McDonough '17 Helps French Team Reach Top Division

Jesse McDonough '17, who helped Princeton to 38 wins, the 2015 Ivy League title and a win in the 2015 NCAA tournament during her Tiger career, just completed her third season with Le Havre, known as HAC for Havre Athletic Club, in France, helping that team achieve promotion to France's top division for the first time.

It was the next step in a rapid advance up the pyramid for the team, which was in France's third tier during McDonough's first season in 2017-18. In its first year in the second division in 2018-19, HAC finished runner-up, just one spot out of making the top tier.

"(Making the top division) was the ultimate goal since the first day I started playing for HAC three years ago," McDonough said. "Although (finishing second in 2019 was) a great achievement for a team their first year in a new division, (it) left a lot of us feeling genuinely frustrated. I think the returning players took this experience and used it as motive for the following season. There were some pivotal games during the season that took a lot of character and grit, and we were battling with another top team for a while. Were there times during the season that things were not looking our way? Absolutely, as it does for any team during an eight-month season. But there was always this undying relentlessness that we had, and I think that we believed that in the end, there was no way we weren't winning the league."

COVID-19 interrupted HAC's season in March, six games short of its planned May completion. The French federation subsequently announced that the season would not resume, and HAC, three points ahead in the 12-team Group B, would receive promotion to the top division after going 13-2-1.

"This was definitely quite a change in how a team usually realizes and celebrates for winning the league and being promoted," McDonough said. "I flew home about a week (after the season was halted) when all training was prohibited and France was about to go on lockdown. Our coaching staff kept us informed during the process and we heard from them first-hand unofficially that we had been promoted, and then it was announced a few days later officially that HAC had won the B group of Division 2 and was promoted to Division 1. Everyone was sending each other congratulatory messages and videos, and then posting the news on social media. It was also pretty special to have been with my whole family when it happened. Although we weren't able to celebrate in ordinary fashion, it was still exciting to have finally achieved our goal."

Sean Driscoll, the program's coach since 2015 and for McDonough's final two seasons with the program, appreciated what the achievement meant for the Tiger alumna and her team.

"Jesse's success at the professional level is no surprise at all," Driscoll said. "Having witnessed her skill set, athleticism, competitive drive and supreme focus on her strength and conditioning, she possessed the tools for greatness at the next level. When you add those traits to her ability to lead as well as her compassion for those around her, she is a uniquely impressive human being. Jesse is a leader and a winner. It's just that simple. Wherever she has played, high school, college and professionally, she has ascended into the role of a captain and led her team to tremendous success. The latest example of that is helping her Le Harve team to promotion into France's top league for the upcoming season. I couldn't be happier for or more proud of Jesse. She is an absolutely amazing ambassador for Princeton and our program."

The accomplishment, and the pause, have given McDonough the chance to reflect, three seasons into her pro career.

"My experience has definitely been a bit different than most players' who begin playing professionally," McDonough said. "I've stayed with the same team for three years, and started in a lower competitive league to work our way up to the top professional league. Taking this route in my professional career has challenged me and helped me grow in so many ways. 'Getting comfortable being uncomfortable' is the quickest way to grow and learn about yourself, and this experience forced me to do exactly that. I learned French, adjusted to a different playing style, as well as a different culture, and managed living on my own. The most challenging part about playing overseas is being away from my family and loved ones. I'm very close with my four younger sisters and parents, so saying goodbye never gets easier

"Le Havre is a small town, so being able to connect with local fans and build support these past years has been incredible," McDonough said. "Being honest though, playing in France has definitely increased my awareness to the inequality in sport, especially women's football. Now that we have finally succeeded in reaching the highest level, I am hoping that HAC can play a role in bringing light to this issue and contribute to equality in women's football in France."

With the stoppage in play, McDonough is taking the time to maintain fitness and be ready for what comes next.

"Our coach has been sending us weekly programs that include endurance, strength, and mobility training while we are unable to train together," McDonough said. "We had been training with the expectation of resuming the rest of the season in June, but with the FFF decision, we are now in a reload phase trying to rest and recover to prepare for the next season in Division 1. I am fortunate to have some backyard space to work on ball work skills, as well as four younger sisters to play with me. I've also been taking advantage of being home and getting some physical therapy work done."

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