Women's Soccer | 7/9/2026 8:00:00 AM

"Over our five years of playing together, Tesa and I came up with the phrase 'Left side, strong side' — from Remember the Titans, of course — as our mantra. Every time I heard that phrase, I knew I could count on Tesa, and she knew she could count on me."

Laura Wasilewski (Stayrook) says it was truly a privilege to play alongside Tesa McKibben. Their rallying cry came from a movie, but it perfectly captured how McKibben approached soccer during her time at Saint Francis.

"Her constant support and ability to push me to my limits helped me become the best version of myself on and off the field," Wasilewski said. "To this day, I still admire Tesa's incredible leadership and am thankful for the bond we'll forever share as left-sided teammates."

McKibben will enter the Saint Francis University Athletics Hall of Fame later this month, but for many, she has long been in a class by herself.

She won the Northeast Conference Player of the Year award an unprecedented four consecutive times.

McKibben remains the first — and only — NCAA Division I player to accomplish that feat. Yet, if you visited her home in Michigan, you probably wouldn't see those trophies on display. Chances are, the kids on the club soccer teams she coaches don't even know how accomplished she was.

"I honestly forget about the records. I look back and think about what our team accomplished," McKibben said. "I think we're the greatest team to come through the NEC."
 

The Road to Loretto

Saint Francis women's soccer won two Northeast Conference championships with McKibben in a Red Flash uniform, in 2010 and 2013. Although she grew up about two hours from campus, the school was never on her radar.

McKibben attended Montoursville High School near Williamsport, Pennsylvania. No matter the sport, she loved to compete.

"I think track was probably my better sport."

That's how former head coach Brenda Van Stralen first tried to lure her to Saint Francis.

"Coming from a small town, no one got recruited," McKibben said. "I was fully convinced someone would find me or that I would eventually find a home."

The only coach who made a serious offer was Van Stralen. The two first met at a soccer camp. McKibben said her former high school teammate, Traci Flick, was already at Saint Francis. While the chance to run track never materialized, she embraced the challenge.

"My freshman year, I tore my ACL in the third game, but those three games were unbelievable," McKibben said.

The injury bug ravaged the 2009 team. Despite several key players missing significant time, the Red Flash nearly made the playoffs.

Former assistant coach Marcelo Antonelli remembers how difficult that season was.

"Some players give up. Others don't come back the same way. She came back stronger and even more determined to achieve her goals," Antonelli said.

Former teammate Lauren Harris (Fearer) said it was that tireless work ethic that inspired everyone around her.

"Tesa rehabbed like no one I've ever seen," Harris said. "This says the most about her character."
 

Championship Chase

The following season, the team surprised everyone by finishing 15-5-2, the best record in program history. McKibben led the high scoring offense with a league-leading 15 goals as the Red Flash earned the regular season crown.

"We had a great freshman class that season. They helped put us over the top," McKibben said.

In the NEC championship match, LIU was still the favorite. McKibben sent a cross into the box that deflected off an LIU defender and into the net. The Red Flash defense made the goal stand in a 1-0 victory to capture the conference title.

The following week, Saint Francis traveled to Ohio State for the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Once again, the defense shined.

"Lauren Fearer was amazing in goal. I've never seen a goalkeeper make so many key saves when the moment mattered," McKibben said.

Saint Francis took the Buckeyes to double overtime before falling 1-0. In the postgame news conference, the senior goalkeeper quickly deflected the praise.

"We played for each other today," Fearer said. "I couldn't ask for anything more from anyone on that field."

The success continued in 2011 and 2012, but both seasons ended in disappointing losses to LIU in the NEC championship.

"I'm still bitter. If you look at the film, we dominated both games," McKibben said.

In 2011, bad weather forced the match to be moved to the football field's artificial turf, where Saint Francis was edged in penalty kicks. The following year, LIU scored in the 87th minute to steal a 1-0 victory.

"It was almost like luck wasn't on our side. My junior year, we hit the crossbar twice and the post once. It's a game of inches. At the end of the day, we didn't put the ball in the net."

In McKibben's senior season, Saint Francis once again faced its postseason nemesis. This time, the Red Flash finished the job. McKibben scored the game-winner in the 71st minute, and Saint Francis held on for a 1-0 victory.

"To know we could recover from that heartbreak and have all the pressure on us, I can't put into words what it meant to win that game."
 

Championship Mindset

The goal was McKibben's 20th of the season. The four-time NEC Golden Boot winner remains the program's all-time leader with 70 goals, 40 assists and 180 career points.

"Tesa has the work ethic and mindset of an absolute champion," Harris said. "There was never a time I didn't see her give 100%. She had the natural gift and talent, but she was always the first one doing extra reps. That set her apart from simply being good."

"I think what people forget about kids coming to Saint Francis is they weren't recruited by the big schools. We all flew under the radar and wanted to prove something. Knowing how hard we all worked on and off the field to build those relationships, that's what I miss the most about playing," McKibben said.

After graduation, McKibben played professionally in Germany before returning home to begin her coaching career. Today, she works as an executive director at Chick-fil-A while coaching three club soccer teams. She still has the same passion for the game and often reflects on the Saint Francis coaches who helped shape her.

"Brenda and Marcelo are geniuses, but I also remember the sacrifices they made for us," McKibben said. "We owe them the world."