MATCH DAY: Penn State WSOC at No. 2 Notre Dame

OPENING KICKOFF

• Penn State women’s soccer embarks on its 33rd season, the 20th under the direction of head coach Erica Dambach, with a premier nonconference matchup on the road against No. 2 Notre Dame on Sunday, August 16. Kickoff from Alumni Stadium in South Bend, Indiana is set for noon (ET) with a broadcast on ACCNX and the ESPN app.  

• With a win, Dambach would earn her 300th career victory as the leader of Penn State women's soccer, further cementing her status as one of the all-time great coaches in collegiate women's soccer and Penn State Athletics. 

• When the Nittany Lions take the pitch at Alumni Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the team will be the university’s first to don the iconic three stripes in an official athletic event and officially usher in a new era in the storied tradition of Penn State athletics. Penn State’s transformational 10-year partnership with adidas officially began on July 1, cementing Penn State’s status as a top brand in collegiate athletics.   

• The Nittany Lions posted a 10-8-3 (5-4-2 Big Ten) mark a season ago, good for the program’s 31st consecutive appearance at the NCAA Tournament. The streak only trails North Carolina’s 44 in a row. With a 3-0 first round victory over Army at Jeffrey Field, the Blue & White extended its streak of opening round wins to 17 straight while securing a 10th win for the 32nd year in a row.  

• PSU nearly missed a top 25 ranking in the initial United Soccer Coaches poll released on August 4. The squad’s nine votes were the third-most of any program outside the preseason top 25.  

• The Big Ten Conference published its preseason coaches poll on August 3 with the Nittany Lions placing sixth in the 18-member league. Michigan State earned the top spot followed by UCLA, defending regular season and tournament champion Washington, Wisconsin and Ohio State to round out the top five.  

• As part of the preseason festivities three Nittany Lions garnered Big Ten Player to Watch recognition: fifth-year goalkeeper Mackenzie Gress, fifth-year midfielder Molly Martin and junior forward Aubrey Kulpa. The trio started every match they were available for during the 2025 season.  

• Junior defender Bella Ayscue made a second consecutive appearance as a United Soccer Coaches Defender to Watch per an August 3 announcement. Ayscue started all 21 matches a year ago on a Nittany Lion back line that conceded just 25 goals over the entire season. She also scored two goals with an assist for five points.

GET TO KNOW NOTRE DAME

• Notre Dame earned a top 10 ranking in both the United Soccer Coaches and TopDrawerSoccer preseason polls with the team placing second in the former and ninth in the latter. Additionally, the team was voted the preseason favorite to win the ACC by the league’s coaches.  

• The Fighting Irish boasted a 15-2-3 (8-1-1 ACC) record during the 2025 campaign and did not suffer a defeat until the final contest of the regular season. Nate Norman’s squad advanced to the ACC Championship, ultimately falling in a shootout to eventual national runner-up Stanford in Cary, North Carolina. At the NCAA Tournament, the Irish defeated UIC before being upset at home by Ohio State in a 1-0 double overtime thriller.  

• Notre Dame opened the 2026 season on Wednesday at home against Samford. Despite a 21-5 advantage in shots and 13-2 edge in corner kicks, the Fighting Irish could not find the back of the net, leading to a 0-0 draw.  

• Izzy Engle, a preseason All-ACC selection, returns to South Bend following a standout sophomore season a year ago that saw her become a MAC Hermann Trophy Finalist, United Soccer Coaches All-American First Team selection, First Team All-ACC honoree, and earn ACC Offensive Player of the Year recognition. She ranked fifth nationally with 19 goals while tacking on six assists.   

• Joining Engle on the preseason All-ACC team are fellow juniors Annabelle Chukwu, a forward, and Abby Mills, a defender. Chukwu scored 12 goals while earning recognition as a First Team All-ACC selection and Second Team All-American status in 2025.  
• Junior goalkeeper Sonoma Kasica returns for a third season as a starter for the Fighting Irish with a 1.036 goals against average and 12 shutouts in her career.

STORY OF THE SERIES

• Penn State trails the all-time series against Notre Dame 1-3-0 with all four fixtures being played in South Bend since the first meeting in 2001.  

• The Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish have not met since a 2008 matchup that saw the home side take a 3-1 win.   

• The Blue & White earned its lone triumph in the series the season prior with a 2-1 victory on Notre Dame’s pitch during Erica Dambach's first year as the head coach of the Nittany Lions.