Sophomore Lady Flames Soccer Player Halle Engle Shares Her Story

Fueled by unwavering faith and passion on the field, redshirt sophomore Halle Engle is making moves as a forward for the Liberty University Women’s Soccer team.

Last week, the Liberty Champion named Engle as one of the champions of the month. Through her love for the game, her outstanding performance and her deep-rooted faith, she has been a witness to how humility and trust in God can lead to success, both on the pitch and in life.

In her first 12 matches this season, she has contributed to the team’s impressive 9-1-2 record. With eight of her shots finding the back of the net, she has been a proven playmaker and goal-scorer.

This season, Engle is fresh and looking to attack. Head Coach Lang Wedemeyer commended Engle on her determination. 

“She is incredibly coachable and she’s a hard worker,” Wedemeyer said. “She’s really worked on her mental toughness, which allows her to be really dangerous game after game on the front line.”

However, Engle remains humble, and her performance on the field is only a portion of her achievement.

Soccer has always been a part of Engle’s life. During her childhood, she was also a competitive gymnast, which taught her fundamental skills and instilled a foundation in balance, stability and strength. Once Engle transitioned into middle school, her heart for soccer deepened; and by the time she was in high school, she caught the attention of college scouts.

Now, in her collegiate career, she balances athletics and academics to a higher degree, majoring in exercise science. Engle is grateful for the resources Liberty offers. She was named on the ASUN and CUSA Academic Honor Rolls for her freshman and sophomore years.

“I’m not going to sit here and say it’s easy,” Engle said. “It takes a lot of time management.” 

Engle also expressed how her commitment to soccer goes hand in hand with her spiritual journey.

“Right now, I can say that my identity is nowhere in soccer. There are days when it’s difficult not to put my worth into (soccer),” Engle said. “There is so much freedom outside of what I can do on the field, and if I can just allow every time I step on the field to be an opportunity to be a light to the other people I come in contact with, well, I think that’s a win in my book.”

Engle’s faith is her driving force on and off the field, as she is not just competing for herself but for something much greater. 

“If I can solely put everything I have and give it to the Lord, I think that he will lead me and guide me in everything I do, and it takes a lot of preparation and a lot of time to sit in the Word every day,” Engle said. “I know what my purpose is, and it’s to continue to spread the light of the Lord to other people.”

Last fall, Engle faced a challenge in her collegiate career as she suffered a torn meniscus, which sidelined her for a season. 

“I actually got to go through last fall with one of my teammates, Bri. She also was injured, and that was such a blessing to go through it with her because we were with each other every day,” Engle said.

Her teammate, redshirt junior Briana Myers, also reflected on that season and how their friendship formed. 

“She is just the epitome of what living out your faith looks like,” Myers said. “She’s just the best person to be around.” 

Myer’s and Engle’s season of sidelining and recovery was challenging, but they always had each other. 

“She was literally like my rock throughout that entire process,” Myers said. “We got so close through that, and I just feel like she is someone I can always count on and anybody can go to for advice.”

Wedemeyer also highlighted Engle as a player in terms of her character and athletic capabilities.

“She’s incredibly humble, and she’s very much a team-first player and will do whatever the team needs,” Wedemeyer said. “She’ll just run herself into the ground to try and help the team in any way she can.”

Engle set her ambitions high for this season. Aiming to win back-to-back Conference USA championships after last year’s victory is a high priority for Engle, especially since she was injured when the team competed in the pivotal match against Louisiana Tech. From there, Engle also has her sights on competing in the NCAA tournament. 

“I think we have proved we can compete with anybody we play,” Engle said. “Just going out there and winning games, I think that would be really big for us.”

As Engle continues her journey at Liberty, she remains committed to sharing God’s love with everyone she encounters. 

“Always trust what God’s doing in your life,” Engle said. “Sometimes we can never see what he is doing in the moment, but he is always working and doing something for our good.”

Jolly is a sports reporter for the Liberty Champion.