Nov. 6, 2009
The Penn State women’s soccer team clinched at least a share of the Big Ten title and a berth in this year's NCAA Championship by way of Michigan State upset over No. 11-ranked Ohio State on Friday afternoon. The No. 22-rated Nittany Lions will have an opportunity to capture the outright title on Sunday when they travel to meet the Michigan Wolverines in a Noon ET contest.
This marks the 12th-straight year PSU has earned at least a share of the conference title, dating back to 1997. With its recent dominance in the sport, the perennial power becomes only the second Big Ten women’s program to achieve the 12-conscutive milestone, joining the Michigan swimming and diving teams (1987-1998) in conference annals.
Heading into Friday’s pivotal contest between the Buckeyes and the Spartans, Penn State was knotted in a tie with OSU for first place atop the conference standings, each owning 7-1-1 records against Big Ten foes. With its conference ledger in the books, the Scarlet and Gray end the regular season with a 14-3-2, 7-2-1 mark, leaving the conference crown up for grabs with one game remaining for its fellow frontrunner.
In its first year without a conference tournament, the Big Ten regular-season champion garners the coveted automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. With a win over Michigan, Penn State will earn sole possession of the conference title, while a loss or a draw will still earn the defending champion its 14th-straight NCAA Tournament berth by virtue of its head-to-head 2-1 win over the Buckeyes on Oct. 4 earlier in the season.
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