"It makes us hungrier," Penn State coach Suzanne Isidor said of the team's failure to earn a regular season conference win.
"We know we could have beaten any of those teams on any day, but they were good enough to beat us, too," she added.
The Lions will get a chance to avenge their most heartbreaking loss of the season against the Buckeyes. On April 20, Ohio State netted a last-second goal to defeat Penn State, 9-8, at Jeffrey Field.
Isidor said that she thought Penn State should have won that game, as the Lions dominated the time of possession, draw controls and total shots. They couldn't capitalize on their many opportunities, though, and walked away from that game with a loss.
Still, Penn State's recent slide doesn't worry Isidor, who has remained optimistic during the losing streak.
"Our team defense has struggled the last couple games and we've been getting used to playing without Jessi [Lieb]," she said. "But we're going out there to win the conference tournament. We have no doubt we can do it."
It will be a tough path for whoever escapes the Penn State-Ohio State matchup. The winner will face No. 1 Northwestern, the reigning national champion, tonight.
The winner there, it will meet the winner of the Johns Hopkins-Vanderbilt semifinal game for the championship game on Sunday.
The Lions lost their only game at Homewood Field this year, dropping a 17-10 decision to Johns Hopkins there last week. It was not the way the team wanted to end the regular season, but this weekend's tournament gives the Lions a chance to make amends.
"Losing to Hopkins was not the way we wanted to end conference play," attacker Karen Long said. "But we feel lucky that we get a chance to play all the teams we lost to again in the tournament."
After beginning the season with a 6-1 record, Penn State sputtered to a 2-6 finish, with all four ALC losses coming in those last eight games. Isidor has continuously talked about the importance of good team defense and shot selection, something that wasn't always there the first time the Lions and Buckeyes met.
With a few good bounces, Isidor feels her team could have a much better record. But the regular season is in the past now, and she has a new focus and a positive outlook for the tournament.
"We're going to stay all weekend," Isidor said. "That's the mindset we're in."
