Watch the Eclipse Select 91-92 squad play for any amount of time and you are bound to notice her.

The tiny frame topped by the very blond hair, moving like a dart from the back line to front and getting involved in the attack. Left back Kecia Morway is one of the very recognizable distinctives of this powerhouse team.

While there is a “D” next to her name in the team sheet, Morway is absolutely identifiable for her attacking prowess. Watching the now-U17 standout play at the Eclipse Challenge tournament in August of 2005, a writer inquired about having her position incorrect because surely anyone who was that involved in the attack must play some other position.

“That’s what she does,” was the simple confirmation.

Nearly four years later Morway is still doing it, and far more important people have noticed. The 2010 graduate has committed to playing her college soccer for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish after she made a strong impression on coach Randy Waldrum on the recruiting trail. She chose Notre Dame over Northwestern and Clemson.

"Both of those schools had aspects I really liked, but when I went to Notre Dame, all those aspects from the others combined into one. Everything I like was right there,” she said. “I think I can fit in well there as far as my position and the way I play and stuff.”

Given the attacking style favored at Notre Dame, this seems like a no-brainer. Morway said going forward for her comes honestly, but she added input from coaches Mike Nesci and Rory Dames was also helpful.

“It’s something that is a natural thing, but with extra coaching I feel more comfortable doing it,” she said. “I had played outside mid before and when the coach first switched me to outside back, I was tentative. I don’t want to expose the back line if I get caught too high, but he coached me to pick and choose the best times to go for it. So I’m kind of a mixture at both.”

What makes Morway even more dangerous is the understanding she has developed with her teammates, particularly central midfielders Vanessa Laxgang and Kelsey Hough.

“We’ve trained all of the runs so now it’s like 2nd nature,” she said. “They’re looking for me to go forward. It’s  expected so it’s more like ‘where can I play Kecia’ not “Will she go.’ Both of them understand the movement really well so it’s easy to play with them. They know what I’m going to do. Before we leave for tournaments, we go over different patterns of what could happen, different passing patterns involving our backs and stuff.”

This Eclipse Select team is coming off a national runner-up performance in the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship Series, and is gearing up for a repeat title at the Region II Championships and a chance to face defending national champion Dallas Texans again.

“I think if anything there is more motivation. Last year we were so close in that game. To lose it was one of the worst feelings ever,” she said. “This year is a chance to re-prove ourselves, both at regionals and hopefully in the nationals. I am extra motivated this year because we were that close. We tasted it and we want it that much more because we almost had it.”

Kecia comes from a soccer family including parents Bill and Deidra and siblings Kelsie (21), Ross (19), fellow Eclipse player Kara (14) and Hannah (9).

Deidra Morway said Kecia’s soccer personality was coming through at an early age.

“She stood out early just because of her being so feisty,” she recalled. “She was one of the little ones and I was one of her coaches as a volunteer. It was 6v6 and she just understood the positions very well. She was telling people ‘Go over there and I’ll pass it to you.’ She knew what she was doing and was taking charge even then. Other coaches would say, ‘We’re playing that little blond girl.’”

Twelve years later in terms of commitment, character and abilty, the little blond girl is still going strong.