When Kelsey McDonald was in second grade, she had her heart set on playing football.
Her mother, Chris, had given her permission to sign up with the Little All-American Football Association in West Chester. Kelsey McDonald dreamed of being a running back.
"I wanted to carry the ball," the Unionville senior soccer player recalled. "I had played football in the backyard with my brothers, and we would always have a big family game on Thanksgiving."
But before McDonald could sign up, she learned she didn't weigh enough. The association mandated that players her age had to weigh at least 60 pounds. McDonald checked in at just under that.
"She was really bummed about that," her mother said.
But it did open a door for soccer.
"I believe in only one sport per season," her mother said. "So when she didn't make the football team, we said she could play soccer."
She has been at it ever since - she plays basketball in the winter and runs track in the spring - and has developed into a top forward for the Indians. Unionville, ranked No. 9 in Southeastern Pennsylvania by the Inquirer, won the Ches-Mont League American Division crown last season.
McDonald said the team has its sights on going well into the playoffs this season. The Indians are already 2-0 this season after a 2-1 win over West Chester East on Tuesday night. Although the two teams are in different divisions of the Ches-Mont, it was an important win for the Indians because the league is playing only once around with all 14 teams this season.
"We should be very good this season with several returning [senior] starters," McDonald said of a group that also includes Allegra Gray and Alicia Minella. "We also picked up two players who could really help us."
One of those is Jordan Close, who gave up soccer for cross country last year but has returned to soccer. The other is sophomore Beth Dine, who recently moved into the school district.
"We have a solid midfield, and we've been clicking very well," McDonald said.
McDonald has been clicking enough to draw the attention of Longwood (Va.) University. She was offered a partial soccer scholarship and is waiting to hear on an academic one. She's an honor student at Unionville. She conceded that she hadn't thought much about continuing her soccer career after graduation until last season.
"I realized that I didn't just want to play one more year," said McDonald, who is a guard for the basketball team and runs the 400 and 800 meters in track. She missed the school's 800 record (2 minutes, 17 seconds) at districts in the spring by a tenth of a second.
Longwood fit her plans of going south - she was looking in North Carolina - to a school with a solid academic reputation.
Unionville coach Joe Ralasiewicz is confident McDonald and her teammates can improve on last year's record of 13-6-2. He also pointed out that it's going to be tougher with the PIAA move to hold only one state soccer championship. The Suburban One League schools that used to compete for a spring championship have been added to the fall mix.
"It will be interesting," said McDonald, noting that she's looking forward to the new competition.
Contact staff writer Don Beideman at 267-815-0733 or dbeideman@phillynews.com.
