A soccer player who possesses a natural talent for scoring goals and making athletic plays on the field is a special gift for a soccer team. A player who displays superior talent on the field and inspires her teammates with her work ethic off the field is a rare treasure.
According to Tennessee head coach Brian Pensky, the Lady Volunteer soccer team has this rare jewel of a soccer player who embodies leadership on and off the soccer field.
Her name is Anna McClung.
Pensky recruited McClung in 2010 while he was the coach at Maryland when she was only a sophomore in high school. When he heard the news that she was transferring from Florida State, he was determined not to fail the second time in recruiting her to his team.
“I was told in early December that she would potentially be looking around and wanting to transfer,” the third-year head coach said. “As soon I heard that, I started jumping on all the different people that are connected to Anna and her life and seeing if we could make this work.”
Pensky was not the only head soccer coach who heavily recruited the sophomore forward. In fact, there probably were very few coaches in the nation who did not want to see McClung play in their team’s uniform. McClung was a highly-touted recruit, being named Gatorade Player of the Year two times during her time at Gate City High School, and was ranked as the No. 3 player in the nation entering college according to Top Drawer Soccer.
While others may feel overwhelmed with being given all these high accolades and having to deal with all the high expectations that accompany them, McClung remains primarily focused on meeting her own high expectations.
“I don’t know that I think about (high expectations from others) so much as I have high expectations for myself,” McClung said. “I expect a lot out of myself in order to help our team be the best that we can.”
McClung transferred from Florida State because it wasn’t the right fit for her. Since Florida State played in the national championship game, her season didn’t end until Dec. 1, giving herself three weeks to take her finals and search for a new school.
The Gate City, Va., native cited the Tennessee coaching staff as the chief reason for her decision to transfer to Tennessee.
“I didn’t have the opportunity to meet with the team when I was on my visit because it was right during break, but the coaches took me out and I got to spend some time with them and they were exactly what I was looking for,” she said.
The stress, however, was the toughest part of her transition from Florida State to Tennessee. Since she was not happy at Florida State, she hoped that she would have a better experience at her next college.
Fortunately for McClung, she has not had to undergo the same hardships here at UT and has seamlessly gelled with her teammates.
“I was really worried about (getting along with teammates), especially with not being able to meet them before,” McClung said. “But I lived in the dorms, so I got to know them and everyone was just so welcoming. We would go out to dinners and we did a lot of things together.”
And while her play on the left side of UT’s front line has grabbed the attention of fans and opposing coaches, it has McClung’s effort off the field that drew the highest praise from her coach.
“Off the field, she is helping us continue to build our foundation of wanting to be great,” Pensky said.
McClung hopes to continue playing soccer when her college career is over. Whether she plays in the U.S. or overseas, McClung just hopes to continue playing the sport she loves.
While her future remains uncertain, McClung has no regrets for her past decisions, especially her decision to play soccer at Tennessee.
“I just love this team so much,” McClung said. “I am so happy here and everyday I am very thankful I made this decision to come here.”
