University Park, Pa. -- The 2003 Penn State women's soccer team accomplished one of it's goals Sunday by raising its Big Ten record to 8-1 and clinching its sixth-straight conference regular season title.
The Lions had to await the outcome of the Purdue vs. Illinois game before they could celebrate, however, and once the dust settled and those two teams ended in a tie, Penn State was assured the 2003 championship with one conference game remaining.
The Nittany Lions have won an amazing six of 10 Big Ten championships since the program began in 1994.
On the strength of scoring leaders Tiffany Weimer (North Haven, Conn.) and Joanna Lohman (Silver Spring, Md.) who are the No. 1 and No. 2 scorers in the Big Ten respectively, and goalkeeper Amanda Brown (Manasquan, N.J.) and a Lion defense that pitched five Big Ten shutouts, the Lions clinched the title by defeating Wisconsin, 5-0, at Jeffrey Field. The win also extended their home win streak to 27-straight games.
"This is a great accomplishment for this team," said Penn State head coach Paula Wilkins. "This doesn't mean that we're satisfied winning the Big Ten regular season championship, though. We've set our goals very high for this team after making it to the College Cup last season. We have a lot more we want to do this year from finishing the regular season strong to leaving our mark at both the Big Ten tournament and in the NCAA tournament. This was definitely one of our preseason goals, though, and it feels good to have it locked away."
No. 11 Penn State has a tough week ahead as it meets No. 25 Ohio State tonight (Oct. 24) at 7:30 p.m. in Columbus before rounding out the regular season with a regional tilt at No. 7 West Virginia. The game in Morgantown pits the Mid-Atlantic Region's second-place Mountaineers vs. the third-place Nittany Lions. That game begins at 1 p.m. in Morgantown.
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For more on Penn State women's soccer, visit http://www.GoPSUsports.com/soccerw