PARK RIDGE, Ill. - Three Big Ten women's soccer programs have earned spots in the NSCAA/adidas Preseason Poll which was released Aug. 15. Defending regular-season champion Penn State was slotted as the nation's No. 3 team while Illinois was ranked 13th and Purdue earned the 21st spot. 

The Nittany Lions will be vying for their ninth-consecutive Big Ten title this fall after finishing last season with a record of 23-0-2, 10-0 in Big Ten play and advancing to the semifinal round of the NCAA Championships.  PSU finished the 2005 season ranked No. 2 in the NSCAA/adidas national poll.

Illinois ended its season fourth in the conference at 6-3-1 while notching an 11-5-5 overall record while the Boilermakers finished second in Big Ten action with a 7-2-1 conference mark.

The Big Ten women's soccer season kicks off on Friday, Aug. 25, with all 11 conference teams in action.