By Sarah Turner, Sports editor 

The University of Montevallo women’s soccer team made history in 2024, stacking up a 14-6-3 record and one of the best the program has ever seen. They capped the year with a run to the NCAA Sweet 16, just the second appearance in school history. 

With most of their key players returning to the pitch in 2025, fans wondered if the team could make another deep postseason run. But few expected an untested freshman to become one of the team’s most important pieces. 

Enter Ayla Ertekin, a freshman forward who hails from Anchorage, Alaska. With 6 goals and 3 assists to her name in her first year as a Falcon, it’s easy to say that she exceeded every expectation placed on a newcomer. 

But the Gulf South Conference Freshman of the Year is a long way from home, and her journey to the bricks was anything but straightforward.  

Ertekin started playing soccer at 8 years old. As a very active kid, her parents knew they had to get her to channel all of that energy into something.   

“[Soccer] was just something I always did from the beginning,” she explained, “I never found a reason to stop.” 

Her dad was one of her biggest influences early on in her career, as he was her first coach.  

Growing up thousands of miles from most major soccer hubs made exposure to college coaches difficult. Teams got smaller as she got older, competition thinned out, and opportunities to be seen were rare. 

“As you get older…people leave, people quit, so it’s really hard to find good competition in Alaska,” Ertekin said.  

Ertekin and her family spent a lot of time traveling to tournaments, showcases, and ID camps across the West coast. She herself was found by the Montevallo staff at a showcase in Las Vegas, Nevada, over 3,000 miles away from her hometown. 

“A lot of people can’t get spotted up there because it’s so hard,” she explained, “I’m very grateful I got spotted by Coach Wyman and his staff, that was such a blessing.” 

Earning a college scholarship to play sports had been one of Ertekin’s goals from early in her career, but choosing the school for her wasn’t an easy decision. 

“When I first got offered, I did not think I would end up here,” Ertekin said. After all, Alabama is quite a ways away from Anchorage.  

But after many talks with head coach Jake Wyman and his staff, she knew something was different about Montevallo.  

“He seemed like he actually wanted me,” said Ertekin. That, along with the way she clicked with the girls on the team, led her to becoming a Falcon.  

Coming into her freshman season, Ertekin said all she really wanted was playing time. 

“Me and my dad always talked about it,” she explained, “we were like ‘Just get 15 minutes [a game] and then you’re good, that’s really good for freshmen.” 

But as it turned out, much more was in store for Ertekin than she thought. The freshman ended up starting in 19 of the Falcons’ 22 matches this season.  

“I think [Coach Wyman] gave me a chance,” Ertekin said, “and I think I was able to take it and do something with it.” 

The forward was one of the most impactful offensive players on the pitch. Through her 6 goals, she became the top rookie scorer in the conference and a dependable attacking option for Montevallo. Not to mention, she also added 3 assists and 38 shots, with 20 of them being on target.  

As the season went on, Ertekin stepped up in big moments, like scoring the Falcons’ lone goal against the No. 6 team in the country in their regular season loss to West Florida.  

However, arguably none were bigger than her game-winning goal in the Gulf South Conference Quarterfinals against Spring Hill College.  

The Falcons were up 2-1 coming out of the halftime break, thanks to two goals from first team All-GSC selection Lainey Farabaugh. But in the 77th minute, the Badgers scored an equalizer, and the Falcons needed to find a way to come back with only 13 minutes remaining in the game. 

Just two minutes later, Ertekin had a big opportunity in a must-win situation.  

“I saw the through ball by Morgan [Goehring] to Bear [Bradbury], and I thought she was going to shoot it at first,” Ertekin explained, “I knew I had to get in front of the defender if she was gonna cross [the ball], and she did…I just remember I was like ‘Just get a body part on it.”  

“I got my foot on it, and I didn’t know if it actually went in at first, I was like ‘Oh my gosh I better not miss,” she said.  

The ball went in, and the Falcons came out on top, advancing to the semifinals and eventually the conference championship where they fell to West Florida.  

“I had never scored a game-winner before…it was a really cool feeling being able to do that for my team.” 

Moments like that made her an easy choice for GSC Freshman of the Year, though Ertekin said she was stunned when she heard the news. 

“I went to go get some food after class, and my teammates were like ‘Congratulations!’ and I was like, ‘On what?” she said. After that, she couldn’t stop thinking about her dad and how proud he would be of her.  

Following the conference tournament, Montevallo secured the final South Region bid to the NCAA Tournament. 

Two goals put the Falcons past Lee University in the first round on Friday, Nov. 21, but they ultimately fell short against Nova Southeastern in the second round on Sunday, Nov. 23.  

Even though her freshman campaign has concluded, Ertekin is in store for a promising career in the purple and gold over the next three years if she continues on the trajectory she set for herself this year. She said that in the coming years, there’s really only one thing on her mind. 

“Truly I just want to win with my team, I love them so much, they’re just so amazing.”  

She said her motivation now comes from wanting to win for the teammates who’ve become like family. 

“This is the most fun I’ve ever had playing soccer,” Ertekin said. “It’s a huge change, and it’s so awesome, so I just honestly hope I continue to have fun with my teammates.” 

Catch Ertekin back on the pitch in 2026, with bigger goals and an even bigger spark—one that just might carry the Falcons even deeper into November.