Six years ago, Delaney McIntyre was getting ready to graduate as one of Hapnot Collegiate’s most decorated athletes.
Today, she’s hoping to make her name in professional soccer.
The 24-year-old has successfully tried out for Dakota Fusion FC, a team in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) based in Fargo, ND. McIntyre’s team is starting its first season at the second-highest tier of women’s soccer in the United States.
After playing four seasons with the Hapnot Kweens, joining several provincial and regional select squads and playing as far away as Brazil, McIntyre took the road less travelled in 2012, committing to the University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles in the NCAA’s Division III. At one point the team’s only Canadian player, McIntyre played four seasons for the team and graduated with degrees in business management and sport and recreation.
It was during a recent alumni game in Minnesota when McIntyre first heard of the Dakota Fusion.
“Two of the alumni, they were talking to me and they brought to my attention that the Dakota Fusion team was being created and the tryouts were in two weeks,” she said.
Joining the team wouldn’t be a matter of simply showing up. Things had changed in McIntyre’s life since her time in Crookston. She had moved to Brandon with her family and was taking care of her young son, Noah. McIntyre worked graveyard shifts so she could come home and care for Noah during the day.
“I maybe sleep six hours, if that,” she said.
Despite many obstacles, the allure of semi-professional soccer was irresistible for McIntyre. Once tryouts for the team began, she took a leave of absence from her job in Brandon and headed south.
“I waited to see if I made the team to see what my next move was going to be. I took a leave of absence – I was already thinking of doing that because I was working overnights, midnight to 8 am, and I didn’t have proper daycare. Working overnights, taking care of my son during the day, that takes a toll on you,” she said.
During tryouts, McIntyre split her time on each side of the border, still living permanently in Brandon but driving five hours each weekend to attend tryouts in Fargo.
“I went down on the weekend and then went back to work during the week,” she said.
While McIntyre plays with the team, she lives with a friend in Grand Forks. Compared to Brandon, Grand Forks is located nearby Fargo – it’s only about 130 kilometres between where McIntyre lives and her team’s home pitch. McIntyre and her child’s father co-parent, lifting some of the burden of parenthood so she can excel on the field.
“He has him half the days, then when he’s working, I have him. It means we get a break, but when he takes care of him now, I have to drive to Fargo, then back to Grand Forks,” she said.
McIntyre plays as a left wing back for the team, taking care of the team’s defence while keeping guard over a large portion of the left side of the field. In the past, it was a spot that she relished, calling for a lot of running and constant situational awareness.
Now that she’s returning to the field after some time off, her skill level is climbing higher every day. McIntyre says the standard of play is similar to how she played in college.
“I think I’m just now getting comfortable with playing at a higher level. I took a break and I wasn’t really sure if I was going to continue playing or if I was going to keep it as a leisure thing.”
Few of McIntyre’s opponents are also juggling parenthood along with the world’s game. It’s been a process fraught with trial and error, but it seems McIntyre and Noah’s dad are getting the hang of it.
“I’m thankful that his dad helps out. I don’t think I’d be able to do this, having to drive around with my son and take him with me. He came to the tryouts and my friend came with her daughter and they watched him while I was trying out,” she said.
In the end, McIntyre’s ultimate goal remains the same one she had when she was playing youth soccer at Foster Park.
“My main goal in life, ever since I was a young girl, was to play for the Canadian women’s national soccer team. That is in the back of my mind, but I know there’s a process to it and I know I have to get back in the weight room and focus more to get there, and play more at this level first before I move on to the next level and hopefully move up the ladder,” she said.
In order to make the team, McIntyre will likely have to climb higher from the WPSL to the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The NWSL is top tier of women’s soccer in the US and one of the top leagues in the world. Some NWSL teams have reserve squads playing in the WPSL. McIntyre hopes to one day find a spot with one of the league’s nine teams.
In the meantime, however, just getting back on the field again is a blessing.
“I don’t ever want to take anything for granted, so I had to make sure this is what I really wanted to do. It feels good to be back playing again and getting back into my normal self,” she said.
“It feels good. I’m not going to lie, it feels good.”
