By Mike Sheridan

Villanova Media Relations

VILLANOVA, Pa. ââ'¬" His "office" on the soccer pitch is often a crowded place near the opposing goal, with foes expressly determined to make his life there uncomfortable. So the fact that Padraic McCullaugh was drawing contact early on a warm August night in 2014 in Villanova's season opener at Marist was hardly a surprise.

In fact, that has been the reality of McCullaugh's soccer life and, at 6-6, he is equipped to handle it.

On this late summer night, the game was not more than two minutes old. Villanova's Aaron Dennis had risen for a cross into the box and in the battle Marist keeper Mark Rajovic lost control of the ball, which then fell to McCullaugh, who finished by depositing a shot into the net. The celebration, though, was short-lived: Dennis was whistled for a foul for disrupting Rajovic on the play.

"I was thinking to myself, O.K., this keeper may not have the best hands," McCullaugh recalls.

A few minutes later a nearly identical play unfolded.

"Aaron went up, but didn't foul him," states McCullaugh. "I was underneath the keeper, just waiting for the ball. As I was there, I had my leg planted and the keeper came down on the side of my knee."

From that point forward, McCullaugh's sophomore season was never the same. A sprained ligament in the left knee would knock him out of the lineup for 11 games and limit his contributions in the eight matches he did appear in. His hopes to build upon a promising 2013 were put on hold.

"It was kind of devastating," states McCullaugh.

Which brings us to 2015.

Now a fully fit junior, McCullaugh has spent the first three games of 2015 seemingly making up for lost time. The forward has tallied four goals and a pair of assists in helping the Wildcats jump out to a 3-0 start to the regular season. Last week, he put home the winner at 101:17 to help VU outlast Delaware 2-1 in double overtime and was named BIG EAST and Philly Soccer Six Offensive Player of the Week.

The man his teammates call "Padge" hopes to continue that early success when the Wildcats ââ'¬" who are ranked at No. 25 in this week's Top Drawer Soccer poll - visit Monmouth on Saturday evening (7 p.m.).

"It definitely feels good to start off the year with four goals in three games," McCullaugh says.

Of course, McCullaugh has spent enough time in the opponent's 18-yard box to appreciate that maximum effort doesn't always translate into goals. It is knowledge culled from a lifetime of soccer nurtured by his father, Kieran, a former player himself, in a Northern Califnornia incubator that hasn't often presented a natural soccer pipeline to Villanova.

So how did a son of the Golden State make his way to the Main Line?

"My mom (Patricia McCullaugh) is originally from New York," explains McCullaugh. "I think she liked the idea of one of us branching out to go to college on the East Coast."

Two brothers stayed nearby to attend college but Padraic liked the idea of looking beyond the area. He attended an eastern exposure camp and one of those intrigued by his skills was Villanova mentor Tom Carlin. A visit to Villanova was arranged and the 6-6 product of Sacramento Jesuit High School had soon agreed to join the Wildcats.

"I really wasn't interested in staying in northern California for college," he states. "The closest schools that had interest in me were mostly in southern California, which is an 8-hour car ride. There was nothing that close. It was either a car ride or a plane ride."

And Villanova offered something more in McCullaugh's eyes.

"My mom always said, 'find a place that you like, so that if you get a career-ending injury, you can stay there and be a part of it,'" he recalls. "Villanova is that for me. I really liked the school, the people and everything it gives you the opportunity to accomplish."

McCullaugh brought the Wildcats a unique skill set. At 6-6, his size sets him apart in a sport where quickness and footwork are essential. But McCullaugh isn't merely a tall target ââ'¬" his athleticism and ball skills are sound. His points aren't merely the product of headers' won off set pieces. In fact, both of his goals against Delaware were artistic finishes off nifty feeds from teammate Zach Zandi.

That early work is an extension of what he displayed s a rookie in '13. Back then he earned 13 starting assignments, contributing three goals and an assist while earning regular minutes at forward.

"We had some injuries that allowed me to get in there," states McCullaugh.

With that solid season serving as a springboard, McCullaugh appeared destined for a prominent role in 2014. But matters shifted quickly once his knee gave way.

"It was frustrating," says McCullaugh, who did eventually get back in the lineup for eight appearances, though he estimates he was performing at 60 percent of his pre-injury capacity. "I was definitely turning the ball over a lot, I couldn't run as fast."

"Padge just never really had the chance to get going," states Carlin. "We missed him."

By the time training resumed for the spring schedule, McCullaugh began to feel fully healed. He's become one of the BIG EAST's most productive forwards in the early going and he likes the direction in which things are headed for the Wildcats.

"It does help that we have a lot of upperclassmen this year," states McCullaugh. "Including the freshmen into our bond has been seamless. We work camps over the summer and get to know each other. Everyone likes each other."

McCullaugh understands the unique responsibility he shares with classmate Max Kroschwitz as well as John Jlopleh and Damilola Adetola. As the primary forwards, they are looked to for offense. Villanova has nine goals in 270 minutes of soccer thus far and life is good. But each season has its own ebb and flow and the challenges will only increase in BIG EAST play, which gets underway later this month.

"I like to score goals ââ'¬" I'm a forward and it's my job," McCullaugh states. "But I've been on both ends of the spectrum ââ'¬" I've struggled with it and had success.

"I think our success so far goes back to the spring. (Assistant) Coach Mike Montross was a big part of that. He helped us understand the importance of placing the ball instead of hitting the ball as hard as you can.

"The midfield has been great too. As forwards, we have to get the ball in the attacking third. It really helps that there are kids like Lucas (Hodges), Zandi, Miguel (Polley) who can get us the ball and set us up really well."

Office hours for McCullaugh resume Saturday night on the pitch at Monmouth.