Get Recruited Faster with a Player Profile on SoccerWire.com

LEARN MORE
+ GET RECRUITED
NCAA Jul 21, 2025

Villanova women’s soccer team signs four Wildcats via the transfer portal

VILLANOVA, PA – Villanova women’s soccer head coach Samar Azem announced the addition of four transfers who have inked Letters of Intent.

The quartet includes two forwards, a midfielder and a defender. Two of the four are players who have been a part of teams who have made deep runs in the national tournament in the past four seasons.

“We are very excited about this recruiting class of transfers. We have a great blend of strong, core returning players; young, eager and talented freshmen; and a fantastic group of transfers who have the ability to elevate what we do competitively as our program takes a step forward,” Villanova head coach Samar Azem said. “We are extremely selective on the players and people we recruit – and this group of transfers each have an important role they can play in our program re-establishing its competitive identity. We have graduate transfers who bring the experience of national championship matches, final fours, national teams and achieving success at the highest level of soccer and academic prestige. I have no doubt this group of transfers will come in and make their marks on this program very quickly.”

“I want to thank our assistant coaches, Ryan and Erin, our support staff, our admissions staff and academic staff, and our players for the time they’ve put into ensuring we bring individuals who not only fit the identity we want to play with and talent profile we are looking for, but who also have the ability to enhance our community and tradition of excellence here at Villanova University,” Azem continued.

See below for a look at each of Villanova’s new signings.

Hannah Curtin | Graduate | Forward
Winchester, Mass. | Winchester HS | Dartmouth College

Curtin comes to the Main Line after a four-year career at Dartmouth where she was an NEWISA Third Team All-Region and Second Team All-Ivy player, both awards coming in the 2021 campaign. She totaled 35 starts in 42 appearances in her time with the Big Green for 2392 minutes of action. In that time, she tallied 29 points on 10 goals and nine assists. Her final season at Dartmouth came with 13 starts in 16 matches played. She scored three goals and two assists while compiling a three-game point streak along the way in which she tallied two goals and an assist. She had a breakout season in 2021 where she logged both aforementioned accolades after a six-goal, four-assist year, netting two game-winners along the way.

Academically, she was honored at the end of the 2024 season as the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team selection.

The Winchester, Mass. native was a four-year letter winner at Winchester High School, captaining the team in her senior year. She also earned two varsity letters as a sprinter on the indoor track team. On the pitch, she helped her team to the 2019 Division II State Championships in 2019 while going on a year later to be a finalist. She was a two-time High School Soccer First Team All-American selection, 2019 DII State Player of the Year, a four-time Middlesex League Champion, a three-time Middlesex League MVP as well as an All-State and All-New England honoree. At the club level, she played with the FC Stars from 2017-2021 where she was a Second Team Northeast ECNL and ODP Region 1 Team member.

Curtin will pursue a Masters in Finance at Villanova. On why she chose Villanova: “During my visit to Villanova, I felt an overwhelming sense of good on campus and amongst the team. The combination of elite athletics, rigorous master’s programs, and strong Augustinian values creates an environment where I believe I would thrive in during my fifth year.”

Azem on Curtin: “Hannah is a fast, athletic, and relentless forward who has the capability to create a lot of problems for defenders.  She can score goals, she can create goals for others and she will press relentlessly.  She is a prototype of what we are looking for in our attacking players and will bring four years of high-level experience with her.  Her drive and her leadership will add a value of winning to our program as we rise through this next step.”

Kate Dobsch | Graduate | Midfielder
Winnetka, Ill. | New Trier HS | Wake Forest University

Dobsch was an ACC Honor Roll member and ACC Top 6 for Service honoree at Wake Forest, also earning a spot on the Dean’s list all four years. In her time with the Demon Deacons, she suited up for three seasons and redshirted her junior campaign, logging 187 minutes on the pitch mostly as a defender. She is coming off a senior campaign that saw her play in four wins for the Deacs.

The Winnetka, Ill. native played a year of high school soccer as an All-State defender but was a part of elite club teams. She led her club team, Eclipse Select, to a No. 1 national ranking during the 2019-20 campaign. Prior to that, she was named the FC United team captain in 2015-16 while playing with ODP Illinois State Team in the same year. She attended the US Soccer Training Center from 2015-17 and was an ECNL Midwest Conference Champion and Finalist at the ECNL National Championship. Her team also ranked third in the ECNL National Conference Playoffs in 2021. In the classroom, she was a member of the Honor Roll all four years of her high school career.

Dobsch will pursue an MBA on the Main Line. On why she chose Villanova: “I chose Villanova for my fifth year because it combines high-level athletics with academic excellence. The competitive soccer program led by a respected coaching staff and being given the opportunity to pursue a well-regarded MBA checked all the boxes for me.”

Azem on Dobsch: “Kate is a skilled and sophisticated player on the ball.  She has the vision, ability, and range to play well timed advanced passes and orchestrate play in possession. She was an instrumental leader in Wake Forest’s NCAA championship run and brings the experience of winning with her as our program looks to take a leap forward.”

Isabelle Chukwu | Sophomore | Forward
Ottawa, Canada | Bill Crothers Secondary School | Brown University

Chukwu played in 16 of 17 games at Brown in her freshman season. In that time, she logged 266 minutes of action. She has worked her way through the Canadian Women’s National Team system as well, suiting up with the U17 squad in 2023-24 cycle and U15 in 2022. That 2022 campaign was a stacked one for the Ottawa native, being selected for Canada Soccer’s National Development Centre Ontario. At the club level, she played with 2022 OPDL U15 Gary Miller Cup and Shield and ODPL U15 League Champion teams, also winning the Ontario Summer Games that year. That year also saw her be a part of the Ontario Provincial Excel Team. She is not the only collegiate soccer player in her family. Her sister, Annabelle, is a forward at Notre Dame.

The Biology major on why she chose Villanova: “I chose Villanova because of its strong academics, and the faculty’s commitment to developing student-athletes on and off the field.”

Azem on Chukwu: “Isabelle is a creative attacking player on the ball.  She has experience training and competing with the Canadian youth national team and comes from a year of experience with a dominant Ivy team. Isabelle’s mind and vision for the game are extremely impressive. Coupled with her athletic ability, she will bring a lethal force to our front line.”

Bella Panaccione | Graduate | Defender
Los Altos Hills, Calif. | Saint Francis High School | Santa Clara University

Panaccione wrapped up her undergraduate career this past season at Santa Clara. In her time with the Broncos, the defender amassed five starts in 26 appearances, logging two assists in 910 minutes of action. Her first year with the team saw the Broncos reach the NCAA National Semifinals in 2021.

Before Santa Clara, the Los Altos Hills, Calif. native was a four-year varsity soccer player at Saint Francis High School and played at the club level with MVLA. She was CCS and WCAL Team selection all four years and was awarded the SFHS Outstanding Athlete Award.

Azem on Panaccione: “Bella is a seasoned veteran and competitor. She has the versatility too in the back and mid lines and has a strong understanding of the game. She can impact our ability to possess and move the ball through each phase of play phenomenally well. Bella is a tough competitor and gritty defender and will be a handful for teams to try to break down.”

Featured Players

Forward, Midfielder
See Commitment List