UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State women’s soccer’s Molly Martin and Bella Ayscue garnered national recognition on Wednesday with placement on TopDrawerSoccer’s preseason top 100 players list. Martin placed No. 71 in the rankings while Ayscue made an appearance at No. 99.
Martin garnered her second preseason honor ahead of the 2026 campaign after being named a Big Ten Player to Watch earlier in August. The fifth-year midfielder anchored the Blue & White midfield with a start in all 21 fixtures a season ago, totaling six points with four assists and a game-winning goal. The Acton, Massachusetts native, served as a key piece on both sides of the ball with her four assists ranking among the most on the squad in addition to helping Penn State’s back end allow just 25 goals and 12.4 shots per game.
Ayscue is also no stranger to preseason recognition, having been named a United Soccer Coaches Defender to Watch for the second year in a row on August 3. The junior started every match in 2025 as a leader of Penn State’s defensive corps. She helped anchor a unit that produced six shutouts in addition to conceding only 1.19 goals per match. The Apex, North Carolina native, proved herself as a two-way defender with two goals and an assist for five points. She successfully placed four of her seven shot attempts on target for a team-best .571 shots-on-goal percentage among players with multiple attempts.
Penn State opens its 33rd varsity season with a trip to South Bend, Indiana to face off against the second-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Sunday. Kickoff from Alumni Stadium is set for noon (ET) with a broadcast on ACCNX and the ESPN app.
Penn State is fresh off another trip to the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Tournament, with PSU reaching the big dance in each of the last 31 seasons in addition to booking a second round-or-better finish in each of the last 17 years. The Nittany Lions reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament a year ago and cracked the 10-win threshold for the 32nd year in a row, a stretch of consistent success that runs concurrently with PSU’s entire varsity history since 1994. The Blue & White return team captains Mackenzie Gress and Molly Martin, as well as the program’s leading scorer from the 2025 season in rising-junior Aubrey Kulpa, who totaled 22 points in just 15 appearances a season ago.
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Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State women’s soccer. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion women’s soccer team on X and Instagram @PennStateWSOC, in addition to the team’s Facebook page at /PSUWomensSoccer.