Indiana women’s soccer signs Sydney Staier on transfer from Maryland

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana women’s soccer head coach Erwin van Bennekom announced the addition of graduate transfer and midfielder Sydney Staier from the University of Maryland. Staier comes to Indiana with one year of eligibility left.

“We are very excited to welcome Sydney to Indiana and our program,” said van Bennekom. “She will come in with four years of experience playing in the Big Ten conference, a mindset that aligns with what our program is about and with tactical-technical qualities that will add to the strength and depth of our team.”

In her career with the Terrapins, she played in 61 games, making 46 starts. Staier started 16 games in her freshman season in 2017 with six shot attempts while making an immediate impact for the Terrapins. In her sophomore season, she played in 13 games totaling 592 minutes. As a junior, Staier appeared in 19 games, took 11 shots, and tallied two assists earning her first career points. Last season, she scored her first career goal against Ohio State.

“I am excited and grateful for the opportunity to use my extra year of eligibility to join the Indiana soccer family and be a part of this program,” said Staier. “I am looking forward to continuing my academic and athletic careers at a university that will push me to be better both on the field and in the classroom. The warm welcome I’ve already received from IU has made me feel at home. Being able to stay in the Big Ten conference and play against some familiar faces is going to be something special. Go Hoosiers!”

Staier, a native of Springfield, Va., played for the Arlington Soccer Association club soccer team under head coach Nicci Wright winning a state cup in 2016 and for West Springfield High School. She was named the Patriot Conference’s best midfielder, second team All-Metro selection and first-team Virginia 6A All-State pick. As a senior at West Springfield, she was named All-Region selection and named a first-team All-Patriot Conference selection as a senior and junior. Staier was also named second team all-conference pick as a freshman and sophomore.

A Kinesiology major at Maryland, she is the daughter of Mikeal and Sharon Staier. She has one brother, Corey who rows crew at the University of Mary Washington. Her father ran track and played basketball at the Coast Guard Academy while her mother played soccer at Virginia Tech.