Ida Hermannsdóttir knew she was ready for a change.
Born in England and raised in Iceland, the soccer star had already accomplished everything she set out to achieve in her homeland. Even before her 20th birthday, she’d scored 10 goals in 41 appearances for the Valur Reykjavik soccer club, helping them to win the Iceland League Title and Rerykjavik Cup in 2021 and the Icelandic Women’s Super Cup in 2022.
Plus, the now-21-year-old craved a change of scenery from Reykjavík’s “cold and dark” winters.
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Hermannsdóttir found herself in the warm embrace of Baton Rouge just a few months later, and she already looks to be right at home.
As a freshman, she netted a team-high seven goals and 16 points for LSU last season. She made a significant impact for head coach Sian Hudson and assistant Seb Furness—two other United Kingdom natives, who played a major role in bringing Hermannsdóttir to the Tigers.
“I felt like they would trust me because they know where I’m coming from,” Hermannsdóttir says. “And they showed me all the facilities (at LSU), and I was blown away. The facilities are similar to a professional (club), or even better.”
Hermannsdóttir would know.
Her dad, Hermann Hreiðarsson, played professionally for more than 20 years mostly in the English Premier League. Her mother, Ragna Lóa Stefánsdóttir, captained the Icelandic national team in her playing days.
Hermannsdóttir, who has also played for the national team, has followed up her impressive debut season with the Tigers by tallying four goals, two assists and 10 points in the first eight games of her sophomore campaign. This season she wears the prestigious No. 10 shirt, typically given to the most impactful playmaker on the team.
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The Tigers boasted a 5-2-1 record as they entered SEC play, thanks in large part to the contributions of their standout attacking midfielder.
“We’ve got a lot of young players,” Hermannsdóttir says. “Everyone is showing what they can do.” lsusports.net/sports/sc
This article was originally published in the October 2023 issue of 225 magazine.