Sierra Enge has dreamt of playing professionally since she was a child, growing up locally in the San Diego suburb of Cardiff, Calif. As a kid playing with her friends on the fields in Cardiff and Del Mar, Enge imagined she’d be playing at the top level but never had the opportunity to dream about doing so in her hometown.

That all changed after the Wave traded up to select Enge with the 13th overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft, following a standout career at Stanford University. 

“She was a key target for us. So, really pleased we traded up; the importance of getting Sierra to add squad depth, quality, character is tremendous for us.”

Casey Stoney, following the draft

After earning her first career start last night in the Wave’s 1-0 win over Portland Thorns FC, Enge couldn’t picture a better way to kick off her professional career. 

“It was a great way to start off my career here,” said Enge. “It was so nice to be able to debut in San Diego, and I’m just really grateful for the fans that are here to support us each and every day. It really could not have gone better, a win on my debut is great.”

In front of her hometown crowd, which included her family and friends, Enge earned her first professional start. The night for Enge started in the central back position before head coach Casey Stoney moved her into a defensive midfield role to start the second half.

“What an unbelieve game for her. You know, a competitive start against last year’s winners, against Sophia Smith, who is, you know, one of the best strikers in the world, so I didn’t give her an easy task tonight,” said Stoney. “I can only say how proud I am of her tonight, to step into this environment. She’s so coachable, and she’s so moldable; she listens, she learns. I think we’re really, really lucky we drafted her, and she’s only going to get better in this environment.”

Now that Enge has secured one dream, next up is to win trophies for her hometown and her new team.

“I want to lift the trophy at the end of the season with the team and then just continue to get better every day.”

Sierra Enge

Enge and the Wave return this Sunday to action as the club heads north to play Angel City FC at BMO Stadium. The match is scheduled to kickoff at 5:00 p.m. PT and will be broadcasted live on FOX 5 San Diego and streamed on Paramount+.