Latest / The BIG LIFE / Inside the Life of Notre Dame Soccer Stars: Izzy Angle and Grace Restovich
Transcript
- 0:03Guys welcome back to the big life i'm kate phillips
- 0:07and i'm leah clinky and today we have two special
- 0:10guests leah would you like to introduce them yes today we have izzy angle and
- 0:15grace restovich two standout sophomores from the notre dame women's soccer team
- 0:19and we're just gonna get to know a little bit more about them what they did
- 0:23this summer and kind of how the next season is going to look for them and what
- 0:27they're looking forward to.
- 0:29So first off, how are you guys? We're good.
- 0:33Good day. Yeah. Got back to campus just a few days ago and we'll be starting
- 0:37preseason tomorrow. So we're obviously super excited.
- 0:40Exactly. Super excited to get started. We run the beep test tomorrow.
- 0:43So I know everyone on the team's excited. Just energy through the roof.
- 0:48Awesome. Tell us a little bit about yourselves in general, like where you're
- 0:52from, what position you play? What's your major?
- 0:54Oh, you're perfect. Okay, my name is Grace. I'm from St. Louis, Missouri.
- 0:59I've grown up there my entire life. I'm a midfielder here. I've played midfield
- 1:03most of my entire life. I'm more of like an attacking, but I play all positions in the midfield.
- 1:07My major is, it's called here, a film, theater, television, and I'm trying to
- 1:12do television side and do like maybe sports broadcasting, but just with thoughts
- 1:16of like working in sports after playing soccer.
- 1:19But yeah, Izzy. And then I'm Izzy. I'm from Minnesota and I've similarly lived
- 1:24there most of my life. I was born in New York, but that's not really that important.
- 1:27And then I play forward here at Notre Dame and I played forward maybe like the
- 1:31last little bit, last couple of years of my high school career.
- 1:35I played attacking mid before that. And then I'm majoring here in the Mendoza
- 1:40Lake School business and I'm doing strategic management.
- 1:43So I don't really know. We'll see where that goes, But just getting a business
- 1:47degree from Notre Dame and then kind of love to play soccer or like hopefully
- 1:51play soccer afterwards and then do whatever comes after that with business degree. So we'll see.
- 1:56That's awesome. We one thing we like to do is like ask some like quick questions
- 2:01is something we did last episode.
- 2:03So like some fun would you rathers.
- 2:06So I guess, Grace, you can answer first. Perfect. And then Izzy, you can answer after.
- 2:11Would you rather live in the city or live in the country? I think city.
- 2:15I'd say city too Would you rather eat pizza for every meal Or ice cream for every dessert Ice cream,
- 2:21Ice cream, too. Let's see how many are similar. Of course, we're the same.
- 2:27Yes. Would you rather eat only sweet foods or only salty foods for the rest
- 2:31of your life? Definitely sweet foods.
- 2:33Oh, salty. Yeah. I love sugar, so.
- 2:40Would you rather live without music or live without TV shows?
- 2:45Without TV shows, for sure.
- 2:46I would say the same thing, yeah. No homework every day or no test ever again? My bad.
- 2:53No tests, I would say, for me. I would maybe say no homework.
- 2:58Always straight A's and hate your classes or only C's but love your classes. Ooh.
- 3:05Honestly, I'm going to get the A, you know? I'm going to stay there.
- 3:11Yeah, that GPA. I'd love to have a great one.
- 3:13I'd love to have a good GPA. You know what? fun classes would be make
- 3:17school fun but oh just try that
- 3:20y'all have your priorities straight yeah got
- 3:23some smart girls that's why try to
- 3:26be we want bays
- 3:29no we're very smart and
- 3:33also for those of you that don't know grace and izzy are bffs
- 3:37so oh yeah that's probably why they have a bunch of
- 3:39the same answers oh okay a couple more questions
- 3:43that more relate to soccer would you
- 3:46rather run the beep test or a mile
- 3:49as fast as you can honestly i
- 3:52it's kind of crazy i don't mind the beep test
- 3:55but i guess the mile will be over faster so that's like
- 3:58exactly what i was thinking i'm not even i was.
- 4:02Like okay the beep test i'd probably rather run it but
- 4:05then that's 15 20 minutes and then the other ones
- 4:08like literally like just sprint for a mile I could probably do
- 4:11that no I was gonna say mile too yeah I feel
- 4:14like I'd have to agree with mile yeah faster you
- 4:17go the faster it's over yeah true yeah would
- 4:20you rather have soccer practice in the morning or in the afternoon
- 4:23now it's the afternoon because Notre Dame that's what we do
- 4:26but I sometimes like in the morning it's nice to get over with but balancing
- 4:30school and stuff I think afternoon fits nicely in
- 4:32our schedule yeah i would like totally agree with that i
- 4:35would probably say like personally if i just had to pick i'd do
- 4:38morning but i love like the way that we do it
- 4:40like you get a whole day you get to like have pretty normal school
- 4:43schedule just being done by like 3 p.m so i actually
- 4:46do like it but i'd probably say morning would you rather always take a pk when
- 4:52the chance is given or never take a pk always for sure yeah for sure always
- 4:57yeah oh yeah yeah we got some confidence Hopefully.
- 5:06Last one Would you guys rather win an Olympic gold medal Or a World Cup gold medal? That's hard,
- 5:13I'd probably say World Cup because I would say, like, everyone's playing in
- 5:18the World Cup, whereas the Olympics, it's sometimes not everyone.
- 5:20That's what I was thinking. Yeah, that's a good answer. And,
- 5:23like, World Cup is, like, only soccer.
- 5:24World Cup is just, like, yeah, soccer donkey, you know what?
- 5:27Everyone's bringing, like, their top talent.
- 5:29Yeah. That's a dream. Okay, so now just pivoting more into kind of what you
- 5:35guys did this summer, we want to know more about y'all's experiences.
- 5:38So just in general, tell us kind of what y'all did this summer for Team USA.
- 5:44Well, so we both went down to Costa Rica and played with the under-20 national
- 5:49team in the CONCACAF tournament. So it was like the World Cup qualifiers,
- 5:53and the World Cup will be in Poland next September.
- 5:56So, like, I mean, hopefully that's what we're working towards as well.
- 5:59And just, like, just got to keep getting called in, and, like,
- 6:02that's what we're going for.
- 6:03But it was, like, such a sweet experience. unfortunately like
- 6:06we did get third we didn't win the tournament we
- 6:09probably like we had people that talent to do
- 6:12it but we lost to a very talented Canada team so that
- 6:15was very unfortunate and we actually had a teammate on that team too so yeah that
- 6:18was that was like a really fun game just play against her too but yeah I
- 6:21don't know Grace if you want to add more to that yeah I'll add just like being
- 6:25with like obviously Izzy is one of my best friends so like that makes that experience
- 6:28that's that much sweeter and like pre-camp and the people you meet along the
- 6:32way I think that's like probably would be a highlight of my summer just like
- 6:35the pre-camp being in Florida together It's new faces new people.
- 6:39So I would say just like and then obviously being with your best friend We had
- 6:42a few other Notre Dame teammates too So getting to do that with like other all
- 6:46of your best friends is just so perfect and like what you dream of So like when
- 6:49it actually happens is just so amazing And then yeah,
- 6:53CONCACAF didn't end the way we fully wanted to but I mean.
- 6:57Growing as a team and like us just being
- 7:00there together is just such an awesome experience you can't beat it
- 7:02really obviously it's something you always work for and then when you're
- 7:05in it you like need to take a step back and realize it is like you just it's
- 7:08a dream of yours so it was an awesome experience I mean there's so much to learn
- 7:11and grow from that like losing sucks and so it's like losing to a talented talented
- 7:16Canada team was something that like you know what it hurts in the moment but
- 7:19it only fueled the team for further games so yeah the World Cup is what we Like,
- 7:24obviously, everyone's working for it, but got to make every roster.
- 7:26I do want to preface, though, we did qualify for the World Cup.
- 7:29So, yeah. We did it really.
- 7:31Yeah, we came to qualify for it, but yeah. Didn't quite finish with the first,
- 7:36but we can only learn to get better.
- 7:40Yes. What was kind of the lead up to the CONCACAF tournament for y'all?
- 7:44Like, how did you guys get called in? Like, how did you guys get looked at?
- 7:47How many, how did they pick the roster?
- 7:50Yeah. There were like, I want to say there were two camps, I think before pre-camp and the spring.
- 7:55So we both went down to Atlanta in like April and we actually went over to Spain
- 8:00in February and played against England, Spain and Netherlands.
- 8:02So that was also a really cool experience just standing to play against some
- 8:05of the top talent in the entire world.
- 8:07Like their countries are all super stacked. and then
- 8:10the Atlanta camp was very much like kind of we're both 2006
- 8:13age group so it's very much like 2006 2007 and that
- 8:16was kind of the pool that they were looking at for the CONCACAF roster and then
- 8:20that kind of came out a couple maybe a month after that camp yeah so I think
- 8:24every I mean every camp you kind of go to and then obviously their college seasons
- 8:27in the fall I mean every game you play every opportunity you get to play is
- 8:31like obviously everyone's watching you so I would say.
- 8:35Also the prep uploading to it too like i see we can talk
- 8:38about that too like how do we prepare for it i mean i
- 8:41think every time you get called up it's like an amazing opportunity so we
- 8:44both were fortunate to go to spain so whenever you're there it's
- 8:47like obviously in the back of your mind they tell you too like conca cap is
- 8:49coming up and so like obviously like a goal of
- 8:52yours and it's important to make goals too because then like then you
- 8:55can reach them and then it's also an awesome thing but so then
- 8:58atlanta camp was great just obviously you go in there perform make
- 9:01new friends like make it a whole experience and then work
- 9:04as hard as possible with our college teams and that's another
- 9:07thing we prepped I would say like our a lot of our prep wasn't at
- 9:10Notre Dame and just making sure we stayed prepared in case you got
- 9:13the call because you never know it's roster to roster you have no idea but we
- 9:17just I think stayed prepared and then once school was over for the month of
- 9:20May just do work on your own and then hope you get the call and what opponents
- 9:24did you guys play when you were in CONCACAF we played so I think we played Guyana
- 9:29and then Puerto Rico, and then Costa Rica, and then Canada.
- 9:32And then I think the final would have been Mexico. So it was kind of like that.
- 9:37Central America, North America, the federation of teams all there. Awesome.
- 9:42What would you guys say is the biggest difference, or what kind of do you have
- 9:45to change in your mentality going from youth national team camps and these games and then college?
- 9:51What's the big difference there? How's the level? That sort of thing.
- 9:55Sure. I would say Notre Dame does, like, an amazing job. I do have to say,
- 9:59like, the talent you're surrounded with, like, does prepare you.
- 10:03If not, like, you can go into those environments and, like, lead in your own
- 10:07ways and help with stuff that I've learned here.
- 10:09So I do think that's such an important piece is, like, the college you come from.
- 10:12It's, like, if they prepare you, which hopefully that's somewhere you go.
- 10:15Then it makes that experience and that transition a little bit easier.
- 10:18But I would just say like yeah like Notre Dame has
- 10:21helped prep prep us and keep us prepared and also just
- 10:24making sure that like it's never like I mean
- 10:27you're never like oh yeah I better make this campus more just like always stay
- 10:30prepared and I think that mentality has kind of helped
- 10:33me along the way is that like day to day like get better
- 10:35every single day and then that will hopefully lead you to then when you
- 10:38go to this stuff like you can just be yourself obviously you
- 10:41do have to adapt to environments like it's gonna be a change
- 10:44but it's also like something that like you've already prepared and
- 10:47you already have gone through that scenario in your head of like when
- 10:50I get there it might be a little faster a little quicker because granted
- 10:53you're with like all the best players in the country which is such
- 10:56an amazing like time you're playing with all the best players but so it's just
- 10:58a little bit of a change but I would just say as long as you stay prepared before
- 11:02it like when you get there it's like all right I can do this no yeah
- 11:05I would totally echo everything that Grace said and like Notre Dame
- 11:08prepared us so well for all the camps that we were in
- 11:10this spring and summer and the tournament I would
- 11:13say one difference too is probably just like well i guess maybe
- 11:16some of the concaps maybe not but like the opponents we
- 11:19play like it's just the style of play in the u.s is so
- 11:22different from like over like even when we went to stain like
- 11:25those were like kind of brutal games and kind of
- 11:27eye-opening games and how talented like those like stanish teams.
- 11:31And just the way that they pass the way they possess and like that made us like
- 11:34being defending them and stuff like have to grow and adapt our game and learn
- 11:38from that and that's just obviously different from the way that u.s plays and
- 11:41the way the college game is but Notre Dame for sure like prepared me Grace and
- 11:45our other teammates and like even Leah who's done like other U.S.
- 11:48Stuff like prepares all of us really well and I would say makes the transition easier for sure.
- 11:54Yeah i like that idea that
- 11:57you guys keep mentioning like just staying prepared because again you
- 12:00have no idea when you're gonna get holed up what's gonna happen you could
- 12:03be added to a roster last minute you can be just like
- 12:05cut from a roster like it's all up in the air so
- 12:08you just have to stay prepared and yeah work your hardest
- 12:11and just try to be like mentally ready at all and it's for
- 12:14like i mean we were obviously like have like
- 12:17they told us the timeline they're like there's gonna be this camp like in january they're
- 12:20like there's going to be these five camps this spring summer and like
- 12:24it's easy to like be in Spain be in Atlanta and like be looking
- 12:26forward but I think like and I know me and Grace like I talked about
- 12:29this and have the same like perspective on it like you just
- 12:32have to like be in the moment be like I try to like find gratitude
- 12:35in like where I'm at right now because you never know like it could be your
- 12:38last opportunity like you're gonna do everything you can for it not to be but
- 12:41like it could be so just like yeah being grateful staying in the present and
- 12:46then like just working as hard as you can to get called into the next one yeah
- 12:49right totally great Good point. Love it.
- 12:54The last thing before we transition kind of into more college soccer is since
- 12:59you guys are more kind of put in the spotlight, like, people know about you
- 13:02guys just because you guys have been super successful in soccer, which is wonderful.
- 13:05How do you guys handle any, like, social media? Like, how do you handle your social media?
- 13:11Like, because you guys are in the spotlight. And then how do you,
- 13:14like off of that, like how do you keep your confidence like up so that you're
- 13:19able to be prepared at all times for these camps?
- 13:22I would just say like being authentic is so important.
- 13:25And like I know Izzy's the same exact way and that's why like we get along so well.
- 13:28But it's just like being your true self and like what you put out there is a
- 13:32reflection of yourself.
- 13:33So being aware that like what you put out there is going to represent you.
- 13:37And so you want others to obviously, that's what they'll view you as.
- 13:40And so I think also like we are such so big in our faith and that's something
- 13:44that like we're not like we want to glorify God in all that we do.
- 13:47And I think being able to promote that, especially if you have some form of
- 13:50following is so important. And I think just like if that's who you are,
- 13:54do it and like do it like with like do it for your full self.
- 13:57And so I think that was just so important.
- 13:59And then like keeping confidence and stuff is just like also being rooted in
- 14:03your faith, like understanding that like you're doing everything like for obviously
- 14:07for God and for your faith. and like there's something bigger out there than
- 14:09just yourself and like your teammates everything.
- 14:12I think it's also the people you surround yourself with. Like,
- 14:14I mean, Izzy and I are with each other all day, every day.
- 14:16And it's like, as long as you have someone that you can, like,
- 14:18lean on and stuff, like, that's also a boost of confidence, too. Yeah.
- 14:22I mean, and she talked about being rooted. And, like, that's,
- 14:24like, what we both find our value in. So it's, like, yeah, it's,
- 14:27like, sweet. Like, you get posted by some, like, everything.
- 14:30And, like, having a good game. And it's cool to get, like, that recognition.
- 14:34But, like, that's never what either of us are doing it for.
- 14:36And, like, she said it, like, perfectly. We do it to glorify God and to shine
- 14:41his light to other people.
- 14:43And the most that we can, like social media is honestly like it's a great platform
- 14:47to be able to use that. I'm like, we like have somewhat of a following.
- 14:51It's just maybe like a tiny following.
- 14:54It's really nothing crazy. But yeah, just using like whatever we have and the
- 14:59gifts and the situations that God's placed us in to glorify him.
- 15:02And I feel like that keeps you rooted and that keeps you humble.
- 15:05And that's like a big theme within our Notre Dame team too.
- 15:08And like how like humble can we be in every moment
- 15:11and just going into this season like we're always like
- 15:14working for it we're always like trying to earn the next thing and like nothing's
- 15:18gonna be given to us so in that way like social media yeah the recognition it's
- 15:22great like it always feels good but just like remembering who you do it for
- 15:26remembering your why like even it's not faith and stuff but and then also just
- 15:31like staying grounded and remember like,
- 15:32usually the media is either you're always not as like as good or as bad as they say you are so,
- 15:38and i think also not putting like too much value also in
- 15:40social media and like what people saying stuff because it's like once
- 15:44again like yeah it could feel good to have an instagram post but it's like if
- 15:47that's what you find like joy and happiness in it won't ever satisfy you so
- 15:50finding other things that would actually fulfill you is what helps in the long
- 15:54run i love like your answer about like using your faith as like a platform like
- 15:59that's awesome just because a lot of people don't usually like see social media
- 16:03as that especially as an athlete as well Mm-hmm.
- 16:06Could you guys tell us a little bit about your freshman season in college this last year?
- 16:12Yeah, I mean, I would say, like, both of us had, like, successful freshman years for sure.
- 16:17But, like, that doesn't go without saying, like, there weren't ups and downs.
- 16:20And it was for sure still a roller coaster. And even looking towards this fall,
- 16:23like, we're super excited. And, like, we're prepared for the adversity.
- 16:26And we're prepared for, like, whatever's going to come at us.
- 16:28Like, we know it's going to happen.
- 16:29And, like, we know, like, all three of us, all four of us, like,
- 16:33in college and stuff, like, you know how to deal with it.
- 16:35But it doesn't mean it's not going to come. So, yeah, I think like we like learned
- 16:38a lot this season or this last season.
- 16:41I think there was like what was really special.
- 16:43We had a lot of like freshmen doing well and playing.
- 16:46And I think what was like cool was we had like this, even like our upperclassmen
- 16:50had it like this kind of like not naive, but like this just like joy and just
- 16:54like happiness to be there.
- 16:57That like it almost made it like that helped our chemistry that helped like
- 17:00us on the field. because we were just, like, honestly just having so much fun
- 17:03with each other, like, playing, like, doing what we love.
- 17:07So it was, like, I mean, I have, like, like, I look back on last season and it was so much fun.
- 17:12And I think, like, the biggest things, like, I want to learn from it is,
- 17:15like, what can I keep doing that, like, I did last year, that Grace did last
- 17:17year, that Leah did last year. Like, what can we keep doing?
- 17:19And then, like, we also worked out so much in the offseason on,
- 17:22like, there were obviously – we didn't win a national championship.
- 17:25And even if we did, I'm sure there were things to learn from it.
- 17:27So – and there were so many things that we could learn from last season.
- 17:29So I think we have a really good perspective going into this season.
- 17:32And we took like a lot of lessons from like all our losses, our ties.
- 17:36Like it was very far from perfect. But yeah, I have a lot to be proud of.
- 17:41I'm proud of myself and like for our transition into college.
- 17:45And I can't wait to see what this season's going to hold.
- 17:47That was well said too. I would just say, yeah, the thing that stands out the
- 17:52most when I think about freshman year is just, yeah, the joy.
- 17:55Like I'm listening to you talk and I'm like smiling. like oh my
- 17:57gosh it was like it was obviously nothing's perfect but
- 18:00like I couldn't picture anything a better spot to
- 18:03be obviously Notre Dame like us three all of
- 18:06our parents all went here so it ended up just kind of working out for
- 18:09that that's actually crazy that is crazy
- 18:12yeah all my parents met Notre Dame that's awesome but
- 18:16yeah so like obviously it's been a dream of mine I
- 18:18know you guys too just to play here and so I think being able
- 18:21just to wear the uniform every day and like walk around campus like
- 18:24we all talk about like the gratitude it brings I think that's also it helped
- 18:27us just have so much fun and like bring so much joy out of each other which
- 18:31is that like it's something we love to do and I also think it's like I mean
- 18:34we're in our sweet 16 and we're all dancing at halftime and you're just like
- 18:38that team like what is happening because there's so much joy but and then also
- 18:42just like the learning lessons there's so much to learn and grow from,
- 18:45every game like your approach mentality from wins losses ties like there's so
- 18:50much to like grow and I think that's the exciting thing that we could take into
- 18:53this next year is that like while we do have talent, like we're humble enough to know that like.
- 18:57Like everyone's awesome every team is going to be great this year and like it's all,
- 19:01there's so yeah we're just so excited there's just so much to get
- 19:04better at and yeah we're looking forward to it yeah I
- 19:08like how y'all mentioned like having fun I mean it's just
- 19:11super important to always have fun like that's why we play and like
- 19:15if you're not having fun then something's wrong but and then
- 19:18also the second thing is just like kind of Grayson as
- 19:21you mentioned like us at Notre Dame and probably like every
- 19:24other school too one of our big things is like humility so just
- 19:27always staying grounded staying rooted and remembering your
- 19:31why why you play and then just working like
- 19:34you have the most fun when you serve others and you serve your teammates and
- 19:37that just helps you helps the whole team like come together and reach a common
- 19:43goal together and that's how you have the most fun so i feel like that's what
- 19:46brings us really close as another name team we're all just like like we're just
- 19:50laughing and smiling the whole time i love I have so much love together. Yeah, we do. Yeah.
- 19:56And I think something special, like even what our coach always talks about is
- 19:58like, how can you guys serve each other?
- 20:00And I think that kind of environment has like made our practices,
- 20:03everything so positive and so much fun.
- 20:05Obviously, yeah, it's never, it's not all sunshine and rainbows every day,
- 20:09but I do think like with the ability of each other just to go out to practice
- 20:13every day, either locker room, anything, it's just like, how can we make each
- 20:16other better and not like, oh, how can, like, what is everyone going to give me?
- 20:20What's everyone going to do for me? It's like, how can I serve other people, I think?
- 20:23Yeah. Right. Yeah. That's huge.
- 20:26How was overall the transition from, like, club soccer and high school soccer,
- 20:31if you guys did that, into the college soccer environment? So just the transition
- 20:34from high school to college soccer.
- 20:36I mean, I would say, like, my club and high school environment,
- 20:40both, like, athletically and academically, actually, like, prepared me,
- 20:43like, really well for Notre Dame.
- 20:45Like, even the—we, like, were both blessed to, like, be in USA camps and,
- 20:49like, that level and, like, the speed of play, like, prepared me well.
- 20:53In terms of like I mean I would also actually add the like speed
- 20:56of play was probably like the biggest thing for me just like and I
- 20:59feel like every like high schooler into college says that
- 21:02because it is different you're playing against girls that are bigger
- 21:05faster stronger it's like how can you like adjust to
- 21:08it but also still have the confidence to know like you're good enough to play in this
- 21:10league like you're here for a reason so I think like for
- 21:14me it actually went pretty smoothly I'm also like super close to
- 21:16my family and I was like a little bit scared though like oh being homesick like
- 21:19I'm from Minnesota like it's not too far but like it's not like
- 21:22they're here every single weekend but I actually like I mean our
- 21:25team is like family and I think like that was it like
- 21:28helped me assimilate so much easier to the school so I
- 21:31would say it actually went much smoother than I thought it would but like
- 21:34in a good way yeah I would say the same too I
- 21:37would say speed of play obviously like I mean you can't mimic
- 21:40a college environment especially if you go to I mean
- 21:42any university I'm sure it's high it's high speed and that's what Notre Dame
- 21:45promotes here is just like our speed of play so I think just adjusting
- 21:48to that but I think having just like an open mindset and just
- 21:51ready to learn I think really helped because like even like our
- 21:54first like our first game I we lost and like even that
- 21:57film session like I literally like just learned so much from just the
- 21:59first one and I think my ability like from that game to the next one just to
- 22:04be able to be coached and be open to that because obviously it's not the easiest
- 22:08thing when you don't succeed fully the first time you try it but I think as
- 22:11long as you don't quit when someone like a coach gets on you or you need to
- 22:15learn I think I just my ability and anyone's the ability just to flip the page and just.
- 22:19You know, it's not going to be perfect when you first start,
- 22:21but just to keep trying and keep going.
- 22:23I think that was super important and what helped me in the long run because it's not easy.
- 22:27I mean, and the people too, like your transition, your way from home.
- 22:31So that's also hard, but just finding your people and really sticking with each other, I think helped.
- 22:35And I feel like there were just so many, like, learning, like,
- 22:38I feel like we grew much in one year and matured so much, like,
- 22:42I don't think we're, like, immature coming in, but, like, we just,
- 22:44like, find out how to be independent, how to live on your own,
- 22:47and, like, how to take, like,
- 22:49yeah, like, a coach, I mean, it's happened to all of us, like,
- 22:51coach yelling at you, a coach, like, telling you, like, pointing you out on
- 22:54film in front of the whole team, and, like, as a freshman and as a senior,
- 22:57like, it's hard for everyone, but, like, especially if you've never been in
- 23:00that position, so, like, we, like,
- 23:02learned so much, grew so much, and it's, like, really cool to look back on.
- 23:05Too yeah and I do I still say like looking back
- 23:09on like now I mean it's only been a year but like it's
- 23:12crazy how it's already been a year but I'm just like looking back even
- 23:15at the when I first came in it's like how far I've grown from now and also like
- 23:18the moments that those are what make you better so it's like if you're
- 23:20going into your first season or whatever and you're nervous it's like that's all
- 23:23that's so normal and also like where you'll be from a year from
- 23:26now it's like if you just do like all the right things like listen I mean obviously
- 23:29your coaches have your best interests and stuff so it's just like as long as
- 23:32you can just learn as much as you can be a sponge i think that's like the best
- 23:36advice what are you guys looking forward to then this upcoming season i mean
- 23:41i'm sure the answer is gonna be the same for all of us but like the games.
- 23:45And just like all the like fun memories that we're
- 23:48gonna have together and like obviously the games are where like you can
- 23:50put on the show of like what we've been practicing what
- 23:54we've been working on but like even just day in and day out like i
- 23:57think about like locker room hangouts we just got a new locker room
- 24:00which has been great and we've all been hanging out there like pretty much all bit she's
- 24:03in the locker room yeah so beautiful exactly
- 24:07so like even just like the little things like daily moments like I don't want
- 24:12to just highlight the games because obviously like yeah that's where like scoring
- 24:16and the winning and all that happens and that's how you win a national championship
- 24:20but even just like all the moments that we have together as a team so I'm at least going forward to.
- 24:24Yeah, I mean, of course, I'm thinking the same thing. I literally just today
- 24:27we're out in the field and it's like this is like it's like,
- 24:30yeah, where dreams are made.
- 24:31And I think us growing up here in Notre Dame, it's like you've seen that field a million times.
- 24:35So then being able to play on it is just so amazing.
- 24:37And the late night games, we have a lot of good home games this year.
- 24:40And the people here, like all of our dorm friends, like school friends,
- 24:44other athlete friends, like obviously everyone, they love to support.
- 24:47So I think, yeah, just being at home, home games are so fun.
- 24:50And just like the school year, like all the little memories that happen. like
- 24:53there's so many times over the summer we were talking to each other and
- 24:56like looking back at memories you're like this is a perfect like this is amazing
- 24:58this was so fun and you're like gosh overall it's just it's
- 25:01just so much fun so like it's all the little things as much as
- 25:04it is the big things and like the stuff you like the soccer the grind
- 25:07the process like just finding joy I think in the process and
- 25:10the practices early late so just excited for
- 25:13it all obviously but I know we like didn't really answer that well yeah not
- 25:17at all I'm like the game I mean sure everything else too but the game practices
- 25:22locker yeah i mean anything i mean i guess class i could be excited for like
- 25:27i can be different this i'm gonna really cherish this month before it's for,
- 25:33sure so get all in yeah yeah excited
- 25:36to see the people again i would say like yeah yeah i would say the other
- 25:38thing is like the people here at notre dame are so awesome and like we
- 25:42have so many great friends on different sports teams different dorms like from
- 25:45classmates so i think that's also a special thing that like I like I'm so grateful
- 25:49for that I've found another name is just that there's so many amazing people
- 25:52here no matter if I'm your team or not and so I think there's so many bonds
- 25:56that I made my freshman year that I just love and I'm super excited to see everyone
- 26:00again when they come back to school.
- 26:01Awesome. So Grace is excited for school. I mean, like, maybe,
- 26:05but I'll say that too. Maybe I have a, like, warp of school.
- 26:10The idea of school being college, it's okay.
- 26:13Once you get to the end of preseason, you're like, I need classes.
- 26:16I need, like, something else in my day.
- 26:19Right. Yeah, that's true. The first day of school is always fun.
- 26:23Yeah. You just, like, have a way to do that.
- 26:26I'm kidding. No, I'm making it sound like I, like, don't like school. No. Izzy loves school.
- 26:32And who's smarties on the call? Very smart. And Grace is also really smart.
- 26:37You are. You guys are laughing, but we all know that you guys are very good. You're smart.
- 26:41They make very good grades. We'll put the work in.
- 26:45We'll put the work in for academics. We'll try. We do try. We'll put the work
- 26:49in. Yeah. Put the student in student athlete. Exactly.
- 26:54Yes. You guys do a great job of that. You guys seem very well-rounded.
- 26:57Me too. Good at soccer too. And everything else in between.
- 27:02So, since we're just kind of entering preseason, what is one thing that you're
- 27:06excited for specifically in this preseason?
- 27:10To do with a team, it can be doing soccer or outside of soccer or anything.
- 27:15I would say last year we did these skits and my group was, I think,
- 27:20the funniest group I've ever met. I was a freshman and so I didn't even realize it.
- 27:24And I still look back on videos from that one night. We just did like literally
- 27:28inside out. We were all different characters.
- 27:30And I will still cry laughing in the video and just the memories of like the
- 27:35night building up to it, making her a skit.
- 27:37Like that was just such like a bonding moment. And so I think that was really funny.
- 27:40And when it happens again, it's hopefully we can top it.
- 27:43I know. I was thinking, I was like trying to think of something specific and
- 27:46the skit night is exact. Her group was hilarious.
- 27:49My group, we did like Love Island skit. So that was also, I love it. It was so fun to do. Yeah.
- 27:55So it's so funny. We do have to do that again. Yeah. That was really fun. Oh, yeah.
- 28:00And for my sugar addiction, I would say ice cream nights.
- 28:04There are a lot of, like, we had ice cream night tonight, too.
- 28:06Yep. There was a whole team ice cream night. Oh, I think ice cream night's tomorrow night, too.
- 28:10Maybe the next night. Oh, yes. We do have one tomorrow night,
- 28:12too. Oh, actually. It's on a schedule. Yeah, it's on a schedule.
- 28:15Ice cream tomorrow. Yeah. So we like sweet treats. I think also,
- 28:18like, what I love is, like, the weather's, like, so nice. I mean,
- 28:21the weather's nice in the fall, too.
- 28:22But, like, it's so nice in the summer. And, like, all the days are just, like, glorious.
- 28:27So like even just like going and like yeah doing wall ball outside like being
- 28:31off the field being outside like when you don't have like class and like homework
- 28:35hanging over you so far yeah.
- 28:38Awesome okay awesome one last question is who are you guys most excited to play this season,
- 28:46i have my answer but do you have
- 28:48it revenge or i was
- 28:51literally thinking i had two answers one was revenge one wasn't
- 28:54okay let's say the other one but let's say revenge first
- 28:57okay three two one oh we
- 29:01don't play stanford we don't
- 29:04play stanford oh yeah wait yeah
- 29:07we don't know yeah so i
- 29:10was like i would love to play there in the national i'd love to play them yeah but
- 29:13on our schedule right now i'd say duke we had
- 29:16a good match with them last year so i think you didn't see too
- 29:18because we didn't play them last yeah that was gonna be my first yeah that
- 29:22was mine too but I was like you know what maybe we were thinking the same but they also
- 29:25know I mean we like there are girls from UNC on
- 29:28from camp and stuff and there was some that were
- 29:30in like Costa Rica with us and like that we're close to so like
- 29:33it's gonna be fun too to like play against friends and people that know yeah
- 29:36I think UNC that's a good one too just a lot of good friends on that team they're
- 29:40talented rosters so it'll be a fun match to play them that was gonna be so good
- 29:44like yep those are all home games I'm excited for your season too thanks thank
- 29:49you we talked so but we're all learning.
- 29:52You're gonna do great too well we want to thank you guys for coming on you guys
- 29:57said a lot of like really important things that I think a lot of like freshmen
- 30:01can take away even just club soccer players,
- 30:05so thank you so much for coming on and I can't wait for everybody to get to
- 30:09watch you guys do amazing this season again,
- 30:13thank you so much for having us yes thank you come back on whenever,
- 30:17I know we will come back make sure to catch these two superstars in season this
- 30:23fall and we appreciate everyone listening your messages and feedback mean everything
- 30:28to us so catch us on instagram at leah.clinkey and katephillips04 see you next week.