El-Naggar Embodies the Player-Led Mentality
Aug 14, 2023 | Soccer, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Before Aliyah El-Naggar could walk, she crawled with a soccer ball in her parent's home in Mason, Ohio. As she grew up, El-Naggar wanted to be like her older siblings, Sanaya, Nadia and Jordan, who each were accomplished soccer players. Eventually, she became one of the top 120 players in the nation. She accepted a scholarship to play at Ohio State.
And now, El-Naggar, after a journey, is team captain with the Kansas State Wildcats.
"We're trying to become more of a player-led team because we're still such a new soccer program," El-Naggar says.
Since its inception in 2016, K-State's women's soccer program has steadily grown under head coach Mike Dibbini. Once starting with a crawl (K-State went 3-9-4 its first season), the Wildcats have begun to walk (a school record-tying six wins each of the past two seasons) and participated in their first Big 12 Championship last season.
El-Naggar hopes to help her team climb to even greater heights during the 2023 season, which begins with a season-opening match at Green Bay at 3 p.m. Thursday. The game will be televised on ESPN+.
"We have great team chemistry," El-Naggar says. "That's an easy thing to say, but we've really worked hard on building our team and creating relationships of trust. We've grown a ton."
Throughout her soccer life, El-Naggar, a graduate student and a 5-foot-6 defender, has grown plenty — as a person and as an athlete.
Ranked as the 119th prospect in the nation and the 24th-best player in the state of Ohio by MaxPreps.com, El-Naggar trained with USWNT member Rose LaVelle and helped lead her team to the 2017 U.S. Soccer Nationals championship title. She then saw action in 17 matches with 13 starts at right back at Ohio State.
However, El-Naggar suffered torn muscles in her pelvic area in October 2019 and it took doctors three months to determine that she required sports hernia surgery. Following surgery in February 2020, it was discovered that she suffered nerve damage, which required a subsequent procedure. That procedure caused side effects and another setback.
"I was supposed to be out for only eight weeks and then full-go," El-Naggar says, "but it didn't happen. I really struggled with the pain."
What got her through the challenging times?
"Reading," she says. "I was never a big reader when I was younger. I actually had a reading disability, so reading has always been really hard for me, but during COVID I just decided to pick up a book. It was actually a religious series and it really got me through some tough times. I read probably 300 pages a day. That got me through the tough times, along with my family."
An up-and-down relationship with Ohio State coaches led El-Naggar to explore the transfer portal. Dibbini, who saw El-Naggar play on regional soccer squads during her high school years, remembered her tenaciousness and believed El-Naggar could be a fit in Manhattan.
"She was just a ferocious defender, had a blue-collar work ethic, and she was a ferocious tackler and winner," Dibbini says. "She just competes at the highest, highest level."
El-Naggar didn't visit K-State due to the COVID pandemic, but she took a virtual tour and stayed in contact with the coaching staff.
In the end, she chose K-State due to a big factor.
"I listened to my gut," she says. "I'm pretty strong in my faith, and God basically told me this was my spot and where I needed to be. Something in my gut was just pulling me here. I followed my gut on this one.
"It's turned out pretty great."
El-Naggar played in and started five matches as a sophomore during the 2020 season. Perhaps her best performance came in a 3-3 tie in double-overtime at Missouri. In the 90th minute of regulation, she scored her first collegiate goal and forced the match into overtime. The game-tying goal was the second in program history.
"I had just gotten back from a year-and-a-half injury, so I really didn't know if I'd be playing in those games," El-Naggar says. "I didn't know what to expect. I got here and the first time I trained with the team I felt so welcome. I was like, 'OK, I can do this.' I felt like I was on top of the world getting to play soccer again.
"Toward the end of the Missouri game, Missouri was backing off. They were a little bit scared of our pressure. When I scored, I sat on the ground for a solid 10 seconds and said, 'That just happened.'"
It's been a steady progression ever since.
She was one of four K-State players to start all 18 matches as a junior and played in 13 matches with nine starts while playing 822 total minutes last season while primarily serving as one of the team's top defenders.
"She can have a big year if she stays healthy, and that's the key," Dibbini says. "She has the ability to compete at the highest level because of the way she imposes her will. That's who she is. She imposes her will 100% of the time. If she does that, she can help lead this team and individually she could play at the next level."
El-Naggar isn't thinking about possible professional aspirations. She is simply focused on helping the Wildcats during her final season.
"I'm just a lot more confident with the ball," she says. "At Ohio State, I did a very good job with my one-on-one defense, and that's always been my biggest strength as a player, but I never really got up the field that much. Here, I know I can contribute to the attack. I feel comfortable going up the field because I also have people behind me that I know will have my back."
El-Naggar has the back of her teammates as well — this year as a team captain.
"She's earned it," Dibbini says. "She has the respect of her teammates and coaching staff and support staff, and she's well liked. She tells you what you need to hear and not always what you want to hear, and she does so in a positive and constructive way. Her play shows for itself. She looks out for her teammates. There's a lot of characteristics that allow her to be a leader of this team."
It all began when she crawled with a soccer ball years ago.
After an eventful journey, she feels on top of the world.
Before Aliyah El-Naggar could walk, she crawled with a soccer ball in her parent's home in Mason, Ohio. As she grew up, El-Naggar wanted to be like her older siblings, Sanaya, Nadia and Jordan, who each were accomplished soccer players. Eventually, she became one of the top 120 players in the nation. She accepted a scholarship to play at Ohio State.
And now, El-Naggar, after a journey, is team captain with the Kansas State Wildcats.
"We're trying to become more of a player-led team because we're still such a new soccer program," El-Naggar says.
Since its inception in 2016, K-State's women's soccer program has steadily grown under head coach Mike Dibbini. Once starting with a crawl (K-State went 3-9-4 its first season), the Wildcats have begun to walk (a school record-tying six wins each of the past two seasons) and participated in their first Big 12 Championship last season.
El-Naggar hopes to help her team climb to even greater heights during the 2023 season, which begins with a season-opening match at Green Bay at 3 p.m. Thursday. The game will be televised on ESPN+.
"We have great team chemistry," El-Naggar says. "That's an easy thing to say, but we've really worked hard on building our team and creating relationships of trust. We've grown a ton."
Throughout her soccer life, El-Naggar, a graduate student and a 5-foot-6 defender, has grown plenty — as a person and as an athlete.
Ranked as the 119th prospect in the nation and the 24th-best player in the state of Ohio by MaxPreps.com, El-Naggar trained with USWNT member Rose LaVelle and helped lead her team to the 2017 U.S. Soccer Nationals championship title. She then saw action in 17 matches with 13 starts at right back at Ohio State.
However, El-Naggar suffered torn muscles in her pelvic area in October 2019 and it took doctors three months to determine that she required sports hernia surgery. Following surgery in February 2020, it was discovered that she suffered nerve damage, which required a subsequent procedure. That procedure caused side effects and another setback.
"I was supposed to be out for only eight weeks and then full-go," El-Naggar says, "but it didn't happen. I really struggled with the pain."
What got her through the challenging times?
"Reading," she says. "I was never a big reader when I was younger. I actually had a reading disability, so reading has always been really hard for me, but during COVID I just decided to pick up a book. It was actually a religious series and it really got me through some tough times. I read probably 300 pages a day. That got me through the tough times, along with my family."
An up-and-down relationship with Ohio State coaches led El-Naggar to explore the transfer portal. Dibbini, who saw El-Naggar play on regional soccer squads during her high school years, remembered her tenaciousness and believed El-Naggar could be a fit in Manhattan.
"She was just a ferocious defender, had a blue-collar work ethic, and she was a ferocious tackler and winner," Dibbini says. "She just competes at the highest, highest level."
El-Naggar didn't visit K-State due to the COVID pandemic, but she took a virtual tour and stayed in contact with the coaching staff.
In the end, she chose K-State due to a big factor.
"I listened to my gut," she says. "I'm pretty strong in my faith, and God basically told me this was my spot and where I needed to be. Something in my gut was just pulling me here. I followed my gut on this one.
"It's turned out pretty great."
El-Naggar played in and started five matches as a sophomore during the 2020 season. Perhaps her best performance came in a 3-3 tie in double-overtime at Missouri. In the 90th minute of regulation, she scored her first collegiate goal and forced the match into overtime. The game-tying goal was the second in program history.
"I had just gotten back from a year-and-a-half injury, so I really didn't know if I'd be playing in those games," El-Naggar says. "I didn't know what to expect. I got here and the first time I trained with the team I felt so welcome. I was like, 'OK, I can do this.' I felt like I was on top of the world getting to play soccer again.
"Toward the end of the Missouri game, Missouri was backing off. They were a little bit scared of our pressure. When I scored, I sat on the ground for a solid 10 seconds and said, 'That just happened.'"
It's been a steady progression ever since.
She was one of four K-State players to start all 18 matches as a junior and played in 13 matches with nine starts while playing 822 total minutes last season while primarily serving as one of the team's top defenders.
"She can have a big year if she stays healthy, and that's the key," Dibbini says. "She has the ability to compete at the highest level because of the way she imposes her will. That's who she is. She imposes her will 100% of the time. If she does that, she can help lead this team and individually she could play at the next level."
El-Naggar isn't thinking about possible professional aspirations. She is simply focused on helping the Wildcats during her final season.
"I'm just a lot more confident with the ball," she says. "At Ohio State, I did a very good job with my one-on-one defense, and that's always been my biggest strength as a player, but I never really got up the field that much. Here, I know I can contribute to the attack. I feel comfortable going up the field because I also have people behind me that I know will have my back."
El-Naggar has the back of her teammates as well — this year as a team captain.
"She's earned it," Dibbini says. "She has the respect of her teammates and coaching staff and support staff, and she's well liked. She tells you what you need to hear and not always what you want to hear, and she does so in a positive and constructive way. Her play shows for itself. She looks out for her teammates. There's a lot of characteristics that allow her to be a leader of this team."
It all began when she crawled with a soccer ball years ago.
After an eventful journey, she feels on top of the world.
Players Mentioned
D
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