Podcast: Olivia Wingate on her Notre Dame career, preparing for NWSL Draft

Olivia Wingate enjoyed a stellar career at Notre Dame. (Notre Dame Athletics)

The latest guest on New England Soccer Journal’s “The Goal” podcast is Notre Dame grad student forward Olivia Wingate (Wilmington, Mass.).

Wingate, a former FC Stars standout, wrapped up a stellar career at national power ND by tallying 14 goals and five assists in the 2022 season, and helping lead the team to a 17-3-3 record and trip to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament.

The First Team All-ACC selection and Third Team All-American has registered for this week’s 2023 NWSL Draft, which will be held Thursday.

Wingate joined host Matt Langone to discuss her mindset entering the draft and how she was able to carve out a sensational career at one of the nation’s premier college soccer programs.

The full podcast can be accessed below and is available on all major platforms. If you enjoy it, please leave a rating and a review.

Here are some highlights from our discussion with Wingate:

On her 2022 season at Notre Dame:

Wingate: “The 2022 season was definitely all that I had ever dreamed of. Coming to Notre Dame, you want to have a season like that. I think that it was a long time coming and we really deserved it, our coaches deserved it, the team deserved it, and it was such a great season for all of us. I think that everything just came together in the end. We had amazing personnel on the field, as well as, obviously, in our coaches, who formulated game plans and we just went out and executed. For me, specifically, (head coach Nate Norman) gave me a little bit of freedom up top and I was able to just do what I loved to do.”

On the best part of being a student-athlete at Notre Dame:

Wingate: “I think the coolest part is the alumni network. I mean, the campus is phenomenal, it’s a beautiful place. Then, you get onto campus and the energy you can just feel it. Of course, the school is amazing — the professors, everybody — it’s almost like a family. I think that the alumni network also goes to show how much of a family connection Notre Dame is. If I have a Notre Dame hat on, anywhere, somebody says ‘Go Irish.'”

On the luxury of playing with freedom on the field:

Wingate: “I think that I was always somebody who wanted to take risks and make mistakes and not be afraid to make mistakes. Even growing up, my coaches gave me a lot of freedom in doing that. Especially as a forward, you really have to be able to take risks and take people on and not be afraid of what’s going to happen and what the outcome is. Whenever I get the ball, I’m just going straight at the defender. I want to go at somebody, and having that confidence and that freedom and that creativity to go and be, like, ‘yes, I’m going to do this, and what comes about, comes about,’ I think is really important.”

On entering the NWSL Draft:

Wingate: “I think that it’s just an amazing opportunity. I’ve dreamed about this since I was little, going to Boston Breakers games all the time. Our town teams would take us with the teams, and I’ve always wanted to play pro and go and be in that league. Now having the opportunity to be registered and potentially be able to play is really promising. I’m just really grateful to even have that opportunity. I’m definitely more excited. I think, obviously, there’s some nerves involved. There’s a lot of great players that are registered and there’s only 48 spots. But, of course, you can always get picked through discovery and invited in without getting drafted.”

On why she’s mentally prepared for embarking on a professional career:

Wingate: “I think that I’m very prepared, and maybe a little bit more prepared than some other girls in this draft. I think that throughout my college career, I didn’t get a ton of playing time. My freshman and sophomore year was never like I stepped on campus and I was the starter, and I was just given that freedom to play my game and had that all throughout my career. It was really hard to work up to where I was my grad year, my senior year, and some of my junior year. It mostly took-off after COVID. So, I think that I’m very prepared, because I kind of already went through that. I kind of already have that mentality of ‘I’m just here to control what I can control.'”

The Goal” podcast is brought to you by the New England Revolution and Soccerheads New England.

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