STATE COLLEGE − Yet one more excruciating Penn State soccer loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes lower exhausting right here Saturday.

For the followers who booed because the Nittany Lions left the sector.

For the top coach who jawed again at them.

For the gamers who could not make the few essential performs, but once more, to beat their omnipotent nemesis.

And so the nationwide storyline will proceed to circulation: A James Franklin-coached group cannot win the most important video games. Penn State cannot beat Ohio State. These Lions are nonetheless not “elite,” as Franklin promised six years in the past right here.

Sure, they nonetheless can rally and obtain the whole lot they ever needed within the expanded Faculty Soccer Playoff world. The most important downside is, who can imagine in that proper now? Not if centered on this type of day, in these moments, with an eighth-straight defeat to those Buckeyes.

As a result of, on Saturday, Penn State had stood tall with one grand alternative after one other to make the essential play and keep undefeated and overcome its big-game struggles.

And the Lions failed, over and once more, like they did in giving up large leads and dropping by some extent to Ohio State in 2017 and 2018. By giving up a fourth-quarter result in the Buckeyes in 2022. By having a game-changing landing referred to as again by penalty final 12 months.

This time? Twice, the Lions had a primary down contained in the 5-yard line. Twice, they failed to attain a single level.

It value them the sport.

Penn State soccer: ‘It is heartbreaking. It is one thing I want on no one.’

And, so, afterward, those that caught round from the record-setting Beaver Stadium crowd booed and derided Franklin. He rapidly boiled over, difficult one among them.

“I perceive the (fan) frustration,” Franklin mentioned, calm and picked up quarter-hour later within the postgame interview room.

“Guys within the locker room are simply as annoyed, if no more, however faculty soccer has modified. Now we have a chance transferring ahead to proper some wrongs from in the present day, and that’s what we’re going to deal with.

“I get the frustration. Now we have an unbelievable crowd right here in the present day, we get unbelievable assist. You don’t do this with out ardour. There’s nice issues that come from that and there’s exhausting issues that come from that. That’s a part of the job. And I personal all of it.” 

His gamers, after all, do, too. They had been principally stoic whereas speaking to reporters, virtually numb from all of it.

These like senior defensive chief D’von J-Thomas has misplaced to Ohio State each season, principally in shut, what-could-have-been video games. This was his sixth time.

“You chase perfection each single day. Within the low season, all of the exercises that we do, the quantity of movie that we watch, the eye to element, our method. So that you can undergo all of that and to come back into these conditions and never come by means of? Or not win out such as you assume you must, like you understand you must?”

He paused for a number of moments, and almost broke up.

“It’s heartbreaking. It’s one thing I want on no one.”

That’s comprehensible. It is also the identical storyline taking part in out once more − a minimum of till it isn’t.

As a result of Franklin and J-Thomas and different group leaders like quarterback Drew Allar and operating again Nick Singleton identified, over and once more, how this actually may be completely different.

The Lions have misplaced solely one among their greatest video games to this point, not two.

And one loss would virtually definitely get a top-10 group into the Faculty Soccer Playoff. (Penn State might be favored in its closing 4 video games).

Which, then, turns to this: For the primary time, this typical mid-season frustration can really be conquered and pushed away.

The Lions should show that, after all. A problem, at this second, that in all probability feels much more troublesome than it must.

That goes to the center of it: Permitting one other failure to fester vs. the potential revival there for the taking.

As a result of there actually nonetheless is a special type of alternative forward.

If they will simply get by how they really feel, once more, proper now.

Frank Bodani covers Penn State soccer for the York Day by day File and USA As we speak Community. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and comply with him on X, previously often known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.