Notre Dame sophomores Izzy Engle and Annabelle Chukwu are sophomores in name only. The superstar forwards play beyond their years. Engle brings blistering speed and a clinical nature in front of the net. Chukwu brings sublime technique and tenacious desire to win. Together, they’ve formed the best attacking tandem in the country and are earning well-deserved international attention.
Engle, a goal-scoring phenom from Edina, Minn., was recently called into U.S. Soccer’s U20 April training camp. Alongside some of the best players in all of college soccer, Engle will don the red, white and blue for two friendly games against Brazil.
In the first game on April 12, Engle started alongside five other college players and five National Women’s Soccer League pros. The match was played at CPKC Stadium, home to the Kansas City Current and the first stadium purpose-built exclusively for women’s soccer.
Engle will more than likely feature for the U20s at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland this September. Her pace combined with her elite technical ability makes her a vital piece to the squad.
Engle has utilized that unique skillset across a wildly successful first two seasons with Notre Dame. She has posted consecutive 19-goal seasons, added six assists to her resume this fall and is averaging a goal every 75 minutes she’s on the pitch. After claiming Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year honors in 2024, she added to the trophy case by earning the ACC Offensive Player of the Year this past fall.
Her best trait, however, is perhaps the one that goes unaccounted for.
“She has a great mentality,” Notre Dame head coach Nate Norman said. “A superpower I think a lot of players that are really successful have is they have this healthy confidence about themselves. She really believes in herself, but there’s no sense of arrogance in herself.”
Engle’s confidence has propelled her to the top heights of college soccer. In the fall, she was a finalist for the Mac Hermann Trophy, college soccer’s equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. With continued growth on the pitch, reaching the summit for the game’s most prestigious honor feels inevitable.
Her counterpart Chukwu is no less brilliant. After a three-goal campaign her freshman year, Chukwu registered 12 goals and three assists this past season. Like Engle, Chukwu was named to the All-ACC First Team.
She’s also earned her fair share of international success for the United States’ northern neighbor.
On April 11, Chukwu scored two goals as she recorded her first senior international goals in Canada’s 4-0 win over Zambia at the 2026 FIFA Series in Brazil.
Chukwu is no stranger to scoring goals for the Canucks. Before arriving at Notre Dame, she broke Christine Sinclair’s long-standing record for the most youth-international goals in Canadian soccer history.
Not bad company, considering Sinclair’s 190 international goals are a world record for men or women.
“What’s great is [Chukwu] was a very successful youth player but we’ve continued to see her grow in terms of her development and her improvement,” Notre Dame head coach Nate Norman said. “She’s a soccer junkie, she wants to play and get better, and she’s inquisitive. She’s got a lot of humility as well.”
The process for Engle and Chukwu to represent their nations is an interesting one. The respective federations reach out to Norman and Notre Dame, who then grant releases based on academics and availability. Notably, in her freshman year, Chukwu missed the first chunk of the fall season to represent Canada at the FIFA U-20 World Cup — which is held every two years.
“U.S. Soccer and the Canadian soccer federation are great to work with. They get you information early, they are also okay if there is a window that doesn’t make sense to go to because it’s midterms or finals,” Norman said.
He continued by saying, “When it happens in the fall it’s tough because we want our kids to always be here in the fall, but it’s a balance. If there’s opportunities to play in a Youth World Cup or actual World Cup qualifying, we’re not going to hold them back if they’re missing our fall games.”
That support Norman offers the student-athletes to pursue lifelong dreams is a reason Notre Dame has been able to recruit such high-level talent over the past few years. Watching them thrive on the international scene is part of the payoff.
“To watch them to be able to have success in these different environments and have the opportunity to play on the national platforms is great for them and the program. We take a lot of pride in what they do,” said Norman.
He also noted that when Engle stars alongside the professionals, and Chukwu nets hat tricks in senior competition, it’s further vindication that Notre Dame is playing among the best of them.
“College women’s soccer is such a high level I don’t think people really understand,” said Norman. “I tell people and I don’t think they believe this: playing in the ACC in college probably means you’re probably playing in the top 4-5 leagues in the world. That’s professional and amateur. I don’t think people understand the quality.”
For Norman, the proof is in the pudding.
Notre Dame has consistently developed top-level talents. From the senior class this fall, Leah Klenke has signed with the Houston Dash, Carolyn Calzada is playing for the Portland Thorns and Laney Matriano has signed with BK Häcken in Sweden.
With their insanely productive output for the Irish and international resumes, there is no doubt Engle and Chukwu will be next up in two years.
But for now, Norman will be grateful to have his high-flying stars in South Bend, as the program looks to capture its first national championship since 2010.
