When there was a goal during the 2024 Indiana women’s soccer season, chances are that freshman forward Layla Sirdah had an impact on the play.
The freshman sensation often found herself in the center of the Hoosier attack. Whether it was weaving through defenders and finding the angle for a goal, or patiently waiting for her teammates to come open and find them for timely assists, Sirdah appeared to display the skills of a true playmaker with plenty of potential.
Sirdah kicked off her freshman campaign with a bang, tallying six goals and five assists in six games. The impressive statistics earned her Big Ten Freshman of the Week and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after a four-goal performance versus Lawrence University.
Indiana’s soccer season didn’t go as planned, with a 5-0-1 start being evaporated by four losses in its first five Big Ten games, finishing with a 6-9-2 record. Although there were inconsistencies in the team’s play, the negative results in matches were not reflective of the work ethic of the team.
“The most important thing for me is to try to stay consistent,” Sirdah said in an interview with the Indiana Daily Student on Oct. 8. “We’re a very hardworking team, so even when we aren’t winning, the effort’s always there.”
The veteran leadership on the team was instrumental in pushing Sirdah to improve as she navigated her first season and saw early success, thanks to the help of teammates such as senior midfielder Hope Paredes and graduate senior defender Avery Snead.
“I definitely lean on them a lot,” Sirdah said. “They give me advice, they pick me back up, and that’s really important.”
There have been some instances where Sirdah needed to be picked up, as the season wasn’t all smooth sailing for the newcomer. Like the rest of the Hoosier offense, her early season production failed to translate to conference play, netting one goal and two assists in 11 Big Ten matches, with the team scoring four goals in those matches.
A key goal for Sirdah was to play as a team instead of playing for herself as teams began to shift their attention to her as the main playmaker for the Hoosiers.
“It’s not just about me,” Sirdah said. “Soccer is a team sport. We play together and for each other, and the responsibility isn’t just on me.”
Sirdah took the reins of the offense after playing high school soccer just a year ago. From a three-star recruit in the Atlanta metro area at Peachtree Ridge High School to a freshman sensation in the Big Ten, Sirdah’s life changed in the blink of an eye.
As the season progressed, Sirdah began to see the game slow down as she overcame the steep learning curve from high school to college.
“The style and speed of play is very different,” Sirdah said. “It’s harder overall, but having a team that is very hardworking helped me catch up to speed. It was definitely a struggle at the beginning of the season."
With such a fast start, it was difficult to tell the steep learning curve Sirdah said she faced. After the Sept. 5 match against Evansville, where Sirdah recorded a goal and two assists, Indiana head coach Erwin van Bennekom said postgame that Sirdah was just scratching the surface of her potential and excelling while she learns the college game.
“She has so much potential,” van Bennekom said. “She’s trying to learn, she’s grabbing it, she’s asking questions. She’s slowly adjusting to the college level, but I think everyone can see what quality she has.”
Sirdah also finished the season off on a high note, notching an assist for the lone goal the Hoosiers scored versus Nebraska.
It was clear that when Sirdah goes, the rest of the offense follows. When Sirdah didn’t record a point for six straight games, the offense didn’t score a goal. Before the Oct. 27 match against Nebraska, their last goal was in a 3-1 win vs. Oregon on Sept. 26. As expected with her large role in the offense all season, Sirdah had a big role in the win, notching a goal and an assist.
This was a consistent theme for the Hoosiers, as Sirdah was responsible for 14 of the Hoosiers’ 28 goals on the season.
Sirdah’s adjustment on the field coincided with her adjustment off it. The Georgia native noticed some stark differences between her hometown of Duluth, Georgia, and Bloomington.
“Back at home, I went to a high school that was very diverse,” Sirdah said. “Coming here, there isn’t as much of that, so that was definitely a bit of a culture shock for me.”
A big help to adjust to life in Indiana has been Sirdah’s sister and roommate, Sarah Sirdah, who is a junior forward on the team. Layla spends a lot of time with Sarah, who she calls her best friend.
“We do everything together. We’ve always been really close, and we’ve always wanted to play with each other,” Sirdah said. “We love to go eat, and on top of that we love to go to Griffey Lake and watch the sunset.”
Along with the off the field comfort family provides, Sarah also helps her on the field as well, as it gives her someone to match up against.
“We’re very competitive with each other, but it’s a healthy competition,” Sirdah said. “We’re always there to help each other and we give each other feedback all the time.”
Whether it be watching sunsets with her sister off the field, or slinging shots into the back of the net on it, it’s safe to say Layla Sirdah has found comfort in Bloomington. Sirdah will look to build off her eye-popping freshman campaign with her sister by her side for one last time in the ensuing season.
