The head coaching vacancy for the Penn State women's soccer team will be officially posted for external candidates on the NCAA and Black Coaches Association Web sites no later than this Friday, according to a Penn State press release.

Stephanie Petulla, assistant director of Athletic Communications, said yesterday that the search to replace Paula Wilkins, who resigned last week to take the same position at the University of Wisconsin, will be an open one, and that both internal and external candidates will be eligible to apply.

"Obviously, this is a very appealing opening to a lot of coaches nationwide," she said. "We should get some good candidates to apply. We've won nine titles in a row in our conference, so there's a very good base here and I would imagine that there would be a lot of attention to it nationally from a lot of different areas.

"They are going to take whoever the best applicant that applies."

While it remains to be seen who will ultimately replace Wilkins, one familiar name has already thrown his hat into the ring.

Assistant coach Tim Rosenfeld confirmed yesterday that he would be applying for the job.

"What draws me to the position is that it is Penn State," he said. "I'm here, my family is here, and I love the area, the program and I want to win a national championship with these women."

Rosenfeld, a native of Thunder Bay, Canada, rejoined the Penn State coaching staff in 2001 after spending three years as head coach for the women's soccer team at St. Francis (Pa.), where he amassed a 19-38 record from 1998-2000.

Prior to coaching the Red Flash, Rosenfeld was an assistant with the Penn State men's soccer team in 1997 and an assistant with the women's team in 1996.

In his current stint with the Nittany Lions, Rosenfeld, who played goaltender at the University of Toronto and in the Canadian Soccer League, has most notably mentored two-time All-American, and former Penn State goaltender, Erin McLeod, and also current goaltenders Alyssa Naeher and Kate Milstead.

"I'm excited about the challenge of being a head coach again, and I can't think of a better place to do it," he said.

Despite the Lions going through a coaching change for only the second time in their 13-year history, Rosenfeld feels strongly that the current team "is poised to win a national championship," which is what will attract many high-profile candidates from across the country.

"The players are in place, the program has been established and it will carry on and do good things," he said.

"I don't know how many top-five, top-10 programs open up every year, but it's not many -- maybe one every five years or not even that. My expectation is that Penn State will have a lot of quality applicants to choose from for sure."

Fellow assistant coach Michael Coll, who is in his third year with the Lions, said he will not be a candidate in the initial applicant pool but hopes to remain on staff at his current position, regardless of who Wilkins' successor is.