By Mike Sheridan

Villanova Media Relations

It was late in Kevin Garcia's senior year at Villanova, a few days shy of Halloween. As the Wildcats, scrapping for every point in a quest to reach the BIG EAST postseason, prepared for a pivotal match with nationally ranked Louisville, word came of an impending rain storm.

In 2017, such a forecast would act only as a nuisance given the synthetic surface that covers the field at the rechristened Higgins Soccer Complex. Back then, though, such projections forced Villanova officials to consider alternative home sites in deference to a well-worn natural turf. So it was that the match was shifted from Villanova to Eastern University in nearby Radnor.

When the Wildcats took the field for warmups shortly after 10 a.m. that day they did so in cold, driving rain. By the time Garcia and teammates Chris Christian, John Fogarty, and Matt Margiotta, were introduced as part of Senior Day, a heavy, wet snow was falling. Soon the field was snow covered and the game -- ultimately won 2-0 by the Cardinals -- was played in a steady torrent that made simple tasks, such as passing and cutting, treacherous.

On the phone from Houston recently, Garcia was asked about that frigid October day when he played his final home match as a Wildcat.

"I have never been a part of a game like that," he replied. "There must have been six inches of snow. You could barely see your teammate you were passing the ball to."

"Senior Day" serves as both prologue and prelude for every college athlete, and so it was that day for Garcia. On that frigid morning, he was nearing the end of a productive college career that would yet offer one more substantial achievement. At the same time, he was preparing to embark upon an uncertain voyage in pursuit of his soccer dream.

Today, nearly six years later, he is where he always hoped to be, as a professional in his first full season of Major League Soccer with the Houston Dynamo. Yet his path from then to now was anything but direct. It is an odyssey that, at times, appeared to be nudging him away from soccer. And yet, here he is 2017, absorbing daily tips from the likes of current teammate DaMarcus Beasley.

That day at Eastern offers a fitting metaphor for the trip that has delivered Garcia to his current status as a promising defender for an MLS Western Conference contender. For the end game of this journey, like that day's match, often appeared to be slippery and barely visible at times through an unexpected storm.

That journey recently brought Garcia to Philadelphia along with the rest of the Dynamo for a clash with the Union at Talen Energy Stadium, where Garcia once played as a collegian. Among those in the audience were former teammates and coaches (Garcia did not see action as he dealt with the effects of a flu-like virus). And though experience has taught him not to look too far down the road, he is aware that Houston is scheduled to face NYFC on Sept. 23 at Yankee Stadium, just across the bridge from his native Flushing, N.Y.

For now, his is a daily quest to carve a permanent niche for himself in Houston and MLS. But the mere fact he has reached this point is a testament to grit, determination, and the notion that winding roads traveled are often the most rewarding.

This soccer sojourn began in the 1980s as a Flushing, N.Y. native was introduced to the game by his parents, George and Maria. By the time he was 10 Garcia had little doubt as to what he wanted to do with his life.

"Under the ambition category," he states, "I always put `professional soccer.' The idea was ingrained that I was going to do whatever it took to make it to the pros."

Even at that young age Garcia learned quickly to turn any sort of sporting failure into energy. The sting of being cut by a club team or a New York State team, which happened to him early in his teenage years, became logs for his personal fire.

"I wanted to do something about it," he notes. "While my friends were playing video games, I was training on my own."

Garcia followed in the footsteps of his brother George and become a fixture on the club circuit as a versatile athlete. His skill attracted the notice of a variety of Division I programs but it wasn't until he and his family made an unofficial visit to Villanova that his path became clear. "We just felt like," he says now, "this is where I belonged. The sense of family and unity resonated with me."

Part of Villanova's appeal to the self-motivated prospect was the presence of a kindred spirit in freshly minted head coach Tom Carlin. Following a one-year stint as assistant coach to longtime mentor Larry Sullivan, Carlin was beginning to place his mark on the Wildcats.

"A big part of the reason I was excited to join the program was Carlin," notes Garcia. "In his talk with me prior to my commitment you could see how ambitious and hungry he was to make a difference in the program, to bring it national recognition. I saw that same determination I had felt through my entire youth soccer career."

All of those yearnings, however, could not overcome the harsh reality that this was a brick-by-brick process. To get where both men wanted to go, shortcuts were not an option. Garcia emerged as a valued contributor, primarily on defense with a few stints at forward, while the Wildcats battled to escape the clutches of the middle of the nation's top soccer conference, the BIG EAST.

"We were trying to find our identity," states Garcia. "By the time we got to our junior and senior year, we had a defined culture within the team."

As Garcia took his final bow on that snowy field at Eastern University, however, the on-field gains had been only incremental. The Wildcats were still in search of the program's first ever post-season victory when they traveled to face No. 18 Notre Dame five days later.

"We knew we would have to win at Notre Dame to have that feeling of tangible success," he says now. "In my first three years, we had been eliminated in the first round. We didn't want to leave school without having gotten that monkey off of our backs."

On that chilly night, Garcia and his mates finally turned that corner, upending the Fighting Irish 1-0. It was the first postseason win in program history and was followed days later by a second, another 1-0 win, at No. 5 USF. The Wildcats then pushed a potent St. John's side to the limit in what became a 2-1 loss in a BIG EAST semifinal at Red Bull Arena.

A season later, many of the returning veterans nurtured by team co-captain Garcia and his classmates tied a program record for wins with 12. A strong foundation was now in place and there is no mistaking the pride Garcia and the graduates of his era of Villanova soccer felt last fall, when VU earned its first ever NCAA Tournament bid.

"I felt so proud of the program hitting that milestone," Garcia states "It's nice to see the program doing well."

Garcia was one of the long list of well-wishers calling Carlin to offer congratulations prior to the team's departure for Akron. When he later saw the Wildcats' coach, he presented him a Dynamo jersey as a token of the appreciation he has for the role the staff here played in his climb.

"I can't thank the coaching staff enough for what they did for me," Garcia says of a group that also featured then assistant coach B.J. Callaghan, now a part of Jim Curtin's technical staff with the Union. "They were always willing to work with me whenever I wanted to do extra work. They were always willing to show me on film how I could correct weaknesses I had in my game. They disciplined me, educated me, and demanded a lot from me, which prepared me for everything I went through after college.

"They had a big part in instilling the work ethic and resiliency to see everything through and not give up."

That perseverance would be an essential ingredient as Garcia sought to take the next step. New England selected Garcia in January 2012 as a supplemental draft selection and thus began the first steps on a winding path.

"When you are drafted by an MLS team, you feel almost invincible," Garcia says. "You have to find the way to stay humble. You can't think you're better than anybody else because you were drafted. You have a foot in the door but there is a lot left to work for.

"When I was drafted by New England, I was overwhelmed. I felt honestly elevated by being on an MLS preseason roster."

An immediate dilemma arose. Garcia had a spring semester of academic work standing between him and a Villanova degree. He spent two weeks in January training with the Revolution and then returned to campus, understanding that there would be no guarantee of a roster spot when he returned (he would miss training camp and nearly two months of the regular season schedule).

Following graduation, Garcia returned to New England in May to a set roster. The learning curve for a rookie fresh from college that late in a season proved too steep to climb.

"There were a good eight months there where I was going through adversity with injuries and didn't know what the future had in store for me," Garcia says. "I decided that I wanted to give it one final shot."

In 2013, after having been spotted at a combine in the New York metropolitan area, Garcia was signed on a trial basis by Sweden's IFK Luleå. He would spend two seasons there, appearing in 30 games.

After having success in Sweden, other European opportunities arose. Garcia spent part of 2015 in Ireland before finishing the year in Sweden. At the end of that campaign he began to feel the tug of family and sought out opportunities in the Western Hemisphere.

"I wanted to see what the U.S. had in store for me," he says.

His agent was put in touch with Rio Grande of the USL, a unit coached by Colombian native Wilmer Cabrera. Garcia had spoken with Cabrera about the possibility of him signing in Colombia, where his family has deep roots. Yet Cabrera suggested that the best place for Garcia in 2016 was playing for his USL squad in Texas.

As he wrestled with his next step, Garcia consulted both Carlin and Callaghan for advice. Each believed that the USL offered Garcia the best option with a direct path to MLS -- RGV is an affiliate of Dynamo.

When he arrived in Rio Grande to train for the 2016 season, Garcia noticed parallels to his Villanova experience. The team was new and a young group of players was seeking to find its way. At 25, Garcia was an elder statesman of sorts. By midseason, RGV had hit its stride. There was an eight game stretch where the team did not concede a goal in the midst of a 10-game unbeaten streak.

Garcia was in the thick of it at center back before shifting outside as Cabrera and the Dynamo began to contemplate Garcia's role with the parent unit. As the wins piled up in Rio Grande, Garcia received occasional chances to train with Houston. In September he was officially called up and signed to a first team contract.

"The year with RGV was incredible," Garcia states. "It was a great platform for getting me to MLS."

Even as a Wildcat, one of Garcia's strengths was his versatility. It has served him well this season. He trained early at left back before the signing of Beasley in February. He was then shifted to right back by Cabrera, newly promoted to head coaching duties in Houston. It's been his positional home ever since

To date, Garcia has appeared in two games, including a start-to-finish 90 minute effort in a 2-0 win over San Jose on April 22. The flu bug sidetracked him in mid-May but he has recovered and now aims to carve a niche as a consistently trustworthy defender for Houston.

With more left to prove at this level, there isn't much time to ponder how far he has traveled. Yet every so often, he thinks back to those early days.

"I don't think I would have appreciated this as much had I been signed right out of college," Garcia states. "I went to a different country where I didn't know the language, I was living on my own. I left my family, which means everything to me, to get me closer to meeting this goal.

"I appreciate every single day of playing in the MLS. (The journey) prepared me, mentally, physically, to be a professional in MLS. Without the four years I spent between college and MLS, I don't think I would be able to appreciate or acknowledge all the work it took to get here."

"I'm trying to take everything in. I'm one of the younger guys on the team and I'm learning from DaMarcus Beasley, A.J. DeLaGarza, and the international guys. I'm just trying to be sharper and consistent."

To Carlin, this much is certain -- Garcia's story offers present and future Wildcats a road-map to what the possibilities are.

"We take great pride in Kevin's success," says Carlin. "The persistence that he showed to earn the contract with the Houston Dynamo tells you everything you need to know about him.

"Kevin is at the top of a long list of incredible young men who have graduated from our program. He truly embodies every connective quality that Villanova student-athletes are known for and his story reminds us all of what determination can mean to any athlete."

A wintry mix of snow may have clouded Kevin Garcia's vision that October morning in 2011. But like so many other detours, it only served as a temporary roadblock in what has been very much a lifelong pursuit.