Goalkeeper Megan McClay has been a rare bright spot for Villanova during a challenging season

For Megan McClay, the journey has not been easy. From multiple ACL injuries and doubts about her abilities to transferring schools and being far from home, the Villanova goalkeeper has had to overcome many obstacles to get to where she is now.

McClay, now in her fifth season, began her collegiate career at the University of Oklahoma where she did not play as a freshman but made her mark as a sophomore. She started seven games, posted a 4-2-1 record, and was an Academic All-Big 12 selection.

Following her sophomore year, McClay and her teammates experienced a coaching change in January of 2020. This change led McClay to transfer.

“It just wasn’t the right fit anymore,” McClay said. “I kind of gave it a chance, but the environment just became unhealthy for me. I could no longer grow as both a player and a person, so I pursued other options.”

Before the coaching shift, the Flower Mound, Texas native’s success on the field coupled with the strong bond she had with her teammates had allowed her to make a new home for herself at Oklahoma. That home proved difficult to say goodbye to.

“I really did enjoy Oklahoma as a university,” McClay explained. “I had a great group of friends. I really loved the team, my teammates, and leaving that behind was very hard. But I knew I needed to do what was best for me.”

After some searching and reflecting, McClay decided that Villanova would be the best fit for her.

“I knew that I would be getting a great education, the challenge from that standpoint, but then also the soccer piece,” McClay said. “The Big East is a really good conference, very competitive and I wanted to be challenged in that aspect as well.”

McClay joined the Wildcats during the Spring of 2021 after the fall season was wiped out by COVID-19. She immediately had an impact, starting 13 games and earning weekly Big East honors five times throughout the season.

Her achievements on the field were encouraging, but the adjustment to a new school almost 1,500 miles from home was not as easy as McClay made it look.

“It was definitely hard, especially because going home wasn’t as easy as it was in Oklahoma,” McClay said. “Even the weather was hard. I came in the spring semester so I really saw how cold it was and I didn’t even have a winter coat.”

To most, the weather may not seem like a big deal. But when moving across the country, something as small as the weather just adds to the things one misses from home. The adjustment only became more difficult when McClay tore her ACL in October of 2021 during a game against Creighton. This was her third ACL injury and while that familiarity prepared McClay for the process, it also brought frustration.

“I’ve definitely had to overcome a lot of injuries throughout my career,” McClay said. “And I think just recovering from that was pretty difficult, especially having already gone through the process and knowing how draining it is.”

After a tough 10-month recovery, McClay returned to the field in August. While Villanova is just 4-8-3 on the season, McClay has stood out individually, ranking second in the Big East in both saves (55) and save percentage (.887). She has allowed two goals or fewer in all 12 of her starts and has posted three shutouts.

McClay is scheduled to graduate in December and as she begins to reflect on her time at Villanova, she says she is proud of the obstacles she has overcome to leave her mark at Villanova.

“I feel like I’ve proven myself, which was always a big deal for me,” McClay said. “I’ve always been told that I was undersized [5-foot-5] so I had to kind of work harder to get the attention and recognition that I felt I deserved. So I think, honestly, just being able to have the opportunity to go out there and show what I can do. That’s what I’m most proud of.”