The Gophers fell to Iowa 1-0 at home Saturday. While the Gophers controlled possession for most of the game, they failed to score a goal for the first time this season.

Minnesota (4-5-0, 1-2-0 Big Ten) had 22 shots total to Iowa’s nine and had several chances around the Iowa goal.

“It’s always heartbreaking when that happens — when you feel like you had control the majority of the game and it doesn’t end up falling that way,” associate head coach Krystle Seidel said. “It was great that we were creating chances. That’s excellent. And that’s just how the game goes; sometimes you can’t find the back of the net.”

The game was delayed for 30 minutes due to inclement weather, but once it began, the two sides appeared fairly even, with both creating chances early.

But Iowa (8-1-0, 3-0-0 Big Ten) took the lead on a corner kick in the 33rd minute that bounced off the head of several Gophers and Hawkeyes players before going past sophomore goaltender Tarah Hobbs.

“It was just a miscommunication, and they got one good touch and it went in the back of the net,” sophomore forward Simone Kolander said. “That’s the game of soccer. Stuff like that happens. Sometimes the team that keeps the ball the whole time isn’t always the team that comes up with the win.”

The Gophers continued to fight throughout the rest of the first half and into the second half, but Iowa’s defense and its junior goalkeeper Hannah Clark held firm.

“They did a good job, their defense, of making sure they had enough pressure on us to force us to not always get the cleanest looks,” Seidel said.

After the game, the Gophers honored their four seniors — Becca Roberts, Olivia Schultz, Katie Thyken and Taylor Wodnick — for their contributions to the program. After the game, Schultz said that receiving the honor on the field felt a little “bittersweet.”

“Obviously the loss kind of put a damper on it,” Schultz said. “But it was nice to be recognized for all the work the seniors have put in.”

Despite the tough loss, the Gophers don’t seem to be hanging their heads. Schultz called it one of the team’s most complete games of the season, and head coach Stefanie Golan had an uplifting message after the game.

“Coach said, ‘I thought that we deserved some goals in that game,’” Kolander said. “We were working our butts off, getting the ball all the way down there, and had a lot of opportunities.”

Seidel said the team should keep pushing forward despite the loss and “swing positive” starting next weekend at Purdue and Indiana.

“We’re three games into a 13-game series,” Seidel said of the team’s Big Ten schedule. “There’s a lot of season left, and you can’t let one of these games be the defining moment of your season in a negative way.”