Tani Costa

WOMEN’S PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Philly Soccer News Honors PSU’s Costa

Tani Costa is the Philly Soccer News Women’s College Player of the Year for 2010. Photo courtesy Penn State Sports Information.

Penn State forward Tani Costa has been named the Philly Soccer News Women’s College Player of the Year. She also is among the finalists for the Soccer News Network National player of the Year, which will be announced on January 6.

The nominations included athletes playing at colleges within the site’s coverage area, as well as athletes from the area playing collegiately elsewhere in the country.

Costa led the Nittany Lions with nine goals and five assists for a total of 23 points despite playing only 831 minutes in her first collegiate season. Three of her goals were game-winners, as she helped the Nittany Lions to a share of the Big Ten regular season title.

The native of Honolulu, Hawaii was voted to the All-Big Ten Second Team and All-Big Ten Freshman team in 2010. She recorded the 19th hat trick in PSU history against Indiana on October 28, and was the conference leader in points for the season with 20. Costa also tied for the Big Ten lead in goals with seven.

On Nov. 12, Costa scored the game-winner over Penn in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Two days later, she assisted on the lone PSU tally as the Nittany Lions bowed out of the tournament with a 2-1 loss to West Virginia.


Previous winners of the Philly Soccer News Women’s College Player of the Year Award are: 2007-- Jillian Loyden, Villanova; 2008-- Erin Hardiman, Villanova; 2009—Danielle Toney, Penn State