For Metro State coach Danny Sanchez, the quintessential moment of Kylee Hanavan’s career wasn’t when she scored the clutch game-winning goal in the national championship. It was a half before.
The Roadrunners were controlling the Division II title game against New York’s Adelphi University on Dec. 4, 2004, but hadn’t punctured its defense.
Then came Hanavan, a Northglenn native and Thornton High School alum. She blocked a crossing pass after a 30-yard sprint. After beating out another defender for the ball in the corner and forcing a corner kick, she lobbed a pass in to Marina McDonald, who headed it in.
“That’s what exemplifies what she brings to the team,” Sanchez said, praising the now-junior forward’s work ethic. “That gave us a lot of confidence going into the second half.”
With 39 seconds left in that second half, Hanavan scored the game winner.
“It’s speechless,” said Hanavan, who had never gotten out of the first round of the playoffs at Thornton High. “It’s something you never expect to happen.”
Other members of Metro’s first national championship soccer team included Jodi McGann of Thornton and Brooke Kiefer of Westminster.
“The players make the team the way it is,” Hanavan said. “I wouldn’t want any other players or any other team.”
But Sanchez said Hanavan’s role is to score that needed goal.
“She’s a go-to player. We have a lot of very good players on our team, but at the end of the day, she’s the one we look to score that goal,” Sanchez said of Hanavan, who was the tournament’s outstanding offensive player. “If things aren’t going well, we know she can break down opposing defenses and create chances for her and her teammates.”
After scoring 27 goals in 2004, Hanavan was voted Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference preseason player of the year for 2005.
She’s lived up to the hype for the No. 1 Roadrunners (10-0), who are on a 33-game winning streak, third longest in Division II history.
Hanavan leads the team with 13 goals and seven assists. She’s scored a goal or dished out an assist in all but one game.
“She’s one of the top players in Division II soccer, for sure,” Sanchez said. “She has the ability to play at a lot of different places, we’re just glad she’s here.”
At Thornton High, Hanavan was named player of the year by the Rocky Mountain News three straight years.
However, despite having a number of Division I college programs within two hours of the area, Hanavan didn’t really catch their eye, which Sanchez said was because of her good, but not great, club team. Hanavan said it was probably more because of academic struggles.
Hanavan said she would have had to sit out a year if she had gone straight to Metro State because of grades. Instead, she spent a year at Western Nebraska Community College, where she teamed up with her older sister Meghan again.
Kylee and Meghan played together when they were freshman and senior. The Thornton coach put Kylee up at forward, although she had never played the position before. Kylee said her sister provided confidence and guidance.
“She’s my mentor,” said Hanavan, who has her academics in order and will be majoring in social work.
Sanchez was willing to wait for Hanavan for a season.
“Once we got her in a Metro State uniform, she’d be an impact player,” he said.
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