A Historic Season for Penn State Harrisburg's Aidan McWilliams
- Olivia Harvey
- Dec 12, 2025
- 3 min read
On campus, where most stories unfold quietly, Penn State Harrisburg's Aidan McWilliams makes his presence known in motion with fast steps down a sideline and a pass that shifts momentum. He's the kind of player who allows someone to appreciate the game, watching how every decision he makes shapes the field around him.
Growing up in Newnan, Georgia, soccer had always been a part of his life, and it was a dream come true for him to play at the collegiate level. And now, as a senior, he can say he did just that.
"Growing up, it was a really, really big goal," McWilliams said. "It was a hard goal. I didn't realize how hard it was going to be until my sophomore year in high school. You know everybody dreams about playing college soccer, playing college sports, but no one knows how to put in that work until you actually have to do it."
As the outside back, he has accomplished more goals than he had hoped in his collegiate career, including going to the National Tournament this past season.
"One of my main goals going into college was going to the national tournament, and I did that my senior year," McWilliams said. "We went and played in Boston, first round of the national tournament against Tufts University, didn't get the result we wanted, but I was still blessed with the ability just to be able to say I made it to the national tournament and be able to cherish those memories forever."
And though the end of the season didn't go how he had planned, McWilliams is still proud of all that his team has accomplished, adding that reflecting on the games helps him bounce back from difficult moments.
"I kind of just go back and reflect after the game and think about how, you know, 'what can I do better for the team?' and hit it at the next practice," he said. "I kind of just learned that you make mistakes and you've got to move on and learn from them."
But for McWilliams, those moments on the field don't happen in isolation. He is quick to point out that his growth didn't happen by himself alone, and he credits one of his coaches, who has played just as much of a role in shaping who he is, not just as a player, but as a person as well.
"My coach, Joshua Villalobos, got me as a kid when I was twelve, thirteen years old, and helped build my soccer skills up to where I am today, and without him, I would not be in this place that I'm at right now," he said. "As a person, over the years, he's taught me that adversity is a key factor in terms of college sports, and it's how you deal with them and learn from them."
And the impact from his coach continues to change his development, as he has learned that he wants to do the same thing for the next generation, guiding young athletes and teaching them the game he grew up loving.
"For a couple of years now I've done training with kids, but I think I really want to start coaching a little bit," he said. "I think for me personally, I was let down at a younger age in terms of coaching, and I think the United States in general, we don't do very well in our youth development, and I think I want to be a key factor in changing that."
And while teaching the drills and the techniques of soccer is important for McWilliams, he wants to also prepare the next generation for the setbacks and the doubt, adding that the lessons he's learned are ones he wants to pass down.
"It goes back to adversity. I think adversity makes you who you are as a person later on in life, and I'd say choose to fight that adversity every time because if you give up, you don't know how you're gonna end up," he said. "You don't know where you would have been if you didn't give up."
For McWilliams, soccer has been more than a sport. It's been a guide into many life lessons he'll take with him into whatever path he steps into next, as he plans to graduate from Penn State Harrisburg in May of 2026.
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