MILLERSVILLE, Pa. – It is a difficult enough task to transition from collegiate soccer to professional soccer, but former Millersville goalkeeper Darian McCauley has had to do it during a global pandemic. McCauley signed with the Charleston Battery of the USL Championship on Feb. 26, 2020 and the league shut down around two weeks later on March 12. McCauley and his new roommates—fellow goalkeeper and rookie Paul Lewis from California State University Northridge and USL Championship veteran Rennico Clarke—had to find creative ways to stay connected and improve during quarantine.
 
"For a few months there we were strictly in Charleston and weren't able to train," said McCauley. "We'd do Zoom workouts with the entire team at 10 a.m. and we had to make sure to go warn our neighbors downstairs because three guys who are well over six feet tall jumping around makes a lot a noise. We wrote them a letter to apologize, left them our phone numbers, and they were pretty cool about it. We had a lot of time to focus on our craft. I used the downtime we had where we weren't playing to get in shape, change my diet, and do all the little things to make me a better player."
 
Part of McCauley's change in diet involved a switch to a vegan approach beginning in March and continuing for the next four months. The program was suggested by the Battery's goalkeeper coach and only recently has McCauley begun to re-introduce meat back into his diet, including fish once a week and chicken every other week. McCauley also avoids dairy.
 
"All in all, I feel very good," said McCauley. "My roommate Paul took it up first, then I joined, and we just ran with it. We kind of held each other accountable. It helps when you have someone else doing it that you can bounce ideas off of. I weighed around 225 and started doing vegan two or three days a week while still indulging during the other days. Gradually, I committed to the full week, found different recipes, and it became second nature. I'm down to about 197 right now but that includes workouts twice a day during the quarantine phase."
 
That quarantine phase did not last forever, as the USL Championship resumed play on July 11 and was one of the first sports leagues in the nation to do so. "Return to play" protocols are strictly enforced, with players tested at least once a week as well as whenever they return from any away match.
 
"We're not quite in a quarantine right now but we're in a very isolated setting where we can't go out to places like restaurants," said McCauley. "We can go to the grocery store but we have to come right back and we can't hang out with people outside of our "bubble", which is about forty other people like coaches or front office staff. It's strict but it's within reason because we're back to playing and training every day."

McCauley has had just a few months to transform himself from senior leader and captain on the PSAC champion Marauders squad last fall to a rookie on a professional roster this summer, but Charleston's roster has a lot of youth and it has allowed the team to grow together.
 
"Team chemistry has been fantastic," said McCauley. "I feel everyone knows their position and knows when to talk or when to listen. I've come in and have been quieter, doing a lot of listening to get an understanding and get with the flow. I'm trying to be a sponge and take everything in. I feel I've done a decent job of that, learning about my body and my abilities and how to grow."
 
As busy as Darian has been with the Battery, he has still kept an eye on the Marauders' soccer program. After hearing the news about the suspension of the 2020 fall season, he reached out to the team's current seniors—Nathan Maynard, Nik Provazzo, and Matteo Adiletta.
 
"They're some of my best friends and I'm still in touch with them," said McCauley. "I told them to use this as an opportunity to better yourselves on and off the field. I know there's talk about having the season in the spring, which would give them an extra semester to prepare. I know it's tough but you have to look on the brighter side even under these insane circumstances. I told them to keep their heads up and keep working."
 
McCauley believes using the fall semester to prepare for a potential season in the spring should benefit underclassmen as well.
 
"I think it's a huge opportunity for the younger guys because they'll be able to adapt to the college game and get a jumpstart on their classes to keep their GPA up," said McCauley. "Some guys might peak in the spring rather than in the fall. For freshmen, the turnover from high school to college is such a huge adaptation you have to make so for some of those guys it's going to be beneficial. I know Coach Widdowson is going to do his best to handle all of it and hopefully it all works out."
 
The Charleston Battery currently own a 2-2 record with two more scheduled matches this week in Atlanta (Aug. 5) and Charlotte (Aug. 8).