We are almost there, folks. Penn State women’s soccer will be returning to the field on Thursday to kick off its 2025 campaign, which signals the beginning of Penn State’s fall athletic season.

The Nittany Lions will start the new season on the road to take on Duke on Thursday, August 14. Following their season opener, Penn State will play four straight home games against Saint Louis (August 21), West Virginia (August 24), Santa Clara (August 28), and James Madison (August 31) this month.

After making the quarterfinals in both the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament last season, Penn State will have high expectations heading into this season as many players from last year’s team are returning, have the nation’s fifth-ranked recruiting class, and the strongest signing group in the Big Ten as it looks to win its first national championship since 2015.

With head coach Erica Dambach’s squad looking to take the next step after making the national quarterfinals for consecutive years, here’s our preview of Penn State’s women’s soccer’s 2025 season.

Where the Nittany Lions Left Off Last Season

The last time we saw Penn State, it heartbreakingly fell 2-1 to the eventual champion, North Carolina, in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. The Nittany Lions were also eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament after losing to UCLA. They had a subpar regular season in the Big Ten, finishing 5-4-2 in conference play, which placed them 10th in the regular season standings.

Offseason

In the offseason, Penn State lost eight players, both on the offensive and defensive sides, due to graduation or entering the pros. Some of these players played a key role in helping the Nittany Lions reach the quarterfinals last season.

Jordan Fusco, who now plays for the San Diego Wave in the NWSL, started all 25 games for the Nittany Lions last season, leading the team with 12 assists. Katie Scott played in 11 games for Penn State as a freshman last season, where she scored two goals and added two assists before signing with Kansas City Current in the offseason.

On the midfield side, Rowan Lapi, who is under contract at KIF Obrebro in the second division of women’s soccer in Sweden and is an assistant coach for Northwestern due to a season-ending injury, appeared in 19 games where she scored four goals and added an assist while controlling the midfield. Natalie Wilson appeared in all 25 games for the Nittany Lions, where she tallied a pair of assists and scored a crucial goal in Penn State’s Sweet 16 win over Vanderbilt before going pro in Iceland.

Penn State lost its defensive anchor, Ginger Fontenot, who started all 25 games and helped the Nittany Lions become one of the best defenses in the Big Ten. Additionally, it lost Rebecca Cooke, Olivia Damico, Elle Kershner, and Devon Olive due to graduation or going pro.

Key Returners

Despite losing key contributors, Penn State will still have a lot of firepower this season as six starters from last year’s team will be returning, including star forward Kaitlyn MacBean.

Last season, MacBean had one of her best seasons with the Nittany Lions, scoring 16 goals and two assists. In the process, she earned All-American and All-Big Ten honors after starting in all of Penn State’s 25 matches last season. Alongside her, forward Amelia White will return after starting a career-high 20 games last season, where she tallied five assists along with one goal.

Midfielder Molly Martin played a crucial role in controlling the midfield last season as she started in all of Penn State’s 25 games. Even though she only scored one goal and had no assists, she played the most minutes on the field outside of the back three. On the defensive side, defenders Kayleigh Herr and Bella Ayscue will be key anchors on the defense this season, as both players appeared in all 25 games last season.

The last player returning from last year’s team is goalkeeper Mackenzie Gress, who had 53 saves and allowed 14 goals in 13 appearances. Other players that are returning are Olivia Borgen, Jolie Farmer, Kaelyn Wolfe, and Aubrey Kulpa. The Nittany Lions will have a lot of experience returning as all these starters played crucial roles in their run to the national quarterfinals last season.

Incoming, Noteworthy Players

Along with its six returning starters, Penn State will welcome seven incoming freshmen and two talented transfers that will add depth and firepower to this year’s 27-woman roster.

Joining the team from Germany is Sophia Weixler, who played for FC Bayern Munich’s U20 team for three seasons. In those three seasons, she appeared in 64 matches and contributed seven goals. She also played on the international circuit as she appeared with the German U15, U16, U17, and U19 women’s youth national teams. Another addition that came from the international ranks was midfielder Dikte Bang, who played in Denmark’s top-flight women’s soccer league. 

Another transfer joining the Nittany Lions this season is Taylor Cheatham, who spent the last two seasons with UCLA. Cheatham appeared in 34 matches during her time with the Bruins, where she had 766 minutes of playing time. Even though she only scored one goal and had two assists, she was a valuable contributor for UCLA off the bench on its way to a Big Ten Tournament title last season.

After an impressive high school career for three years at Oat Knoll High School and one year at Chatham High School, midfielder Riley Cross comes to Penn State as the No. 25 prospect in the nation. In her high school career, she scored 55 goals and earned two first-team All-Conference honors in her first two seasons with Oat Knoll before winning a state championship with Chatham in her senior year. She has gained a lot of attention across the soccer world as she was named an alternate for the 2024 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup for the United States. She has also participated in training camps with U15 and U17 Women’s Youth National Teams.

Along with Cross, Nicole Crane played for World Class FC prior to signing with the Nittany Lions. In her club career, she was named to the 2022 and 2024 All-Conference New England Team. She was also on the U17 National Team Roster and the 2024 ECNL All-American team. During her high school tenure, she was named All-State and Conference Player of the Year before being selected a 2024 High School All-American.

Another forward that will join Penn State’s roster is Kennedy Ring, who played on the same club as Crane. She was named a two-time ECNL All-American and ECNL Player of the Year. In the process, she was named to the U17 and U19 National teams and is currently a member of the U19-U20 player pool.

The other midfielders that will join the team alongside Cross are Hannah Jordan and Lily Ann Phillips. Jordan played at Southlake Carroll High School, where she won a state championship in 2022 and was named a first-team All-District selection four times. Phillips was the senior captain for her high school, Saint Marks High School. In the process, she was named a Regional All-American last year.

On the defensive side, the two recruits joining this year’s squad are Emma Fassora and Marlee Raymond. Fassora played for Real Colorado and led her team to a North American Cup title in 2023. She also played a key role in her squad’s Northwest Conference Championship win in 2022. Raymond was a two-way athlete at West Forsyth High School, where she played basketball and soccer. In her high school career, she was named All-Region, All-State, and two-time Defender of the Year. As for her club, she represented United Futbol Academy, where she received All-Conference honors, and participated on the United States Youth National U15, U16, U17, and U20 teams.