McFee embracing Huskies experience after trading hardcourt for pitch
Elly McFee made two big decisions at once in her commitment to play for the Keyano Huskies Women’s Soccer team this summer.
The Brandon University Bobcats student-athlete chose to come to Keyano College, going from southern Manitoba to northern Alberta. She also made a change in sport, trading the basketball hardcourt for the soccer pitch.
“I played both for so long and kind of secretly liked soccer more,” McFee said. “This opportunity came up and I was like ‘let’s give it a shot and see what happens’.”
At her high school of Miles Macdonell Collegiate in Winnipeg, Man., McFee excelled in both sports for the Buckeyes but ultimately settled for the hardcourt upon graduation. Her play attracted the attention of the Bobcats, where the guard saw action in eight games during her rookie year.
However, a return to soccer was always calling her.
“Since I was young I was playing Timbits and grew up loving it,” she noted. “I love to run, kick the ball around. All my siblings play it, so it’s a family-grown sport that we all play.”
Guiding her through that transition has been Head Coach Niels Slotboom.
“Elly is interesting,” Slotboom said. “She’s a very good athlete, which allows her to excel at our level at both the sports; it’s been fun seeing her make the switch. I can tell that she’s making the right steps, but there’s definitely a bit of a learning curve to get back into the sport, but it’s going really quickly.
“She’s done really well and she’s found her groove within our sport. I’m sure she’ll remain an impact player from here on out.”
When comparing the two sports, McFee noted that there were similarities in the defensive mindset of the game.
“Other than that it’s just the running part,” McFee said.
As for the school transfer, that’s working in McFee’s favour as well as she joins the crop of new recruits to the Pack getting accustomed to the training routines.
“It’s been great; I love it,” McFee said of her time with the Huskies to date. “Everyone’s super friendly, super nice. It’s pretty nice to be here.
“I’ve heard a lot of great things about Keyano. Everyone on the team made it seem like a friendly environment.”
The Keyano Huskies Women’s Soccer team begin the 2025-26 campaign with their home opener against the Portage College Voyageurs on Saturday, September 6 at 2:00pm.