UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The only consolation for the Rutgers women's soccer team following today's 2-0 loss to Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament championship game was that the Scarlet Knights won't have to wait long to do something about their disappointment.

Despite a defeat that ended a school-best 10-game unbeaten streak, No. 7-ranked Rutgers (16-3-2) has positioned itself for a favorable seed when the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed on Monday.

It's where the Scarlet Knights have to immediately turn their attention after being stung early by two first-half goals by No. 9-ranked Penn State, which improved to 16-3-2 overall in denying Rutgers its first outright conference championship since 2007.

"We definitely didn't play the way we wanted to play today," said senior defender Brianne Reed. "You go to bed imagining you're going to be the one holding up that (championship) trophy at the end of the day.

"But when you go out and don't play the way you want to, it's tough. We just didn't execute today."

With an RPI of No. 3 - and that was before playing a top 10 team on the road - Rutgers should have the chance to have at least one home game in the NCAA Tournament.

"It just wasn't our day today," head coach Mike O'Neill said. "At the same time we played against a very good team. But we have to flush it. We're 16-3-2. We can't have our heads down.

"We have a selection show on Monday. We know we're in the NCAAs. We know we're going to get a good seed. We need to let this go and focus on who we get on Monday."

But the frustration from coming up short today was hard to disguise in the immediate aftermath. The Scarlet Knights' game-long struggles on offense against the homestanding Nittany Lions - they were outshot 10-5 - marked the first time Rutgers has failed to reach the back of the net since a scoreless tie against Purdue on Oct. 11.

They had not allowed two goals in the first half all season either.

"The first goal they got, and getting it so quickly, was kind of deflating," said junior forward/midfielder Madison Tiernan, who earned all-tournament honors along with senior Erica Skroski. "Then they get that second goal and you're going into the half down 2-0. That's tough when you're away from home against a good team.

"But I'm proud of this team. We gave it everything we had."

The Scarlet Knights found themselves fighting what would be a game-long uphill battle - and in unfamiliar territory - by the ninth minute, when Penn State converted off a corner kick for that early 1-0 lead after most of the play to that point was spent in the middle part of the field.

Nikolette Driesse's corner found Raquel Rodriguez open in front of the goal from 12 yards out and her header found teammate Elizabeth Ball right in front of a screened Casey Murphy. Ball re-directed Rodriguez' header with another header to give the Nittany Lions that early advantage.

That was immediately a problem because Penn State was 14-0-0 when scoring first this season.

That problem doubled in the 26th minute when Rutgers' defense couldn't clear from Penn State's ongoing pressure. That eventually left Emily Ogle open from 20 yards out, and her unobstructed shot found the back of the net to make it 2-0.

It was just the second time Rutgers has allowed two goals in a game this season - and the first time conceding two in the opening half.

"I didn't feel we played our best," said O'Neill, whose team sports the highest ranking in program history and needs one win to set a school single-season record. "But I'm so proud of this team. I feel so blessed to be their coach. This is the best team in my 15 years here - the best team I've ever been involved with."

And it's not done playing yet.

"We'll take a day to think about this and move on," said Reed. "We're looking to get a good seed, get back home and see how far we can go. We're not done yet. We can still make a statement."

Game Notes

• Defender Erica Skroski and forward Madison Tiernan were each added to the All-Tournament Team.
• The loss to No. 9 Penn State was RU's first against a ranked opponent this season. Rutgers is 3-1 in 2015 against ranked opposition.
• The defeat snapped a program-best 10-match unbeaten streak.
• RU was outshot for just the third time this season.
• Rutgers trailed entering the halftime locker room for the first time this season. The two Penn State goals scored in the first half were a season-high.
• In nationally televised contests, Rutgers fell to 2-2 on the year. RU is 1-2 on the Big Ten Network.
• Penn State topped Rutgers for the first time in five tries. The Scarlet Knights had won the previous four meetings against the Nittany Lions. The all-time series moves to 8-5-1 in favor of Penn State
• Katkowski started her 85th consecutive game for Rutgers since her career began in 2012. She is now second on Rutgers' all-time list for starts in a career.
• Skroski played the full time for the 19th time this season. Reed and Katkowski logged the full time for the 15th time.