FARMINGTON, Connecticut – Serendipity seemingly followed Kylee McIntosh throughout her entire soccer career.
 
It started when her mother, Judy, wanted her and her older sister, Torie, to spend time together. Torie was into soccer, so Kylee started to play. It continued when she met Elizabeth Roper in high school while the Marist head coach was recruiting one of her teammates.
 
Now, it's led to an opportunity to play professional ball with the Connecticut Fusion.
 
The Marist Class of 2014 graduate recently wrapped up her second season with the Fusion, which features active as well as former college athletes and plays in United Women's Soccer. The UWS is a league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation as a tier-two league in the United States Women's Soccer league pyramid, one level below the National Women's Soccer League, the only full-time professional league for women's soccer in the United States.
 
In 2019, McIntosh and the Fusion went unbeaten in the regular season at 8-0-2, outscoring its opponents 27-6. On the season, the Marist alumna appeared and started in seven matches, playing all 90 minutes in six of them. After picking up two UWS Team of the Week honors, she was named to the All-East Conference First Team and All-UWS Second Team.

Congrats to Tori Sousa and Kylee McIntosh on earning Team of the Week Honors! McIntosh was also named Defensive Player of the Week pic.twitter.com/bRzsESs1Dr

— CT Fusion (@thectfusion) May 18, 2019

"It's been quite a journey so far," McIntosh remarked in a phone interview with Marist Athletics. "I was nervous going into it, especially considering how challenging it would be to play against women who played professionally. I knew it was going to work, so I just had to be resilient."
 
McIntosh is no stranger to success. At Marist, she helped the Red Foxes earn their first MAAC Championship in 2011. Across her career, she played in 81 games, tied for fifth-most in program history.
 
But, as much as she enjoyed soccer, she didn't have plans to continue with it after graduation.
 
"Initially, I didn't want to continue playing soccer. I went to get my Master's degree (at the University of Connecticut) and got into coaching. I was asked to play, but I wanted to focus on other things."
 
As McIntosh, who's now the coach at her high school alma mater, Cheshire, delved deeper into the coaching ranks, she began to see the sport in a different lens. Then, in 2018, a former childhood teammate presented an opportunity for McIntosh.
 
Stephanie Santos, a two-time America East All-Conference First Team selection at Hartford, partnered with her college coach to build a pro team in Connecticut. With McIntosh only a short distance away in Cheshire, Santos extended an invite to McIntosh to suit up for the new squad.
 
"I always enjoyed the fitness aspect, the technical aspect, and the tactics of soccer," mentioned McIntosh. "But after seeing the other side (as a coach), I learned so much more about the game."
 
That newfound knowledge revitalized McIntosh's urge to play soccer again, and accepted the invitation. However, it wasn't going to be an easy transition back to the game. She had not played competitively in almost five years, and would face women who were professional athletes overseas as well as NCAA champions in the states.
 
To ease those nerves, she relied on her skills sharpened from her time at Marist.
 
"Being a part of Marist Women's Soccer really strengthened my mental toughness," said McIntosh. "I had to develop my skills and battle out there to prove that I belonged."
 
As each opportunity presented itself to McIntosh, from picking up soccer to play with her sister, connecting with Roper and Marist, earning her Masters in Special Education, diving into coaching, and joining her former teammate on the Fusion, there was an even greater motivation for why she devotes her life to the game.
 
"When I started (playing soccer), I really liked the aspect of being part of a team. I continue to play for the love of the game. I love that gameday feeling and being with my teammates and my coaches. It makes me feel part of something that's bigger than me."