By Sapna Pathak
Staff Writer

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – On Feb. 1, Philip Tuttle’s life was touched, and changed forever, by the luck of the Irish. That day, he signed his National Letter of Intent with the Fighting Irish, committing to Notre Dame on a soccer scholarship.

Phil Tuttle is a picture of concentration as he prepares to scoop up a shot. The Hooksett resident takes his talent to Notre Dame, where he’s earned a soccer scholarship.

A senior at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, Tuttle said signing with Notre Dame was no surprise to him or his family.

“My club coach played for the coach at Notre Dame,” said Tuttle. “That got me interested, and I went there for camp this past summer and fell in love with it. I knew from that second I had to go there to play soccer.”

Tuttle began playing soccer at the tender age of 3. His father, also a college soccer player, signed him up.

Six years ago, Tuttle moved to the net as goalie, where he started for both Concord Christian High School and Brewster Academy.

For the past three years, Tuttle has played on the Seacoast United club team, ranked 27th in the United States and seventh in the region.

The lifelong Hooksett resident said he’s known he wanted to play professional soccer since he was a child.

After helping lead Brewster Academy to a league championship his junior year, Tuttle netminded as the team went to the semifinals of the New England Tournament this season. Tuttle said going to such a big school – athletics are always in the spotlight at ND – makes him nervous.

“It’ll be a different world,” said Tuttle. “I wanted Notre Dame though, and since they recruited me, I have to think they wanted me, too. They think I can live up to their level of competition.”

Irish head coach Bobby Clark, who led Notre Dame to the Sweet Sixteen in the 2005 national tournament, said Tuttle was, without question, the best goalkeeper at the school’s summer camp.

Tuttle plans to major in premed. He said he knows he’ll have his hands full with soccer and his school workload.

The 6-footer said speaking with current Notre Dame soccer players who are also majoring in premed made him realize it is possible, with a lot of hard work, to balance the two.

Not having his parents at games, said Tuttle, will be his biggest adjustment. Traveling the country with Seacoast United, he added, has helped him prepare. Nonetheless, it won’t be easy for him.

Tuttle was quick to thank his parents for countless years of support, financially and emotionally.

He described trips to the airport, rides to soccer games and weekend jaunts to pick him up from Brewster Academy as a few of his parents’ sacrifices.

Soccer’s second-class status among mainstream athletics troubles Tuttle. His theory is a lot of foreigners don’t think Americans can play soccer as well as Europeans.

“It’s seen through filtered eyes,” said Tuttle. “Our best players leave to play in Europe, leaving us with not the best teams. I knock it, but I’ve always dreamt of playing in Europe, so I’d do the same thing.”

If the 200-pound athlete doesn’t play professionally, he said he’s not worried. “I’ve got a strong major to fall back on,” said Tuttle. “My true passion is soccer. I can leave the game [for medical school], but the game can’t leave me.”