At five years old, Kelly McLaughlin stepped onto the soccer field and never looked back.
"I played other sports, but I played soccer the most and decided to stick with it," she said.
McLaughlin, a junior in the Kogod School of Business, is now a starting defenseman for AU's women's soccer team. The 5-foot 7-inch tall defender from Princeton, N.J., said she got serious about soccer in middle school and high school with her traveling club team. It gave her the opportunity to play in tournaments that took her to cities around the country.
"During high school, club got more serious. More intense," McLaughlin said. "We were traveling more. It definitely got harder."
The increased intensity and hard work has reaped rewards for McLaughlin. She has become a staple on AU's defense, starting as a freshman and immediately playing in 18 games and starting in 14. She followed her freshman campaign last year by starting in all 18 games with a team high of five assists.
Through her years of experience and playing time for the Eagles, McLaughlin has become a leader for AU on and off the field.
"I try to lead by example and get people motivated," she said.
But the junior has a humorous side as well.
"I provide the comic relief," she said.
McLaughlin said she has to strike a hard balance to manage her schoolwork and Division One soccer.
"Soccer takes up a lot of time," she said. "After freshman year, I figured it out. You start getting used to it. Putting time aside to get work done. It's easiest to catch up on road trips."
The best part of being on the team is the team itself, according to McLaughlin.
"We're a close knit group of girls," she said. "We are close on and off the field. It makes playing soccer that much more enjoyable when you get along with everyone."
The women's soccer team is experiencing a transitional year as David Bucciero took over as the team's head coach in March, McLaughlin said.
"It makes it hard to pick up a new coach's style," she said. "We do more conditioning than last year. It makes it tougher."
After McLaughlin graduates, she intends to find a job either in D.C. or in New York.
"I want to find a job that will let me travel," she said.
McLaughlin and the rest of the Eagles wrapped up their regular season play Saturday when they lost 2-1 against Bucknell University.
You can reach this writer at sports@theeagleonline.com.
