Penn State women’s soccer has high expectations this season, according to the Big Ten coaches.

The Nittany Lions are ranked first in the conference’s preseason poll for an incredible 18th consecutive year. Wisconsin and Michigan, picked to finish No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, are among the notable contenders this year.

The United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll won’t come out until next week, so it is unclear how Penn State shapes up nationally. However, TopDrawerSoccer announced earlier this month that it projected the Nittany Lions at No. 13; Michigan also appeared on that list at No. 20.

On top of being the team to watch in the Big Ten this year, Penn State had three seniors make the preseason “Players To Watch” list. Forward Kerry Abello and midfielders Sam Coffey and Kerry Abello were tabbed by the 14 Big Ten coaches as impactful ahead of the campaign.

Coffey and Abello have already been named to other national lists, namely the TopDrawerSoccer Preseason 100. Coffey has high praise, both within the conference and the NCAA. TopDrawerSoccer projects her as the No. 2 player in the nation, while Abello is No. 43.

Penn State didn’t reach its preseason billing in 2019 in the regular season, coming in fourth in the Big Ten. However, the Nittany Lions made an impressive run en route to a conference tournament championship and followed it up with an NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen appearance.