On March 6, former North Carolina midfielder Darcy McFarlane announced that she had signed with Celtic FC Ladies in the Scottish Women’s Premier League.

Less than three weeks later, McFarlane had made the move across the Atlantic, started against league powerhouse Glasgow City FC, earning Player of the Match honors on her debut on Sunday, March 20.

Not a bad three week stretch for the UNC grad.

“Since I was a little girl I’ve wanted to play pro, so it’s kind of surreal that I am now doing that,” McFarlane told TopDrawerSoccer.com in an email. “I’ve worked hard to get here and am really excited to get started.”

McFarlane graduated from North Carolina in December after helping the Tar Heels reach the 2016 College Cup, whee it lost to West Virginia. Armed with the ambition of playing at the next level, she began searching for options near and far. While she added her name to the NWSL Draft pool, heading abroad was always her preference.

“It has been a dream of mine to play professionally, and while at UNC I decided that I wanted to play overseas,” McFarlane said. “I was drawn to the whole experience of living in a new country with a new culture and meeting new people, while also doing what I love every day. I am planning on embracing all the little things that this opportunity has to offer both in and out of soccer.”

She signed with Upper V Athlete Management, and her agent Lenny Lun connected her with Celtic Ladies manager David Haley. A lengthy conversation with Haley eventually escalated McFarlane’s interest in making the move to Glasgow.

“Celtic is a well-respected club, and I liked David’s vision for the team and felt like he had a good understanding and expectations of me as a player,” she said.

A no-nonsense holding midfielder for the Tar Heels the last four seasons, the California native was thrown into the fire after her move. She flew to Scotland on Wednesday, March 15 to finalize everything, and was officially announced as a signing two days later. On Sunday, Haley handed McFarlane a starting debut against Glasgow City, the league’s front-runner. McFarlane actually came up against another recent college standout, as former Florida forward Savannah Jordan joined Glasgow earlier in 2017.

After putting in a solid performance in a 1-1 draw, McFarlane earned Celtic’s Player of the Match honors. Not a bad start considering that her first two training sessions with the team came on preceding Thursday and Friday ahead of the match.

The midfielder paid tribute to her experience at North Carolina that helped prepare her to hit the ground running at the professional level.

“I don’t think UNC could have prepared me better for a pro career,” she said. “Both in training and in matches, I have had the opportunity to compete against the best, not to mention to be coached by some of the best coaches. UNC also has a great network of players who have played pro both in the US and overseas (including my older sister), so training with them and getting advice from them has helped immensely.”

McFarlane’s debut came in the second league game of the 2017 campaign, and Celtic currently sits tied for second place in the table with Glasgow City on four points. The season runs through November, with the top two teams in the eight-team league earning a spot in the UEFA Champions League.

Clinching a spot in the continental competition this season is just one of many targets that she’s set for herself – and her brand new team – in the next step of her playing journey.

“I want to reach my potential as a player but more importantly I want to help Celtic to win the league and reach their goals as a club,” McFarlane said. “I am ready to work and embrace whatever role they give me so that we can reach those goals.”

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