before this weekend, head coach Michele Madison had said the Big Ten Tournament was anyone’s game.

Those thoughts turned out to be more accurate than she knew.

Despite the MSU field hockey team’s No. 1 seeding and first-round bye, the team lost 3-2 in double overtime to Iowa in the second round in Evanston, Ill., on Saturday.

Iowa forward Pattie Gillern led the Hawkeyes to a 3-2 overtime win over Penn State in the first round to advance to the game against MSU.

Iowa showcased its offensive skills, scoring the first two goals in the game and causing the Spartans to play catch up throughout the second half.

“Their offense was pretty quick,” junior forward Cynthia Martin said. “They played street hockey. They just hit it through and chased after it, it was a hard fight.”

With fewer than 11 minutes remaining in regulation, senior forward Jessica Wheeler scored the first Spartan goal with an assist by junior back Jenny Sanders.

Freshman midfielder Annebet Beerman tied the game with a rebound shot with only three minutes remaining in the game.

“We really didn’t know if we could score two goals against the Iowa defense but we just went out there and tried,” head coach Michele Madison said.

Late in double overtime, Gillern led her team to victory again with an unassisted goal that knocked MSU out of the bracket.

“We were down one player in the overtime because Judith (van Haeringen) got a yellow card,” Madison said. “They got a two-on-one going downfield, (Gillern) got open in the corner and she knocked it in.”

MSU didn’t lack opportunities throughout the game, outshooting Iowa 28-15, but Iowa goalkeeper Barbara Weinberg recorded 17 saves to frustrate the Spartans’ chances.

“Sometimes in the beginning it was (tough against their defense), but I think we played a really good game,” sophomore midfielder Sophie Rosmalen said. “They had a really good goalie, their goalie was amazing.”

With the win, Iowa advanced to the tournament finals, where it lost 2-1 to Ohio State on Sunday.

The Spartans, on the other hand, went to the finals as spectators.

“It was really disappointing to lose, especially in overtime,” Martin said.

But the Spartans didn’t leave Evanston without any distinctions - Martin and Rosmalen were named to the All-Tournament team.

The NCAA Tournament bids will be announced Tuesday and the team will learn if its season has ended or not.

“We’re happy with the way we played,” Martin said. “We just have to come home and prepare for the NCAA Tournament.”