When Ohio State drew the top seed in the Big Ten Tournament and saw it would play Iowa, a team it beat 2-0 earlier this season, the Buckeyes might’ve thought the first round was as good as a bye.

But as they have shown, the Hawkeyes would not let the season die without a fight.

While the resiliency that defined the Hawkeyes all season was with them for all 102 minutes of their match against Ohio State, it was not enough to quell the red-hot Buckeye team.

In the 103rd minute, Ohio State’s Sarah Roberts hit home a mishandled clearance to send her team onward, and Iowa packing, after a 2-1 finish.

“Even though today’s game didn’t go our way, I couldn’t be more proud of this team and the growth it made this season,” coach Dave DiIanni said in a release. “Ohio State is a good team that is having a great season, and we played even with them for 102 minutes tonight.”

It was a nail-biter from kickoff to the game-winning goal. The drama started mostly in favor of Ohio State, as its forwards put Iowa’s keeper, Claire Graves, under siege.

Graves and the Hawkeye defense held off the Buckeye attack, and they were able to fight their way back into the game.

It may have been scoreless at halftime, but a judge’s decision may have favored Ohio State, as it outshot Iowa, 6-2, in the first half.

The start of the second half looked to be more of the same for the Buckeyes, as again they were the aggressors, taking almost every single recorded shot.

Then, there was a leak in Iowa’s seemingly impenetrable defense, as Eleanor Gabriel’s header gave Ohio State a 1-0 lead at the 60-minute mark.

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At the time, the Hawkeyes had been outshot, 11-2, and there seemed little hope of that changing, but the Hawkeyes seem to play their best when all hope seems lost.

Natalie Winters subbed in shortly after the goal and breathed a little life into the Iowa offense; she was able to get 2 shots off, but both found their way to the Ohio State keeper’s gloves.

A few minutes later, the Hawkeyes were awarded a free kick. The kick glanced off Diane Senkowski’s head and bounced around the box until Morgan Kemerling sent it home to tie the game at 1.

The rest of the game was much more balanced, each team having an offensive run and neither amounting to goals, taking the game to overtime.

The first overtime was scoreless, but the Buckeyes outshot the Hawkeyes, 3-0.

Freshman Morgan Krause had an expert save to end the first overtime period, which seemed like that might flip the momentum in the
second overtime.

Unfortunately, that was not the narrative. A corner kick led the way for Roberts’ shot that ended the game and Iowa’s season.

It was a sad day for seven seniors who played their last game in the Black and Gold.

“I can’t say thank-you enough to these seniors who helped grow the culture of this program the last four years,” DiIanni said in a release. “They are great examples of what Hawkeye leaders are supposed to be.”