In soccer, stats matter, but they’re never the entire story. Goals and assists affect the score, but what often changes the game is the passion and energy that keep a team’s momentum high.
For LSU, freshman forward Sariyah Bailey has quickly become that spark after finding her way over from all over the world to her father’s home state of Louisiana.
Before becoming a Tiger, Bailey began her career at the age of 6 in Edmonton, Canada. From a young age, soccer was always her passion and quickly made it clear that she had talent.
“As soon as I started walking, I started kicking the ball around,” Bailey said. “Six was when I first fell in love with the sport.”
She grew up on the pitch, but what really drew her in was watching her older sisters play.
“It was just the moment I never wanted to stop playing,” Bailey said. “I never wanted to stop running. I just fell in love with it. I wake up and I want to do it, and I go to sleep wanting to do it every single day.”
Sariyah excelled while playing in Canada, and by the time she was just 16, she knew she needed to take her talent to the next level.
In 2023, Bailey traveled to England, where she played for the girls’ performance soccer team at Mount Kelley High School.
Whilst playing under the Chelsea FC umbrella that year, she managed to win two national championships and become a Division 1 standout heading into her senior year of high school.
Even after talking with Florida, Bailey decided to commit to the Tigers and lock in her future as a collegiate soccer player. Since arriving in Baton Rouge, Bailey’s presence on the team has been immense, but adjusting to life in Baton Rouge wasn’t all about soccer.
“The weather was a big jump,” Bailey explained while laughing. “In Canada, it’s really dry and really cold. But with the amazing staff that we had, I came in about a month early.”
Her father, Fred Bailey, talked highly of head coach Sian Hudson, mentioning how generous she and the coaching staff were in offering to travel to England to recruit his daughter.
From there, LSU felt more like a home to the Baileys, and the extra time to adjust has allowed Sariyah to carve out a valuable role both on and off the field.
Her maturity and confidence have been evident since stepping into the starting lineup alongside team veterans, as Fred recalled the moment he knew her talent was next-level.
“She was four years behind, so she was always the younger sibling trying to keep up with the older sisters,” Fred said, “I think we really saw that she had something special when she was five, she would play soccer with the eight and nine-year-olds, like her older sisters, and she actually scored a goal.”
Even from a young age, the freshman studied film on her own time, always pushing to be better any chance she got.
On the field, one standout quality is her originality.
“I like being creative on the ball,” Sariyah said. “I love scoring and creating chances, and I think that’s something I can really bring to this team.”
It’s reasonable to say her breakout moment with the team was in the September matchup against Wisconsin.
“It was my first assist,” Sariyah said. “That cross last minute of the game against Wisconsin, and Ava Galligan finished it off. I think that was just one of the best feelings ever.”
Since then, the true freshman has acquired three goals and four assists, always delivering when it matters most. Sariyah earned her second goal of the season in a game-changing moment against Alabama, when she evened the score 1-1 after the Crimson Tide got the jump right before halftime.
That team-player mindset has become second nature, and the energy she brings to the field is what makes her a leader on the rise.
Her camaraderie doesn’t just stay on the pitch either. Natalie Dvorakova, another fellow freshman for the Tigers, described Sariyah’s presence outside of the stadium.
“She’s a very talkative person, so off the field she talks to everyone and spends time with everyone … we appreciate her,” Dvorakova said.
This natural affinity could be credited to the constant support she has in her corner, as many of Sariyah’s family members have made it out to her games.
“Knowing that we got you no matter what, I think that has helped her whole life,” Fred said. “It’s one of the things where we just wanted to be there, we just wanted to show our support when it’s so far away from home.”
It has given her the foundation to dream bigger, and the rising star’s goals go beyond the collegiate level.
“I want to go as far as possible,” Sariyah said. “Since I was little, I’ve always wanted to play pro, NWSL, national team, all that. That’s my all-time.”
The spark she brings to LSU is only the beginning. With her eyes set on the professional stage, Sariyah is already proving she has both the talent and heart to make it there.
For now, her journey continues in Baton Rouge as she begins her collegiate career, igniting LSU’s success with one goal, one assist and one spark at a time.
