After an 11-win regular season followed by an incredible run to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, Notre Dame women’s soccer sat stunned on the pitch in Palo Alto, California late last November. The Irish had already beaten Stanford earlier in the 2024 campaign, by a resounding 3-0 scoreline, in fact. But with a berth in the College Cup on the line, it was the Cardinal who ended the day celebrating.
Stanford boasted one of the most experienced rosters in the country, and sometimes experience wins out. Although they were bested on that crisp Bay Area autumn afternoon, eighth-year head coach Nate Norman’s squad may have lacked experience, but they certainly weren’t deprived of talent, or potential.
Norman started five freshmen, and played three more, in the program’s biggest match in nearly 15 seasons. The vibrantly youthful class, stuffed with talent from the top line to the goal line, guided the Irish masterfully through the peaks and valleys of 2024.
As the Irish overcame that devastating loss to Stanford, and marched their way through a nearly perfect 2025, it was the sophomore striker trio of Annabelle Chukwu, Izzy Engle, and Ellie Hodsden who spearheaded Notre Dame to soccer supremacy.
Each forward of the trilogy could start for any team in the country, but with a two attacker formation, the Irish have to rotate between three premier goal scorers. Despite the diminished opportunities or minutes for each, all three see the merit in collaboration. “It’s so fun and inspiring. I’m so thankful I get to play with such talented forwards because they make me better every day,” said Hodsden, a Texas native who has developed into Notre Dame’s sparkplug off the bench.
Engle, the nationally-recognized Minnesotan who has led Notre Dame in goals in each of her first two seasons, attributed that harmony to their connection, adding, “We’re close off the field and on the field. It really helps us to have that chemistry of knowing where each other’s gonna be.”
An accomplished Canadian international, the soft-spoken Chukwu agreed, saying, “We complement each other really well. We all have our individual strengths, but when we combine them together, it’s so effective on the field.”
Chukwu has been the breakout star for an Irish team that finished the regular season 13-1-2. After only scoring three goals across a freshman season shortened by international duties, the Ottawa native went from All-ACC Third Team to All-ACC First Team with 12 goals this season.
Although she is one of only three internationals (all Canadians) in the program, Chukwu noted that the support system around her helped to overcome a difficult start to her Notre Dame career. “It was definitely an adjustment to come back having missed a big chunk of the first part of the season. But everyone was so welcoming and it was the easiest hardest transition because of the people,” she said.
“Last season was rough for me because I’ve always been someone who’s best scoring when I’m in front of net. This season, the hard work, focus, and determination, and the people around me have helped a lot,” Chukwu continued.
No Annabelle Chukwu finish was more important than the 2025 ACC Semifinal against Duke, however. After the Irish dropped points over the final two match days of the regular season to fall behind Stanford in the table, Notre Dame was forced into a critical match with the Blue Devils if they wanted another crack at the Cardinal.
After some individual brilliance from Chukwu earned a result for the Irish at No. 1 Duke the year prior, the sophomore secured the semifinal with a calm left-footed finish in the 88th-minute off a nice feed from junior Morgan Roy.
The shot left Chukwu on the ground inside the six-yard box, where she was soon joined by Engle in a display of raw emotion. The Irish were on to the championship behind their oft-reserved leader, but she once again attributed her development to the support and camaraderie of her teammates. “We’ve talked so much about having confidence in ourselves and our abilities, and just knowing that we have amazing people around us too.”
Despite her on-pitch excellence now, the transition to South Bend for Ellie Hodsden also didn’t come without challenge. Recovery from an ACL tear in high school sidelined the top-50 recruit for the first six games of her career. “It was really hard coming back from my ACL. I had about a 14-month recovery, but coming to Notre Dame was my dream growing up. So being able to make my mark on the team is so cool,” said Hodsden.
With her daring and energetic play style, Hodsden certainly made her mark from the moment she stepped onto the turf at Alumni Stadium. She scored eight goals as a freshman, including a hat-trick at Cal that earned her ACC Player of the Week recognition. She has followed that up with seven goals this season, including massive finishes to claim a 2-2 draw at No. 6 Arkansas, as well as game-winners against reigning national champions North Carolina and reigning ACC champions Florida State.
Hodsden has only started four matches at Notre Dame, so she doesn’t view her reserve status as a relegation, but rather as a superpower to spark the Irish attack. Complimenting Chukwu and Engle, Hodsden said, “They do that hard work at the beginning. The first part of the game is always the most hectic. Being able to watch it from the bench and see how the game is being played allows me to go in with full effort, energy, and confidence that I can change the game.”
Hodsden’s willingness to defer yet simultaneous knack for clutch performance is indicative of her personal growth since coming to her dream school. Similar to Chukwu, she attributed much of her success to her teammates, as well as the support she has received from the Notre Dame community. “I was being pushed in every direction: school, my faith, soccer. Being able to grow like that at such a young age helped me a lot,” Hodsden said.
That youth and relative inexperience can be easy to forget with the results produced by this trio, especially when the 19-year-old Engle appears as the vocal and mature veteran leader holding Notre Dame together. There isn’t enough space to list all of Izzy Engle’s accomplishments throughout her first 18 months in South Bend, yet her impact transcends far beyond any goal total or award watchlist.
Whether it was a hat trick in her second career appearance, a goal in each of her first four postseason matches, or the ACC Freshman of the Year award, Engle never wavered from her objectives en route to a 19-goal freshman campaign. “We’re all very ambitious and my goal last year was I wanted to win ACC Freshman of the Year. I still think that was ambitious, but my faith is so important to me, and I cannot have done that without God and trusting His guidance for me,” she said.
Somehow, year two has been even better for the United States U-20 captain, as she has once again finished top-five nationally with 19 goals, while also adding six assists. Although any time she touches the ball has the potential to end with an Irish goal, Engle accredits Chukwu and Hodsden for the talent she possesses today. “They can’t throw everything at me because they know that next to me there’s either Annabelle or Ellie and they are always going to be threats. That makes us so dangerous together because defenses have to plan for all of us.”
This year Engle added a hat trick against Virginia Tech, as well as a six-match scoring streak throughout September and October. Her late goal against Stanford individually ignited the Irish to an almost stunning comeback in the ACC Tournament final, before the match ended in a draw. All told, Engle has racked up 38 goals, a Mac Hermann Trophy semifinalist honor, and ACC Freshman of the Year and ACC Offensive Player of the Year awards before her second season has concluded.
With her potential for mastery on any given day and any given play, Engle summed it up bluntly, saying, “If you haven’t watched us yet, you should.”
Yet despite the 68 career goals and the multiple player of the week honors, and even the ACC Offensive Player of the Year award between sophomores Annabelle Chukwu, Izzy Engle, and Ellie Hodsden, the collective goal remains unchanged, and unfulfilled: bringing Notre Dame its first national championship in 15 years.
If the Irish are to hoist the College Cup in Kansas City this December, it will be in large part due to the three-headed monster up top. While the Irish accolades are impressive, Engle knows that everything important is still to be fought for, starting with Ohio State at Alumni Stadium in the NCAA Tournament Second Round on Thursday. “I’m so proud of what I’ve accomplished and I’m so proud of what the team’s accomplished so far, but we haven’t quite done anything yet. It doesn’t matter unless you’re number one at the end.”