With her senior season on the horizon, Leila Hannaoui will look to lean on her experiences both on and off the field to lead Tiffin once soccer returns in the spring.
The midfielder can definitely say that she has been playing soccer longer than most of her teammates, having started officially at the very young age of three. Even before that, though, soccer was a formative part of Hannaoui's life.
"I have a picture, actually, of my dad - I couldn't even walk and he was holding me by my hands and I was kicking a soccer ball," said Hannaoui.
Hannaoui's father is from Morocco and ensured that opportunities in soccer would be plentiful. He was her coach growing up, all the way from the beginning through high school.
"He was definitely a big influence for me when it came to sports," added Hannaoui. "I tried other sports but soccer was always my favorite and I knew from an early age that this sport was going to be a big part of my life. He'll still come to watch my games at Tiffin and it means so much that we can bond over the sport and share a love for it."
Her journey with the sport has not come without its challenges, however, as Hannaoui was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 11.
"It was a lot in the beginning," said Hannaoui. "I remember asking my doctor if I could still play soccer or if I could even still go to school. I think a lot of young kids and their families have a lot of fears when they are first diagnosed of how life might be changed forever."
"It doesn't make things impossible, it just makes them a little more difficult. I was able to grow and mature because of it and always just need to remember to eat healthy and take care of my body a little more diligently than a lot of people. With the life lessons I've learned from the disease, I wouldn't change the position I'm in today. For all the little kids that are scared, I'd say as long as you do what you have to do you can do anything that anyone else can."
Eventually, Hannaoui's path brought her from her home in Weirton, West Virginia to Tiffin in 2017.
"I decided to come to Tiffin because both athletics and academics are a high priority here. It felt like home when I came to visit," said Hannaoui.