Most seniors only get one of them, but the elders of the No. 1 Penn State women's soccer team will get a bonus Senior Day this year.

Penn State's official Senior Day came against Navy on Oct. 30, but because the Nittany Lions were awarded a top seed in the NCAA tournament, they have had the chance for four extra home games in the tournament.

After winning their first three tournament games, the Lions (22-0-1) will continue their quest for a national championship against No. 2-seed Santa Clara (17-4-2) at 4 p.m. Friday at Jeffrey Field.

Senior forward Tiffany Weimer will be one of seven seniors playing their final game at home.

"It'll be sad if we lose," she said. "It won't be if we win because bigger and better things await. I don't want to end my career here."

Those bigger and better things include a possible trip to College Station, Texas, for the College Cup and a chance at Penn State's first national championship.

Fifth-year senior defender Lindsay Bach has been with the team longer than any other player and said it didn't really sink in that she only had, at best, about three weeks left of her Penn State career until after Saturday's win against No. 4-seed Texas A&M.

"It kind of hit me that I have one last game at Jeffrey Field," Bach said. "There's just no better way to end my career here at Penn State."

The Lions have made the trip to the Elite Eight seven of the past eight years, and Bach has been with the team for four of those seasons.

Even though the seniors are saying their final farewell to Jeffrey Field, Penn State women's soccer coach Paula Wilkins is looking forward to their futures rather than focusing on the sad aspect of them leaving the program.

"I don't really look at it that way," she said. "I look at it as a journey for them, and I'm excited for them."

Wilkins expects that each senior will go in very different directions with some playing in the United States and others pursuing their dreams of playing professional soccer overseas.

All season, Penn State has thrived by keeping possession of the ball most of the game, but Santa Clara also plays that game well. While the Bronco's offense doesn't come close to the output of Penn State's -- the Lions have scored 30 more goals than the Broncos -- Santa Clara's defense has held opponents to just 13 goals this year.

"Their system of play is one that is difficult to break down," Wilkins said. "They're able to keep possession for a long amount, and I don't think we've seen so many teams that can do that against us."

Santa Clara usually plays in sunny SoCal, but will have to make the cross-country pilgrimage to State College, where cold temperatures and possibly even a snow flurry are expected for the game.

"Hopefully that will get them out of their game a little bit," Bach said.

Despite recent setbacks including the loss of Ali Krieger to a broken right leg and a Big Ten Tournament loss, the team has rebounded well, outscoring opponents 15-3 in the tournament.

"Everyone is just feelin' it," Bach said. "We're proving everyone wrong."

Wilkins insists that her team must continue to take it one game at a time, even with a national championship approaching on the radar.

But with the seniors' final game at Jeffrey Field this weekend, they soon won't have the luxury of looking to the next game. Wilkins praised the seniors, saying they have represented Penn State well on and off the field.

"They've kept the tradition alive at Penn State," she said.