There's nothing new for the Penn State women's soccer team. But, then again, winning doesn't get old.

History has repeated itself again, as the No. 8 Nittany Lions have clinched their sixth-straight Big Ten regular-season conference title and are favored to win the post-season conference tournament.

"It's really quite an accomplishment because we had a little bit of a hiccup early in the Big Ten season and came back to have big wins against Illinois and Ohio State on the road," Penn State women's soccer coach Paula Wilkins said.

The Lions (16-2-2, 9-1) finished the regular season as they have in the past five years with at least a .750 winning percentage and a string of accolades.

This season, though, they ended one spot below their preseason national ranking of seven.

"I don't really put stock in the rankings," Wilkins said. "I put it more in the team's performance on the field. If I had to vote right now, I'd probably rank us about fifth [in the country]."

The only two losses incurred by the Lions were to nationally ranked opponents in then-No. 21 Florida State and then-No. 24 Purdue.

Penn State also tied with Rutgers and Santa Clara, which was ranked second in the nation at the time.

Throughout the season, the Lions downed a total of six ranked teams and, in the end, finished higher than any opponent they faced during the season.

In addition, several members of the squad garnered national recognition. Senior captain Joanna Lohman was in the national spotlight before the season began. She played up to expectations in mid-September when she was named Big Ten offensive player of the week, named to Soccer Buzz's Elite Team of the Week and to Soccer America's Team of the Week.

In different weeks, sophomore Tiffany Weimer earned the exact same praises as Lohman, as well as earning back-to-back honors as Big Ten offensive player of the week.

Goalkeeper Amanda Brown was Big Ten defensive player of the week, Leigh Hamilton was named to Soccer Buzz's Elite Team of the Week.

In addition, Heidi Drummond was the last Big Ten offensive player of the week on the season.

"I think drawing national recognition helps recruiting-wise," Wilkins said, "and it helps when you play other teams. It makes them a little leery of you and it gives you the upper hand in that sense."

Wilkins said that her team has great confidence going into the postseason but needs to give up less "soft goals," which she said result from unnecessary defensive errors. The Lions will match up with eighth seed and host Wisconsin next Thursday in their opening game of this year's Big Ten Tournament.