Kim Dubs committed to play college soccer at Penn State sight unseen.

The freshman forward from Zürich, Switzerland, became the final member of head coach Erica Dambach’s 2018 recruiting class after Laura Freigang turned pro in June, opening up a spot for her on the roster.

“She’s doing a wonderful job with the team, but I give her all the credit in the world,” Dambach said. “That takes a lot of courage to get on a plane and move over here.”

After a few Skype calls and plenty of research, Dubs packed her bags and traveled more than 4,000 miles to State College for the start of training camp in August. She’s made an instant impact for the Nittany Lions this season, coming off the bench in each of the team’s first five matches.

“I love it,” Dubs said of Penn State. “Everyone’s super welcoming and the soccer’s great as well.”

The former BSC Young Boys club prodigy played 43 minutes against West Virginia in her Penn State debut, helping the Nittany Lions start their 2018 campaign strong with a 1-0 win against the preseason ninth-ranked team in the nation. Dambach said Dubs’ cleverness on the ball has been an asset to the team, calling her a tricky player to defend.

“I thought Kim had a heck of a first game. She was poised, she kept the ball for us, made good decisions whether to go or whether to possess. I thought she was real dangerous,” Dambach said.

Dubs scored her first collegiate goal in a 6-0 win over Duquesne two days later, finishing the rebound on a blocked shot in the 88th minute. She’s played the most minutes of any freshman on the team so far (189).

“I think she’s just a beast,” sophomore forward Frankie Tagliaferri said. “She has this energy where you can always count on her to have a good first touch, to get her head up to find you, and she always works hard.”

Dambach and assistant coach Tim Wassell, who’s in charge of international recruiting, have done an excellent job of finding quality talent abroad the past few years.

Freigang and senior defender Alina Ortega Jurado both hail from Germany, while Raquel Rodríguez scored Costa Rica’s first ever goal in the 2015 Women’s World Cup.

Rodríguez took home the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy that same year after scoring the lone goal for the Nittany Lions in their national championship victory over Duke.

Dubs has extensive experience playing for the Swiss youth national teams. Her squad advanced to the semifinals of the 2016 UEFA European Women’s U-19 Championship.

Junior goalkeeper Amanda Dennis said this Penn State program particularly appreciates the elements that international players like her new Swiss teammate bring to the table.

“It’s awesome when we have girls come over here and give that kind of European flair,” Dennis said. “We love bringing in internationals. They add so much depth to our team, and we allow them to play their style of soccer and incorporate it into our game. I think she’s got a bright future.”