Despite losing in the Big Ten tournament championship game on Sunday, the No. 3 Penn State women's soccer team cashed in its rebate for its best regular season ever.

With 18 wins this season, the Nittany Lions found out yesterday that they earned the No. 2 seed for the NCAA tournament.

"We were all in the team room watching, and when they said it, we were all jumping around and screaming," junior goalkeeper Erin McLeod said.

The squad that set numerous school records all season became the highest-seeded soccer team in Penn State history.

As the top seed in their bracket, the Lions will host the State University of New York at Binghamton on Friday.

Coach Paula Wilkins was also very happy with the news.

"It's a great honor to get a seed like that," she said. "It's a testament to some of the great things this team has done this season. It's also a starting point for a new season."

Wilkins added that she did not expect to get the second seed with teams like No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 4 Virginia also in contention.

Reigning NCAA champion North Carolina will start its quest for its 18th College Cup as the No. 1 seed. Virginia earned the No. 3 spot with its upset win against UNC on Sunday, and Notre Dame rounded out the top four.

After a disappointing game against No. 13 Ohio State on Sunday, the Lions were hoping to put the loss behind them and focus on the NCAA tournament. Yesterday's news only helped the confidence level on the team.

"It's amazing; we're all really excited," McLeod said. "The loss behind, we realize it was just a glitch, and we'll only be stronger because of it."

Penn State is on the side of the bracket opposite UNC, so the two teams would only meet if both made it to the College Cup final. Another perk is that Penn State will host the first four rounds of the NCAA tournament, or as long as the Lions stay in the event.

With a 38-game home winning streak, the Lions welcome the idea of playing all their games on Jeffrey Field. The final two rounds are played at SAS Stadium in Cary, N.C.

"It's pretty important for us because we do pretty well at home," Wilkins said. "The team takes pride playing there."

Binghamton won the American East championship and enters the tournament with a 14-5-1 record. This marks the first time the Bearcats have made it to the NCAA tournament.

Last year's No. 5 seed was the highest seed the Lions had previously attained. In a possible second-round matchup, Penn State would face the winner of the Maryland-Loyola game.