Women’s Soccer Signs Eight On National Signing Day

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – On Wednesday afternoon, Doug and Lisa Jones Head Women’s Soccer Coach Nate Norman announced the 2027 signing class for the Irish. The Notre Dame women’s soccer program added some remarkable talent on this year’s National Signing Day.

Joining the Irish for the fall 2027 season are: 
 
Maya Engel – Defender from Ashburn, VA
Mailee Hilburn – Forward from Anacortes, WA
Lily Jeakle – Forward from Lake Orion, MI
Charlotte Keenan – Defender from Rye, NY 
Gracey LePage – Forward from Crystal Lake, IL
Alessia "Lolly" Mirhashemi  – Defender from Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Ryan Reynolds – Forward from Victorville, CA 
Paige Shepherd – Goalkeeper from Rockford, MI

DOUG AND LISA JONES FAMILY HEAD WOMEN’S SOCCER COACH NATE NORMAN’S TAKE

On the class…

"We couldn't be more excited about this class as a whole. We have eight players who not only will make a huge impact on the field, but are perfect fits for us off the field. We value
character and culture above all, and these players definitely will bring those attributes. They will join a very talented group of returners next year and will only add to the talent and character of this team."

Maya Engel | Defender | Ashburn, VA | Independence High School

Plays for Virginia Development Academy 
U.S. Soccer U-18 Women's National Team Camp (2026)
U19 Virginia Development Academy Caption (2026)
ECNL Elite 8 U19 (2026)
ECNL Final 4 U17 (2025)
Girls Youth All-American Team (2025) 
ECNL All-Conference 1st Team (2025) 
Conference Cup Invitee and Best 11 Award (2025)
First Team All-State Class 5 Virginia Varsity (2024) 
Continental Tire ECNL National Selection Game, St. Louis (2024) 
Girls Youth All-American Team (2024) 
ECNL All-Conference 1st Team (2024) 
Two-time U.S. Soccer U-17 Women's National Team Camp (2024) 

Coach Norman on Engel:

“Maya is a defender that comes from VDA.  We believe she is one of the very best center backs in the country.  She has the ability to play anywhere in our back line and she combines being a great defender with the ability to play out of the back. She is strong in the air and is very athletic.  We can't wait to work with her!”

Mailee Hilburn | Forward | Anacortes, WA | Anacortes High School

Plays for Crossfire Premier 
Conference Offensive Player of The Year (2025) 
First Team All-State (2025)
Conference Leading Scorer (2024, 2025)
First Team All Conference (2024) 

Coach Norman on Hilburn:

“Mailee is an exciting attacking player that really has the ability to run at people. She combines great quickness with top end speed. She is creative, dynamic, and always seems to be a threat every time she touches the ball. She will be very fun to watch and will do very well in our system.”

Lily Jeakle | Forward | Lake Orion, MI | Lake Orion High School

Plays for Nationals 

Coach Norman on Jeakle:

“Lily is a dynamic attacking player that can play a variety of positions for us. She plays for Nationals, which is another club that we have had great success with. Lily can play anywhere up top, in the midfield, or in wide areas. She has tremendous speed, so she is always a threat in behind, or running at players with the ball. She also can play with her back to goal and combine with her midfielders.” 

Charlotte Keenan | Defender | Rye, NY | Rye High School

Plays for World Class FC 
All-American (2025, 2026)
All-Region (2025, 2026)
NY State Champion (2025, 2026) 
All-Section (2023, 2024, 2025, 2026) 
All-League (2023, 2024, 2025, 2026)
NY State Champion (2023) 
NY State Championship MVP (2023)

Coach Norman on Keenan:

“Charlotte is a very strong, athletic defender. She comes from the World Class soccer club. She is very solid on the ball and is extremely competitive. She is very versatile and could be used across our back line as well as our midfield. She will bring great character and a very strong mentality to our program. Charlotte will be a tremendous addition to our team.” 

Gracey LePage | Forward | Crystal Lake, IL | Crystal Lake South High School 

Plays for Rockford Raptors ECNL
All-Conference (Women’s Soccer) 
All-Area (Women’s Soccer) 
All-State (Women’s Soccer) 
Single season MVP (Women’s Soccer) 
School record for goals scored in a season (Women’s Soccer) 
All-Conference (ECNL, 2024) 
All-American (ENCL, 2024) 
Midwest Conference Player of the Year (ENCL, 2025)
Player of the game in the Continental Selection Game in Florida (ENCL, 2026)
Indoor 200m school record (Track and Field) 
Outdoor 100m school record (Track and Field)
Outdoor 200m school record (Track and Field)
All conference (Track and Field)
State qualifier for the 200m (Track and Field) 
Regional Champion (Women’s Basketball)
Sectional Finalist (Women’s Basketball)
School record for most wins in a season (Women’s Basketball)

Coach Norman on LePage:

“Gracey is an attacking player who brings tremendous athleticism. She is one of the most explosive players in the entire country. Like many of our other recruits, she also jumps off the field as soon as you see her play. Her ability to stretch back lines with her speed will be an invaluable asset to us. She is also a very good finisher with a tremendous work ethic. She is a great player now, but will only continue to get better.”

Alessia "Lolly" Mirhashemi | Defender | Rancho Santa Fe, CA | Auxano YSC Advantage Academy 

Plays for San Diego Surf ECNL
U17 ECNL U17 National Quarterfinalists (ECNL, 2026)
U17 Southwest Conference First Team (ECNL, 2026)
U16 National Semifinalists (ECNL, 2025)
U16 All American and Southwest Conference First Team (ECNL, 2025)
U16 Southwest Conference Player of the Year (ECNL, 2025)
U15 National Champions/Captain (ECNL, 2024)
U15 National Player of the Year (ECNL, 2024)
U15 All American and Southwest Conference First Team (ECNL, 2024)
U14 National Semifinalists (ECNL, 2023)
CIF and League Champions (2023, 2024)
All-League First Team (2023, 2024)

Coach Norman on Mirhashemi: 

“Lolly brings a great pedigree to our program. She comes from the San Diego Surf, which is another club we have had great success with. She is one of the best soccer playing center backs in the country. She brings a calmness to the game every time she steps on the field due to her technical and leadership abilities. Her ability to play out of the back and set tempo for us as a center back will be a tremendous asset to us.”

Ryan Reynolds | Forward | Victorville, CA | University Preparatory 

Plays for Legends FC 
Conference MVP (2024)

Coach Norman on Reynolds:

“Ryan is a wide player who brings tremendous athleticism to the game. She plays for a very strong club in Legends. She is one of those players that jumps off the field at you right away due to her pace and her ability to run at players. She really works on both sides of the ball and we believe she will be a great fit in everything we do.” 

Paige Shepard | Goalkeeper | Rockford, MI | Rockford High School

Plays for Michigan Hawks 
All-State Honorable Mention as a freshman
Holds the school shutout record 
First team all conference (ENCL, 2025)

Coach Norman on Shepard:

“Paige is a fantastic keeper that we have been able to watch over the past few years. She comes from the Michigan Hawks, who we have had a lot of players in the past that have done extremely well for us. We have been able to evaluate her a ton over the past couple years and she just keeps getting better. She is an athletic shot stopper who has the ability to keep us in games.  She is also a great fit as a person and student and we are definitely looking forward to having her in our program.”