Indiana women’s soccer adds five new Hoosiers to roster for Spring 2024

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana women’s soccer head coach Erwin van Bennekom and his staff announced the addition of five student-athletes to their roster this spring.

“I am thrilled to welcome Bella, Layla, Haden, Josie and Maggie to Indiana University and IU women’s soccer,” van Bennekom said. “All five will be joining us this January, and we can’t wait to start working with them.”

Continue reading for a look at each of the new Hoosiers.

Maggie Ledwith | Midfielder | New Hyde Park, N.Y. | SUSA 06 ECNL

Ledwith is a member of the SUSA FC ECNL club team. In 2022, she was a part of the ECNL National Selection game and the ECNL National training camp. Additionally, Ledwith was named All-Conference First Team (2022) and All-Conference Second Team (2021). She participated in the U14 and U16 US National training camps in 2020 and 2021 and was named to the EDP tournament best XI (2021).

At Herrick High School, Lediwth scored 45 career goals and tallied 13 career assists. She was named Conference player of the year, All-County, All-American watch list and earned All-state honors in 2022. She was also named the Team MVP and was a member of the Long Island championship semifinalist team. Ledwith earned All-county in 2021 when her team was crowned the Conference Champs. She also earned All-conference honors in 2020.

Academically, Ledwith is a National Honor Society Inductee, earned AP Scholar with Distinction awards and a Seal of Biliteracy candidate. She plans to attend the Kelley School of Business and major in finance. She is the daughter of Brian and Kara Ledwith and has two sisters, Ella and Chloe, and one brother, Paxton. Her mother played collegiate soccer at Hofstra University.

Josie Pratl | Defender | St. Louis, Mo | SLSG ECNL NAVY

Pratl played on the St. Louis Scott Gallagher (SLSG) ECNL NAVY 2005 and 2006 club team and was a member of the Midwest Conference Championship teams from 2018-2023. Pratl earned All-Conference First Team honors in 2023.
A member of the Clayton High School varsity soccer team, Pratl was named the district champion and First team All-Conference her freshman year (2021).

Pratl is the cousin of current Indiana men’s soccer player, Joey Maher, and former IUMS player Jack Maher who currently plays in the MLS with the Nashville SC. She is the daughter of Jim and Diane Pratl and has one sister JJ who attends TCU, and one brother Tommy (STL City Academy) and sister Izzy (2010 ECNL Navy). Pratl plans to major in pre-med and attend medical school.

Haden Vlcek | Defender | Springfield, Ill. | SLSG Navy ECNL

Vlcek won back-to-Back ECNL National Champions in 2022 and 2023 with a combined record of 41-0-1.

She was named to the ECNL Best XI Team on the 2023 National Championship team. The Springfield, Ill., native was also a part of the ECNL Undefeated Midwest Conference Championship teams (2022, 2023) and was named All-Conference ECNL Midwest. Vlcek was invited to the US Youth National Team ID Center in 2022 and is a two-time San Diego Wave ID Center Invitee in 2023.

Vlcek plans to major in business to become a Real Estate agent. Both parents were both collegiate athletes, her dad played soccer and her mom played volleyball and tennis.

Bella Haggerty | Defender | Leawood, Kan. | Kansas City Athletics  

Haggerty plays club soccer at the Kansas City Athletics Academy Elite 06 ECNL in Kansas City, Mo. She was named to the ECNL All-Conference Midwest First Team in 2021 and to the ECNL All-Conference Midwest Second Team in 2022. She played in the ECNL Girls National Selection Game in 2023 and won the 2021 U15 ECNL National Championship. She trained with the KC Current Reserve Team in August of 2022 and was invited to the Kansas City Current Academy Camp in 2023. Haggerty appeared in a couple of games with the KC Current II team in 2023.

In high school, Haggerty is a two-year letterwinner in soccer and basketball at Kansas Connections Academy. She has one brother, Jackson, and one sister, Olivia and plans to major in sports psychology at IU.

Layla Sirdah | Forward | Duluth, Ga. | Tophat (ranked 3^rd in southeast region)

Sirdah plays club soccer for Tophat SC and was named All-region second team player at Peachtree Ridge High School in 2021. She played for the U17 Mexican national team in tournaments like Concacaf and World Cup in 2022.

Sirdah is the daughter of Laura and Ismail Sirdah. She has one sister, Sarah, who is a sophomore on the IUWS squad and one brother, Tarek, who played soccer professionally in Mexico. She plans to major in architecture and interior design.