Yes, they lost out on the Big Ten regular season title. Yes, they lost in the final game of the Big Ten tournament. So are the Penn State field hockey players nervous about the NCAA tournament? No.
As the No. 6 Nittany Lions waited to see if they would receive an at-large bid to this year's tournament, there were no depressed feelings. They were proud of their play in the Big Ten tournament, and were anxious to see if they would get a chance to continue their playoff dreams.
Dreams come true.
The Lions will take on No. 8 North Carolina in the first round of the NCAA tournament at 2 p.m. tomorrow in College Park, Md. If Penn State advances, it will play the winner of the No. 2 Maryland versus No. 17 Richmond game.
"We just evaluated our play, and we're ready," junior Mallory Weisen said. "We were just waiting for [the seeding]. It's just very exciting. We have another chance, and this one matters the most."
Penn State has a 6-17-1 all-time record against the Tar Heels, but the Lions pulled out an exciting 2-1 victory in mid-October.
The game proved to be an intense slobber knocker until the end, which led Penn State coach Char Morett to call it "an outstanding, competitive game."
UNC scored within the first three minutes of that game. Weisen had the equalizer 13 minutes later, and sophomore Britney Long connected with one of the nicest goals of the season before halftime.
The outcome of that game just adds to the excitement that the players are feeling toward this weekend's tournament. Although they were so close to the Big Ten Tournament championship, they were not down after Iowa defeated them 2-1. It's a feeling that everyone is planning to remember in this tournament.
"I've had a chance to watch the Iowa tape, and I thought we played possession of the ball," Morett said. "Our organization on the field was very good. Our connectedness on the field was very good. I like the way we're playing right now."
That closeness and cohesiveness of the team is something that both Morett and Weisen labeled as one of Penn State's strongest assets this season.
"We're a very close team," Weisen said.
"We're on the same level as to what we need to do, how we need to do it. After the upset in the Big Ten Tournament, we're very motivated and focused."
Things that need improvement are defensive and going into the attacking 25 strong, according to Morett. Executing penalty corners plagued the Lions in this year's game against the Tar Heels, but they hope this time will be different.
There are a lot of different variables that will be a test for both teams. Most importantly, the Lions are filled with confidence and motivation that few other teams will have.
"Playing North Carolina is a great matchup, because I think we're two skilled teams that match up well against each other," Morett said. "I do like the fact that we know who we're playing and how they play a little bit. But, it's obviously going to be another time of year that we're playing them. It's tournament time."
