It was a tale of two halves for Penn State during the 2022 campaign.
The Nittany Lions opened up their season on a tear after winning five of their first seven games.
However, the blue and white failed to continue its success when conference play rolled around, losing seven of the last eight games.
Penn State finished the season with a 6-9 record, losing all six of its Big Ten contests. The team was constantly matched up against tough competition, playing nine games against ranked opponents.
Of those nine contests, three were against teams ranked inside the top 10, with the best squad they squared off against being No. 3 Northwestern.
The Nittany Lions struggled in these games, going 1-8, with their lone win coming against No. 21 James Madison on March 9.
These matchups were not particularly close either, as they scored 79 goals while allowing 118, with the average margin of defeat at more than five goals per game.
Although ranked teams potted 39 more goals than Penn State, coach Missy Doherty's squad came extremely close to pulling off two upsets.
The first came at Panzer Stadium against No. 11 Princeton on March 19, when the blue and white lost 12-11.
It pulled off an excellent comeback trailing 7-2 midway through the second quarter, scoring six straight goals to take an 8-7 lead.
Trailing 11-9 heading into the fourth, Penn State scored two goals and pulled even with under two minutes remaining. The Tigers went on to break the hearts of the Nittany Lions, though, scoring the game-winning goal with just 32 seconds left.
The second affair came later in the season on Senior Day against archrival No. 19 Michigan.
After the two teams traded goals all contest long, extra time was necessary to find a winner.
Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, the Wolverines came away with an 8-7 victory after Jill Smith scored the game-winner with just one minute left in overtime.
Despite finishing under .500 for a second straight season, there were many positives for the blue and white.
Midfielder Kristin O’Neill was named an Inside Lacrosse All-American honorable mention after scoring 39 goals and tallying 51 points. O'Neill has won a multitude of awards since the season ended, also walking away with All-Big Ten first-team honors and All-Region first-team recognition.
The sophomore concluded the season with hat tricks in her final four games and registered 17 points during that stretch.
O’Neill wasn't the only second-year star to receive awards this offseason, as defender Sammy Dupcak gathered her first career All-Region and All-Big Ten honors. Dupcak enjoyed a breakout campaign as she emerged as one of the top defenders for Doherty.
The Annapolis, Maryland, native also stepped up on draws posting 35 draw controls on the campaign. Defensively, she led the team with 40 ground balls while causing 14 turnovers, including recording a career-high four forced in a loss against Johns Hopkins.
Outside of O’Neill on offense, junior Meghan Murray scored 21 goals in 12 games while only starting in three.
The blue and white also received a solid contribution from freshman Brooke Hoss, who tallied 23 goals — including six in the team’s last four contests.
The trio of O’Neill, Murray and Hoss should lead Penn State on the attack next campaign.
Freshman Ashley Bowan started in the net for the majority of the season and stood out in her first year in Happy Valley. Bowan had a 4-9 record with a .404 save percentage and a 10.56 goals-against average.
Despite the 2022 season not going as planned, Penn State has a bright future, with many young players continuing to develop. It showed that it can compete with some of the top teams in the nation, and Doherty has her team headed in the right direction.
Look for the blue and white to improve a great deal and start winning many more games next season.
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