STATE COLLEGE, PA. — Iowa Hawkeye soccer erased an early deficit with a long-range strike from Sara Batchadji and battled Penn State to a 1-1 draw Thursday night at Jeffrey Field, extending Iowa’s unusual run of Big Ten ties to three consecutive matches.
The Hawkeyes moved to 5-2-4 overall and 0-1-3 in Big Ten play. Penn State moved to 4-2-3 overall and 2-1-1 in conference action.
Iowa entered the night after battling Illinois to a scoreless draw and surviving 65 minutes shorthanded in another scoreless draw against Nebraska.
This time, the Hawkeyes had to come from behind.
Penn State strikes quickly
Penn State wasted little time grabbing control.
Aubrey Kulpa scored in the fifth minute to put the Nittany Lions ahead 1-0 and force Iowa to chase the match almost from the opening whistle.
Penn State controlled much of the first half, holding a 9-2 advantage in shots and a 4-2 edge in corner kicks.
Iowa goalkeeper Braelynn Galt kept the Hawkeyes alive.
Galt stopped five Penn State shots during the opening 45 minutes, allowing Iowa to reach halftime trailing by only one goal.
Batchadji brings Iowa back
The Hawkeyes emerged as the aggressor after halftime.
Iowa reversed the shot disparity, outshooting Penn State 10-6 in the second half while earning four corner kicks to Penn State’s one.
That pressure finally paid off in the 71st minute.
Batchadji unleashed a long-range effort that sailed over the Penn State goalkeeper and into the net, pulling Iowa even at 1-1.
Berit Parten earned the assist, her sixth of the season.
The goal was Batchadji’s second of the year.
Neither team could find the winner during the remaining minutes, leaving the Hawkeyes with their third consecutive draw.
It is the first time Iowa has tied three straight matches since 2012.
Galt stands tall again
Galt finished with seven saves, matching her season high.
The Iowa goalkeeper has been instrumental during the Hawkeyes’ recent Big Ten stretch. She also recorded seven saves when Iowa fought Nebraska to a scoreless draw despite playing most of the match with 10 players.
Batchadji led Iowa’s attack Thursday with three shots, including two on goal.
Parten continued to find ways onto the scoresheet. She has recorded at least one point in every match in which Iowa has scored this season.
Iowa’s Big Ten campaign began with a frustrating 1-0 loss at Minnesota despite the Hawkeyes controlling the shot count. Since then, Iowa has gone unbeaten in three conference matches — but all three have ended in draws.
World Cup trio returns
Thursday also brought reinforcements back to the Hawkeye lineup.
Léa Larouche, Iba Oching and Lianna Tarasco returned for the first time since August 20 after representing Canada at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.
Larouche made her first career start for Iowa.
Oching played the full 90 minutes, becoming the 11th Hawkeye this season to go the distance in a match. Batchadji and Millie Greer also played all 90 minutes.
No. 8 Ohio State awaits
The Hawkeyes won’t have much time to savor the comeback.
Iowa continues its road trip Sunday with a major Big Ten test against No. 8 Ohio State at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus.
Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. Central time.
Iowa will head into the nationally ranked matchup looking for its first Big Ten victory after one loss and three consecutive draws to open conference play.