EAST LANSING – In one of the most anticipated conference matchups of the season, the No. 4 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions came into DeMartin Stadium and took down Michigan State, 3-1.
Penn State stays undefeated this season, moving to 10-0-2, while MSU falls to 8-3-2.
MSU head coach Jeff Hosler was frustrated with the end result, but said he felt his team was the superior team for much of the game.
“My guess is they had three or four shots the entire game,” said Hosler. “I thought, despite the score, we had a much superior team in the first half. The territory we had, the chances we were looking to create, but we just shot ourselves in the foot.”
The first half saw two goals from Penn State, but MSU put pressure on the rigorous Penn State defense the entire half. MSU had four shots, with two on goal in the first half, but failed to capitalize on a defense that has only allowed four goals all season.
Fouls played a large part in the second half. Nine fouls were called in the second half on MSU, compared to PSU’s four. With this came controversy, as the crowd and the MSU squad did not appreciate some of the calls, namely a call that ended in a penalty kick for Penn State.
“In the end, I think it was a ridiculously awful decision, and to review and still have that same decision is unacceptable,” said Hosler.
For weeks, Hosler has reiterated that the one thing MSU needs to do better is reacting quicker and finishing scoring chances in the box. Again today, Hosler was not pleased with some of the decisions made when scoring opportunities were in front of them.
“We need to get shots off. We’re in on the dribble and already beat the keeper, and we try to collect it and then we had that shot blocked by the defender,” said Hosler. “We just have to finish those chances. We’ve been harping on it all year.”
Raegan Cox had the lone goal for the Spartans, connecting on an assist from Justina Gaynor and Emerson Sargeant.
Even after a tough loss however, Hosler knows what this team is capable of moving forward.
“If that’s the fourth ranked team in the country, then it shows what we are capable of,” said Hosler. “It shows what we really can be and are at times. We have a longer week now to prepare to play a real quality opponent again come Saturday.”
Michigan State takes on in-state rival Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Oct. 7 at 7:00 p.m.
