Entering his 3rd season on the men’s soccer coaching staff at Piedmont College is Shane McKay, a native of Sheffield, England who spent his own collegiate playing days at a pair of colleges in the state of Georgia. McKay assists Head Coach Jimmy Stephens in all aspects of the program as the Lions ready for the 2015 season, the 11th season in the Jimmy Stephens era.
In 2014, the Lions climbed the USA South rankings with their highest finish since joining the league in 2012. Piedmont took the 7th spot in the regular season finishes matching up with Covenant College in the postseason falling 1-0 to the eventual league champs, the 2nd time that PC has fallen to the league’s eventual champ in the first three seasons of conference membership with the USA South.
McKay’s 2nd season on staff also saw Piedmont place its second Lion on the All-Conference listing with Vincent Thomas making the grade in 2014. For the 2nd straight year, Thomas placed in the league’s top five in individual scoring as the Lions experienced an offensive rebirth in 2014 scoring more than twice as many goals (34) as a team on the season as the 2013 did the year before (16).
During his first season with the program, McKay helped lead the Lions to a 6-12 overall mark that was slowed down by an 0-3 start and four losses to end the season for a team full of youth with only four graduating seniors on the roster.
Despite the season struggles, the Lions were able to dig deep to find bright spots for the future of the men’s soccer squad as PC capped a three-game winning streak to begin October with a dramatic 3-2 come-from behind win over N.C. Wesleyan College. Needing a pair of goals in the final 20 minutes to tie the game and send it into overtime, Piedmont’s own Vincent Thomas netted the game winner for PC just under six minutes into the first OT period sending the Lions into a celebration frenzy right in front of the Walker faithful.
McKay’s tutelage was most noticeable with Thomas himself as the Lion was in the top four amongst leading scorers in the USA South Athletic Conference with his nine goals, two shy of the league leader. Additionally, 11 men’s soccer players were honored as Academic All-Conference selections in 2013-14 for carrying above a 3.0 GPA during the year while the Lions also earned academic recognition as a group with the NSCAA Team Academic Award.
The England native joined the Piedmont men's soccer program after the Lions finished 2012 with a 6-10-2 overall record that ended well with the Lions winning two of their final three regular season games. In just their first season competing in the USA South Athletic Conference, PC earned a spot in the league's championship tournament falling to the regular season champion Captains of Christopher Newport.
McKay started his playing career in the states with a two-year stint at Truett-McConnell College which was a junior college at the time he attended. During his time with the school located in Cleveland, GA just 15 miles from the campus of Piedmont, McKay was a key piece of the Bears being voted as his team's Player of the Year for his efforts in the midfield.
After starting his collegiate career with Truett-McConnell, McKay then moved on to a spot at Georgia Southwestern University where he continued his stellar play in the midfield. Posting his first-ever point with the Canes by tallying an assist in a 3-0 victory over North Georgia on October 12 his junior season, McKay went on to lead his team in scoring during his senior year with 5 goals in 16 starts helping GSU to a 2-0 start in 2011.
McKay's efforts with the Canes did not go unnoticed as he became just the third player in the program's history to earn All-Conference honors after the Peach Belt came out with their year-end awards in 2011. After completing his four-year playing career with the final two coming at NCAA Division II member Georgia Southwestern, McKay started to turn his eye towards a promising coaching career which had already begun prior to his final season as a collegiate player.
In the spring of 2011, McKay worked as the Assistant Coach for the local high school boys' soccer program at Americus-Sumter High School. While working with Americus-Sumter, McKay ran the training sessions for the Panthers helping to prepare the team for its games on a weekly basis as well.
During the summer of 2012, McKay served on the coaching staff for the Columbus State University Elite Soccer Camp working with youth players ages 12 to 18. Under the direction of Columbus State Head Coach Jay Entlich, McKay worked with some of the Southeast's best collegiate coaches as he continued to gain more coaching experience.
For the fall of 2012, the England native then returned to his alma mater to operate as the Men's Soccer Assistant Coach at Georgia Southwestern. During his only season with the Canes coaching staff, McKay's impact was felt as the team notched a historic program victory with their first-ever defeat of Clayton State University by knocking off the Lakers 3-2 at home.
While spending more than 2,000 minutes in 29 games on the field for the Canes himself, McKay earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from Georgia Southwestern in December of 2012. Prior to his graduation, McKay spent his final semester as an intern for Global Image Sports in Atlanta helping with the acquisitions of partners for professional soccer clubs.
McKay then spent the year prior to coming on board at Piedmont working with the U12 age group as well as the U5/6s at Dacula Soccer Club located just south of Demorest. The following year, McKay moved up to work with the U14s at Dacula further engraining himself in the local soccer community.
Having already earned his National D License from the US Soccer Federation, McKay pursued his National C License during the summer of 2014. McKay also earned his Coerver Youth Diploma in 2014 as well taking the course offered in Atlanta, Georgia by the famed technical teachers of the game.
Serving as an assistant coach with Head Men's Soccer Coach Jimmy Stephens, McKay earned his Master of Business Administration from the graduate school at Piedmont in 2015.
McKay assists in all facets of the program for Coach Stephens.
