Penn State Women’s Soccer Lands at No. 4 in Preseason Poll

Penn State women’s soccer was tabbed as one of the favorites to compete for a national title in 2017.

The Nittany Lions were returning a slew of talent from the 2015 NCAA Championship winning team, including a number of players who missed the 2016 season while playing with the USA U20 National Team.

Despite a disappointing regular season, Erica Dambach’s bunch reached the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals before falling 4-0 to the top seed and eventual champions Stanford.

This year, the Nittany Lions are once again in the thick of the things.

Penn State landed at No. 4 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll released on Wednesday.

Stanford, UCLA and Duke made up the top three spots in the poll.

The Nittany Lions join B1G compatriots Ohio State (No. 23) and Rutgers (No. 24) in the initial top 25.

Penn State opens the season on Aug. 9 at 7:30 p.m. at Jeffrey Field against No. 9 West Virginia.

For the complete poll, visit the United Soccer Coaches website here.