Siblings Chris and Caitlin Donovan are both elite-level soccer players bonded by their passion for the sport.
The Paoli natives – Chris is a sophomore at Drexel University, and Caitlin is a senior at Conestoga High School – are in the midst of re-writing the local record books.
Chris, a forward, recently earned first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association honors for leading the Dragons with seven goals and 16 points in 2019. As a senior at Conestoga, he was named the Gatorade Pennsylvania Boys Soccer Player of the Year after leading the Pioneers to a 25-0-1 record and the PIAA Class 4A championship. Chris scored 56 goals that season – more than doubling the school’s previous record for a single season – including all four of his team’s goals in the state final.
Caitlin, meanwhile, was named the Pennsylvania Player of the Year last week by the United Soccer Coaches and Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association. The attacking midfielder led Conestoga to a 21-4 record and an appearance in the PIAA Class 4A final. She tallied 28 goals and seven assists this season.
She won’t be playing far from her brother on the college level, as she is bound for La Salle University.
“The whole family bonds over soccer, especially me and Chris,” Caitlin told PA Prep Live. “We have a unique relationship, and I don’t think anybody else has that bond.”
“Soccer is a special thing that brings Caitlin and I closer together,” said Chris. “We always try to go to each other’s game when we can, so we can support each other.”
