Her eyes were set on securing a soccer scholarship to an American university.

Fast forward to earlier this year, and for the 18-year-old, her hopes and dreams became a reality with one simple stroke of the pen when she signed a five-year letter of intent to attend Ohio State University and join the Buckeyes' women's soccer program.

A soon-to-be graduate of Sinclair Secondary School, Landry has been a member of the Canadian national team at the U16, U17 and U18 levels and come September will be competing for a regular spot on the Buckeyes' back end.

Plenty of words could describe her feelings of attaining such a lofty goal, but the most accurate would probably be relief.

"It feels really good. I am really relieved, especially with my choice of school," she said recently. "I really feel I made the right choice. There was no better school for me. The way they treat their athletes at Ohio is really great. I am really relieved, excited and nervous at the same time."

Of the three main words she used to describe her feelings, excited best sums up her new coach's thoughts on adding Landry to the fold.

"Kelsi has a great frame and presence about her," Ohio coach Lori Walker said in a press release. "She brings so much intensity, a strong aerial ability, and a natural instinct for the game. Her international experience will add power and savvy to our back line as we expect her to compete for immediate time."

For Landry, the decision to sign with Ohio State was tough as she received no fewer than 24 scholarship offers from institutions across the United States.

But after countless hours of due diligence, all signs pointed back to the Buckeyes.

"It was kind of overwhelming for me," she says when asked what the process involved. "We did a lot of research into what the schools were like, their academics, what programs they offer, how their soccer team does, the history, the players. I also really looked at the distance thing. I am really close to my family so I didn't want to go that far.

"I went to visit Ohio State and West Virginia and had plans to visit others, but I decided to commit to Ohio. Once I went to see it, it just felt right. I knew I wanted to be there," she added.

However, a slight shred of doubt did pass through Landry's mind at one point.

"I was nervous because I didn't know if I was really what (all the interested schools) thought I was," she says. "But I have been to a lot of tournaments and they've seen me play a lot of times so I was extremely flattered that so many schools were interested."

Landry will study psychology at Ohio, with an eye geared towards possibly switching to the education field.