Women's soccer to host first round of NCAA Tourney

After coming off of another incredible regular season in which it won its sixth straight Big Ten title, the Penn State women's soccer team recorded a disappointing loss in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament for the second straight year.

Disappointing? Not if last season is any indication.

After losing to Illinois in the first round of the 2002 conference tournament, the Nittany Lions rebounded to win four NCAA Tournament games en route to the College Cup, soccer's equivalent to the Final Four.

And this year, despite another early Big Ten exit, the Lions (16-3-2) enter the NCAA Tournament as the No. 5 overall seed and will host three other teams in the opening two rounds this weekend.

The Lions drew Navy (17-4-1) in the opening round, which will be played on Friday at Jeffrey Field. Also travelling to Happy Valley will be Maryland (11-8-1) and Rutgers (10-6-4), both of which the Lions have played on the road this season -- a 3-0 victory over the Terrapins in early September and a scoreless tie with the Scarlet Knights in mid September.

The Mids are heading into their first women's soccer NCAA Tournament in school history after winning the Patriot League Tournament over the weekend, with a 4-1 win over top seeded American.

Despite coming off of a loss to a non-tournament team in Wisconsin on Thursday, the Lions have what has to be a considered a favorable road to its second straight College Cup appearance.

The Lions are the second highest seeded team in their 16-team region, behind only No. 4 UCLA (16-1-3), a team they beat on the road in last year's regular season. The way the bracket is set up, Penn State would not have to face a top 16 seed until the third round at the earliest. No. 12 Duke (13-6-1) would be the favorite to face the Lions.

Soccer America Senior Editor Scott French is among those who believe Penn State will challenge for a spot in the College Cup.

"Penn State is outstanding," French said at the tournament selection show. "With Tiffany Weimer and one of the best midfielders around in Joanna Lohman, they'll be tough."