Over fall break, the No. 1 Notre Dame women’s soccer superstar sophomore forward Izzy Engle did what the rest of the country expects from her: score, and score a lot. Engle netted four goals in the Irish’s two fall-break games against Virginia Tech and Wake Forest.
The Irish’s fall break campaign kicked off at Virginia Tech on Oct. 23 after a lengthy 11-day break from their 3-0 win over SMU. The all-American Engle fired in a hat trick as Nate Norman’s team cruised by the Hokies 5-0.
Sophomore Annabelle Chukwu struck first for the Irish 15 minutes into the match. Chukwu received the ball toward the edge of the box before dancing around a Hokie defender and sliding the ball into the far post.
However, as the old saying goes, it takes two to tango. For Chukwu, that tango partner is none other than Engle. Five minutes after Chukwu’s goal, the Hermann-Trophy frontrunner toe poked the ball past Virginia Tech’s goalkeeper while a Hokie defender attempted a slide tackle.
Then, just 90 seconds removed from the second goal, Chukwu was fouled inside the box. Engle converted the penalty to bring the Irish lead to 3-0 through the first 45 minutes of play.
Engle scored once again in the second half off of a nicely struck cross from junior Charlie Codd. The ball was placed just in front of Engle, whose sliding effort resulted in an awkward but successful strike. Junior Morgan Roy wrapped up the Irish’s offensive frenzy with a fantastic solo effort from just outside the 18.
The win moved the Irish to 13-0-1 on the season, with their only blemish coming from an early 2-2 draw against then-No. 6 Arkansas. That jaw-dropping statistic didn’t last for long, however. Three days following their battering of Virginia Tech, the Irish drew to Wake Forest 1-1.
Unsurprisingly, Engle got things going for the Irish 19 minutes into the match. After receiving a clever through ball from Codd, Engle chopped the ball from her left to right foot. The move made a defender miss and created a chance for Engle from a mere six yards out. The goal is Engle’s 17th of the season, two shy of the national lead held by Florida Gulf Coast’s Erika Zschuppe. Engle is also two shy of matching her mark from last season, post-season included.
The Irish now look to round out their regular season against Pitt on Oct. 30 starting at 7 p.m.
