» Megan McCain
» Freshman
» BYU-Hawaii goalie
» Broomfield (Colo.) High

It was a scary thought for Carolyn Theurer, but the Brigham Young-Hawaii women’s soccer coach had no choice.

She HAD to start a freshman in goal this season.

Megan McCain has responded with performances that have been very scary — for opponents. The 5-foot-7 keeper is unscored upon in five matches this season for the Seasiders (4-0-1, 3-0 PacWest), who shut out Academy of Art yesterday 5-0.

"She’s come up big for us from the beginning," Theurer said. "Our senior goalkeeper had quit, and I really had no choice. But there’s a good chance Megan would have been starting anyway.

"She has made amazing saves and it’s fun to watch her play. When she’s in goal, everyone’s jaws drop. She plays bigger than 5-7."

The 18-year-old McCain has been a goalie since her young club days, trying it out when the team didn’t have a keeper, and sticking with it because "it came naturally," she said. "I like being aggressive, like my favorite player Iker Casillas (captain and goalie for World Cup champion Spain). That’s what I’ve been known for.

"My huge dream is to play for the U.S. national team. I would love to play for the U.S., and I want to keep working towards that."

McCain won the Golden Glove award for best goalie at the Colorado State Cup, as well as MVP honors for Colorado Rush Nike. She said the transition from club and high school hasn’t been difficult.

"Our defense has been so good that teams aren’t getting a lot of shots," said McCain, who had 16 saves going into yesterday. "It’s nice having a great team that plays well together and plays defense so well. I think we really have a chance to go far this season."