The third and final time came in the dying seconds of the match when none other than sophomore IU goalkeeper Colin Webb headed a corner into the side netting.
Most in attendance thought IU had tied the match and forced overtime.
The band began to play the fight song. It took mere seconds to realize where the ball ended up and that the game was lost.
Penn State staved off a number of IU attacks to preserve a first-half goal and win 1-0 against IU in the Big Ten opener.
“The bounce just didn’t go our way,” IU sophomore Tanner Thompson said. “That was the story of the game today.”
Firing 20 shots toward goal against a goalie in his first career collegiate game is often a recipe for success.
IU spent most of the game with possession of the ball in the Penn State half of the field.
The only problem is that possession and shots don’t win games. Goals do.
For all the shots IU sent bound for the goal, only two actually managed to arrive on frame.
“It’s really frustrating,” Thompson said. “In practice we practice on getting balls on goal, and today there were some that were just wide. Good shots but just wide.”
Thompson had two shots that either sliced wide of the post or sailed over the crossbar. He also had a few efforts toward goal and crossed toward teammates blocked by Penn State defenders.
Thompson was not the only Hoosier thwarted by the Nittany Lion defense. Nearly every time an IU attacker gained possession of the ball inside the 18-yard box, he was swarmed by a pack of Nittany Lions.
“Give Penn State credit,” IU Coach Todd Yeagley said. “Their guys were making some plays. If you can’t hit it the first time, you have to make sure to get it off the foot quickly, and I thought we did for the most part. I think part of it was Penn State making plays. As much as us not making plays, it was them.”
Since the Hoosiers struggled to maintain possession long enough inside the box to shoot, they figured they might try their luck 18 yards and out from goal.
“We wanted to test this keeper,” Yeagley said. “It’s a dewy night. You put things on frame. Get some sniffers. It’s a night where you put pressure on him, get a deflection, get a second chance, and that doesn’t always happen.”
The problem with extending the distance you shoot from is that the quality of shots you take are diluted.
It becomes exceedingly difficult to not only generate enough power and accuracy with the shot but also to navigate the shot through the pack of defenders stationed in the box the farther you get from goal.
“I thought we were a little aggressive with our finishing,” Yeagley said. “There were only a couple ill-advised ones that I thought were a little bit out of reach for the player, but I liked the mentality of ?looking for goal.”
In the end, Yeagley and his players said the team’s performance was the most impressive of the season going forward and that they were just unlucky to not find goal.
IU freshman Grant Lillard had a different way of describing the result.
“That’s soccer,” he said. “Sometimes it does that to you.”
