WATERVILLE — After a successful four years of guarding soccer nets for the Camden Hills varsity girls soccer team, Lincolnville native Isabelle “Izzy” Lang is shining as a freshman goalkeeper for the Thomas College women’s soccer team, which plays at the NCAA Division III level, in Waterville. 

The five-foot-three Lang was attracted to Thomas College’s small school atmosphere where everyone is able to know each other well, something she said she loved about the school. 

“The coaching staff and players made all of the new freshman coming in feel like family even on the first day when they didn’t know us yet,” she said. 

Another strong selling point for her was to be able to play soccer while double majoring in criminal justice and forensic psychology. 

Following her graduation, she plans to attend the state’s Criminal Justice Academy to become a state trooper. Eventually, she aspires to work in the Maine State Computer Crimes Unit her father, Maine State Police Lt. Glenn Lang, formerly ran. 

“My goal is to eventually work [on] finding and identifying children who have been victims of exploitation,” she said. 

In the classroom, Lang’s goal is to finish with all As and make the dean’s list. 

Lang, who has been playing soccer since age three, has set high marks for herself on the pitch for next season: she wants to record her 100th collegiate save, be a North Atlantic Conference defensive player of the week recipient, and wants to score a goal. 

Impressively, she has recorded 80 saves in 14 games, starting in 13, and has only allowed 23 goals. 

Asked to provide advice to area athletes looking to play collegiate athletics, Lang advised students to possess a strong work ethic both on the field and in the classroom. 

“Work hard enough every day, in and out of the classroom, so that your coaches and professors can’t help but notice you as player and as a student,” she said. 

In the Midcoast, her favorite activity consists of eating a bagel from the Bagel Café and sitting by Camden Harbor. In her downtime, she enjoys napping. In the future, she hopes to visit Yellowstone National Park. 

Her favorite quote comes from Camden Hills wrestling coach Patrick Kelly: “It’s a long way to the top.” 

She counts her greatest accomplishment thus far in life as being able to juggle playing sports, working, and maintaining good grades throughout high school. 

This season, Lang has sourced motivation from her Terrier teammate Cassie Contigiani, who has also had a significant impact on Lang’s life thus far in college. 

“She played on my soccer team for part of this season and had [a season] ending ACL tear earlier this season,” said Lang. “She is such a strong leader; we all call her Grandma. She comes to practice daily and coaches us, pushing us to do our very best even if it’s with a little tough love. She pushes me to be better on and off the field and I know I can go to her with anything.” 

Lang’s favorite sports-related memory from high school stems from watching her twin brother, Noah, wrestle at the New England regional championship and running onto the mat to hug after he won his last match to finish in fourth place.

A close second favorite memory, she said, was collecting a shutout victory as a goalkeeper over Scarborough in last year’s Class A girls soccer state championship game, which marked a third consecutive state title for her and the Windjammers. 

Reach George Harvey and the sports department at: sports@penbaypilot.com.