Women’s soccer player Coley Sidloski playing at the annual #WePlayFor3 tournament in 2022. Credit: David Cleveland
If Coley Sidloski could describe her older sister, Ally, in one word, it would be “resilient.”
Every game, Ohio State women’s soccer player Coley Sidloski wears the No. 3 on her back in honor of Ally Sidloski, who died tragically in May 2021. Three was the number passed down from one sister to the other.
After a day of boating with her friends, Ally Sidloski, 21, was hanging off a swim platform attached to the back of the boat. Unknowingly, carbon monoxide fumes leaked below its exhaust. Ally Sidloski slipped into the water unconscious and drowned, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
The Hamilton County Coroner’s Office confirmed that carbon monoxide poisoning contributed to the drowning, according to the article. Carbon monoxide poisoning is among the top five causes of boating-related deaths yearly, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
In her memory, the Sidloski family started the “We Play For 3” foundation to educate people about carbon monoxide in open-air spaces, advocate for legislation, encourage others to live as Ally Sidloski lived and provide scholarships to female student-athletes who have embraced her story.
“What happened was a tragedy, and it’s been tough on my family, but what gives me peace and my family peace is allowing what happened to inspire other people to become more like Ally, like what a great person she was, through the foundation,” Coley Sidloski said.
Growing up in Strongsville, Ohio, with her mom, dad and two older sisters, Coley Sidloski was exposed to soccer at a young age. Coley Sidloski’s father, David, played Division I soccer at Cleveland State for four years and coached his two oldest daughters, Katie and Ally, in travel soccer, as well as Coley Sidloski on her club team, Cleveland FC, she said.
“It was 10 consecutive years where I had one of my kids playing varsity soccer at Strongsville High School,” Tracie Sidloski said.
Katie Sidloski went on to play at Indiana State, Ally Sidloski played at the University of Cincinnati and Coley Sidloski is a forward for Ohio State.
The No. 3 was Ally Sidloski’s number, but the number was a common theme in her collegiate soccer career.
“She was hurt most of those three years at Cincinnati. She had three knee surgeries in three years and played in only three games,” Tracie Sidloski said.
Tracie Sidloski said Ally Sidloski’s presence on the team was paramount.
“She was more of an advocate for student-athletes,” Tracie Sidloski said. “She was a leader, a cheerleader for her team. She was like the mother hen when anybody else was injured.”
After Ally Sidloski passed, her strong connections within the Cincinnati student-athlete community were evident. Tracie Sidloski said the hashtag “WePlayFor3” began trending and only grew stronger.
Showing support in return, the “We Play for 3” foundation has an endowed scholarship at the University of Cincinnati.
“Each year, the university selects a female soccer player to receive our scholarship,” Tracie Sidloski said. “We present it to them at their annual “play for three” games.”
The foundation also awards scholarships to women’s soccer players at Strongsville High School. In Coley Sidloski’s senior year at Strongsville, her good friend Libby Zacharias won the scholarship.
“I played soccer with her [Zacharias] for 15 years,” Coley Sidloski said. “So it’s cool to see someone who personally knows Ally and gets to honor her name in that respect.”
Ally Sidloski is remembered as the ultimate people person by everyone who knew her, Coley Sidloski said.
“She was just such a positive impact on the team, and not only on the team but in life,” Coley Sidloski said. “She had so many friends and just — she had so much love for everyone.”
Coley Sidloski said the No. 3 soccer jersey is now retired at Strongsville High School and Cincinnati.
To support the “We Play For 3” foundation, or help advance the Sidloski family’s mission in carbon monoxide poisoning awareness, visit their website here.
