Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 28, 2024 49 BY TODD D. BURLAGE I zzy Engle is the first to admit she never expected to enjoy this kind of quick and remarkable production when she joined the Irish soccer team as an incoming freshman from Edina, Minn., just three short months ago. Make no mistake, as a top-50 recruit out of the Minneapolis suburb — and with Notre Dame losing 12 seniors from last year's team — Engle was expected to play immediately and hopefully produce quickly. But to score 10 goals in the first seven games of her college career? Nobody could've seen that coming. "I'm shocked for sure," the tal- ented midfielder/forward admit- ted. "It's kind of this moment of awe. I'm so grateful to be playing on this team. It's been my dream since I was little. And then to be getting minutes, scoring, and helping the team win, it's been something that I am so grateful for." Through games of Sept. 15, Engle's 10 goals easily led the No. 16-ranked Irish (6-1-1 overall, 0-0-1 ACC) and ranked second in the country. She scored the first goal of her career in the second game of the season, a 6-0 win over Samford Aug. 18. Unsatisfied, Engle scored two more in the game to become the first Irish freshman to tally a hat trick since 2008. "That hat trick was one of those crazy moments," said Engle, who enjoyed four multi-goal performances in her first seven career matches. "I know I'll never forget it. I don't even have words to de- scribe it. But I can't emphasize enough that none of those goals or any of my goals would've happened without my teammates." And it's that humility and team-first attitude that Irish head coach Nate Nor- man believes make Engle such a valu- able player and teammate. "Izzy has a very healthy balance of confidence and humility," Norman said. "This has allowed her to take in infor- mation and also still have a strong belief in herself to make plays." YOUTH MOVEMENT With 13 true freshmen on the Irish roster this season, many of whom start and/or play major minutes — the group ranked as the No. 4 recruiting class in the country — Norman began coaching up his young players well before they even set foot on campus in July. Engle explained how Norman's mes- sage to his first-year players was one about being confident and ready, and not becoming awestruck by the bigger stage. "He wanted us to come in knowing that we're good, that we belong at this level," she said. "Obviously there were going to be adjustments to the college game, but [Norman] stressed that we were good enough to play at this level. That really helped, just knowing that the coaches believed in us." Engle's road from high school to Notre Dame was actually paved years before she was even born. Both of En- gle's parents, Patricia and Ryan, are Notre Dame graduates, and Izzy vis- ited campus multiple times through her grade school and high school years. In fact, Izzy referenced a childhood photo from a campus visit when she was about 8 years old that served as motiva- tion to follow her parents and attend Notre Dame. "I remembered seeing that photo during my recruitment, and I realized this has been my dream school the entire time," explained Engle, whose final decision came down to Penn State and Notre Dame. "From there, coming here became a no-brainer. If I was anywhere else, I would be wondering what was going on at Notre Dame." Quick production from many of the standout Irish fresh- men — four rookie players top the Notre Dame leader board in points scored — has meant that the younger players are cut- ting into the minutes of some Irish veterans, a dynamic that isn't always conducive to good team chemistry. But that hasn't proved to be a problem. "Our upperclassmen have done such a great job in being welcoming and cre- ating this team culture," said Engle, the catalyst to a six-game Irish winning streak from Aug. 18 to Sept. 8. "They are our loudest cheerleaders, and that gives us confidence and makes for a great en- vironment. That's really been a huge secret to our success." ✦ Izzy Engle Making An Immediate Impact For Women's Soccer N O T R E D A M E S P O R T S Irish Roundup MEN'S GOLF Began its fall schedule with a fifth-place finish at the Folds of Honor Collegiate Invitational Sept. 9-11 in Grand Haven, Mich. WOMEN'S GOLF Finished 10th in the Folds of Honor Collegiate Invitational Sept. 9-11 at Grand Haven, Mich. MEN'S SOCCER (1-1-3 OVERALL, 1-1-0 ACC) Edged 1-0 by Stanford in the first-ever ACC matchup between the two schools Sept. 14. VOLLEYBALL (6-1 OVERALL, 0-0 ACC) Defeated both Colorado State (3-1) and North- western (3-0) in the Volleyball On Ice event Sept. 13-14 at Compton Family Ice Arena. Engle has gone from an 8-year-old fan to a goal-scoring standout on the soccer pitch at Notre Dame, her dream school. She tallied 10 goals in the first seven games of her college career. PHOTOS COURTESY IZZY ENGLE (INSET) AND NOTRE DAME