thinks just slowing down and making better decisions during scoring chances could help the Hoosiers find the back of the net more often.

“If we had just taken another breath in the last third of the field and just relaxed and made better choices with our chances we would have been better,” Smith said.

Although the score was 4-1, Smith said she is still pleased that the Hoosiers kept up with the No. 8-ranked Penn State.

“We played well,” she said. “They are one of the best teams in the country, so the fact that we played well against them makes us feel good, and we can take that into the next game.”

Berbary echoed Smith, but pointed out that the only thing that mattered at the end of the day was the record book.

“I don’t think the scoreboard was indicative of the play; however, that’s the score and that’s what people look at and that’s what matters,” Berbary said. “I think we can build from this and know that we can play with anyone in the country.”

The Hoosiers will return home next weekend to play a pair of Big Ten games against Northwestern and Illinois.

Smith will be looking to regain any momentum the Hoosiers lost over the weekend.

“(This week) is really important,” Smith said. “We just need a good week of practice. Having two home games will be important for us, and I think we can pick it up.”

IU’s two losses in the Big Ten will not help them in the standings, but the team is still focusing on its “one game at a time” mentality into next weekend.

“We really need to regroup,” Berbary said. “But Friday night is huge for us, so the most important game is Northwestern right now.”

Follow reporter Sam Beishuizen on Twitter @Sam_Beishuizen.