SE: A Leap of Faith – El-Naggar Finds Family Atmosphere with K-State Soccer
Apr 21, 2021 | Soccer, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
Aliyah El-Naggar doesn't understand why everything is on fire.
Her first semester at Kansas State began during pasture burning season, when ranchers throughout the Flint Hills burn their fields to produce new grass and feed their livestock.
After growing up in the Cincinnati suburbs, El-Naggar still finds it a little jarring to see a field burning just a few miles away from Buser Family Park. The good news? She signed up for this.
"I had never been to Kansas, and I can say I had actually never heard of K-State before," she said. "But when I got into the transfer portal, I decided that I needed to do this for myself. It's going to be uncomfortable and it's going to be scary. But I needed to take a leap of faith."
Where she landed would have been a surprise to almost anyone who knew El-Naggar back when she was one of the top high school soccer players in Ohio. The first time around, she limited her college search to schools within a few hours of her hometown in Mason.
In a part of the country where soccer has never been more popular, El-Naggar starred at Mason High School and with her club team, the Cincinnati Development Academy of US Soccer.
In 2015, she scored an invite to training camp with the United States U15 National Team in California. That's when El-Naggar got an email from a former Cincinnati DA player – Wisconsin midfielder Rose Lavelle, now a member of the US Women's National Team.
"Rose was from my club, so I trained with her a good amount," El-Naggar said. "I went to the national team camp when I was younger, and she was my mentor during that time. She emailed me about the process and was like, 'Have no fear. Just go in it and don't be scared.' Growing up around these role models and getting FC Cincinnati as a pro team, it was an amazing culture."
So, as her first college recruitment letters began to arrive, El-Naggar wasn't exactly a secret. And when you're not a secret in the state of Ohio, you usually get a call from Ohio State.
That's where El-Naggar committed in high school, arriving in Columbus and making an immediate impact. She finished her freshman season with 13 starts at right back, solidifying her two-way defender status with a pair of assists. And then everything went off the rails.
El-Naggar tore a muscle in her pelvis, sidelining her for the year. When COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the college sports calendar, the Big Ten pushed back the soccer season into 2021.
In the transfer portal, El Naggar didn't know when she could play, where she could play or if her sport was even going to be a thing for the foreseeable future.
You know, just the usual offseason to-do list for a college soccer player.
A conversation with K-State associate head coach Gabe Romo helped answer at least one of those questions.
"Gabe called me, and it was a really good conversation. I felt really connected and the next day I spoke with Coach Dibbini. It was another connection right away," El-Naggar said. "I wanted coaches that would put in the time for their players and wanted what was best for them."
Packing her bags for the Sunflower State, El-Naggar arrived at a K-State Soccer program looking to take the next step after graduating their first senior class to play all four seasons in the Big 12.
At her first practice with the Wildcats, El-Naggar said she was just excited to get on the ball after more than a year away from the sport.
"I didn't know what it would be like or if I would be behind," she said. "But all of my teammates were so welcoming. At the first practice I was like, 'Yep, I made the right decision.' All of the coaches came up and asked me how I was feeling. I never felt an empty space inside of me."
El-Naggar came to Manhattan along with four other transfers from programs across the country. Since the Big Ten pushed back soccer to the spring, she could play right away.
Nearly every other student-athlete in history has had a few months or even a year at their new school before they ever step on the field. Not this Wildcat.
Barely two months after she arrived in Manhattan, El-Naggar was running back post against Missouri, in stoppage time, asking the leading scorer in K-State history to pass her the ball.
"I was screaming at Brookelynn [Entz] to pass it back post," El-Naggar said. "It got through, the defender missed the cross and I just tapped it in. It was an incredible feeling with 30 seconds left in the game."
Her goal came with K-State down 3-2 to the Missouri Tigers in stoppage time, helping the Wildcats earn a draw on the road as El-Naggar scored the first goal of her college career.
A few nights later, she was defending Amy Rodriguez as the 'Cats faced Kansas City NWSL in a preseason friendly against the new professional women's soccer club.
"I watched her play in the World Cup. Never, in a million years, would I have thought I would be defending her on a field," El-Naggar said. "It's a very cool experience to know that there's a team an hour and a half away from us and hopefully each year we'll be able to play them. It's a little nerve-wracking at times to know that those coaches could be watching you at any moment, but it's also exciting...My dream has always been to play pro after college."
After a year away from the game, a new team and a new time zone, that hasn't changed.
And with the end of the spring schedule, El-Naggar can finally focus on a summer when she will have a chance to get settled in Manhattan and prepare for the 2021 season at K-State.
Finally, the Ohio native knows exactly where she's supposed to be.
"Coming into this team, we have something special. People can doubt us all they want, but they don't get to see the practices that we go through and the hardships that we go through together. It's a family atmosphere," El-Naggar said. "I can say wholeheartedly, I absolutely love it here."
Aliyah El-Naggar doesn't understand why everything is on fire.
Her first semester at Kansas State began during pasture burning season, when ranchers throughout the Flint Hills burn their fields to produce new grass and feed their livestock.
After growing up in the Cincinnati suburbs, El-Naggar still finds it a little jarring to see a field burning just a few miles away from Buser Family Park. The good news? She signed up for this.
"I had never been to Kansas, and I can say I had actually never heard of K-State before," she said. "But when I got into the transfer portal, I decided that I needed to do this for myself. It's going to be uncomfortable and it's going to be scary. But I needed to take a leap of faith."
Where she landed would have been a surprise to almost anyone who knew El-Naggar back when she was one of the top high school soccer players in Ohio. The first time around, she limited her college search to schools within a few hours of her hometown in Mason.
In a part of the country where soccer has never been more popular, El-Naggar starred at Mason High School and with her club team, the Cincinnati Development Academy of US Soccer.
In 2015, she scored an invite to training camp with the United States U15 National Team in California. That's when El-Naggar got an email from a former Cincinnati DA player – Wisconsin midfielder Rose Lavelle, now a member of the US Women's National Team.
"Rose was from my club, so I trained with her a good amount," El-Naggar said. "I went to the national team camp when I was younger, and she was my mentor during that time. She emailed me about the process and was like, 'Have no fear. Just go in it and don't be scared.' Growing up around these role models and getting FC Cincinnati as a pro team, it was an amazing culture."
So, as her first college recruitment letters began to arrive, El-Naggar wasn't exactly a secret. And when you're not a secret in the state of Ohio, you usually get a call from Ohio State.
That's where El-Naggar committed in high school, arriving in Columbus and making an immediate impact. She finished her freshman season with 13 starts at right back, solidifying her two-way defender status with a pair of assists. And then everything went off the rails.
El-Naggar tore a muscle in her pelvis, sidelining her for the year. When COVID-19 wreaked havoc on the college sports calendar, the Big Ten pushed back the soccer season into 2021.
In the transfer portal, El Naggar didn't know when she could play, where she could play or if her sport was even going to be a thing for the foreseeable future.
You know, just the usual offseason to-do list for a college soccer player.
A conversation with K-State associate head coach Gabe Romo helped answer at least one of those questions.
"Gabe called me, and it was a really good conversation. I felt really connected and the next day I spoke with Coach Dibbini. It was another connection right away," El-Naggar said. "I wanted coaches that would put in the time for their players and wanted what was best for them."
Packing her bags for the Sunflower State, El-Naggar arrived at a K-State Soccer program looking to take the next step after graduating their first senior class to play all four seasons in the Big 12.
At her first practice with the Wildcats, El-Naggar said she was just excited to get on the ball after more than a year away from the sport.
"I didn't know what it would be like or if I would be behind," she said. "But all of my teammates were so welcoming. At the first practice I was like, 'Yep, I made the right decision.' All of the coaches came up and asked me how I was feeling. I never felt an empty space inside of me."
El-Naggar came to Manhattan along with four other transfers from programs across the country. Since the Big Ten pushed back soccer to the spring, she could play right away.
Welcome to the Family #KStateSOC x Newcomers pic.twitter.com/7Hr4cjeUiK
— K-State Soccer (@KStateSOC) February 28, 2021
Nearly every other student-athlete in history has had a few months or even a year at their new school before they ever step on the field. Not this Wildcat.
Barely two months after she arrived in Manhattan, El-Naggar was running back post against Missouri, in stoppage time, asking the leading scorer in K-State history to pass her the ball.
"I was screaming at Brookelynn [Entz] to pass it back post," El-Naggar said. "It got through, the defender missed the cross and I just tapped it in. It was an incredible feeling with 30 seconds left in the game."
Her goal came with K-State down 3-2 to the Missouri Tigers in stoppage time, helping the Wildcats earn a draw on the road as El-Naggar scored the first goal of her college career.
A few nights later, she was defending Amy Rodriguez as the 'Cats faced Kansas City NWSL in a preseason friendly against the new professional women's soccer club.
"I watched her play in the World Cup. Never, in a million years, would I have thought I would be defending her on a field," El-Naggar said. "It's a very cool experience to know that there's a team an hour and a half away from us and hopefully each year we'll be able to play them. It's a little nerve-wracking at times to know that those coaches could be watching you at any moment, but it's also exciting...My dream has always been to play pro after college."
After a year away from the game, a new team and a new time zone, that hasn't changed.
And with the end of the spring schedule, El-Naggar can finally focus on a summer when she will have a chance to get settled in Manhattan and prepare for the 2021 season at K-State.
Finally, the Ohio native knows exactly where she's supposed to be.
"Coming into this team, we have something special. People can doubt us all they want, but they don't get to see the practices that we go through and the hardships that we go through together. It's a family atmosphere," El-Naggar said. "I can say wholeheartedly, I absolutely love it here."
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