VILLANOVA, Pa. – By the time a college athlete reaches their senior season, they usually have at their disposal a range of experiences that can help them navigate challenges.

Villanova's Enda O'Neill's chest of memories, though, is a little deeper than most.

O'Neill is in his first season as a Wildcat but his fourth as a college soccer player. A graduate transfer from the University of Wisconsin, the defender played an integral role throughout his Badger career on teams that captured Big Ten championships and reached NCAA Tournament play. Now, he has moved into a critical role for the Wildcats, who are 3-1 overall and jumped into the national rankings at No. 15 in the United Soccer Coaches poll this week.

On Friday night, O'Neill and the Wildcats will host a Big Ten foe he knows well from his days as a Badger: Penn State. The Nittany Lions (1-3 overall) take on Villanova at Talen Energy Stadium with kickoff set for 8 p.m. (BIG EAST Digital Network) as the second half of a soccer doubleheader that also includes a women's clash at 5 p.m. between Villanova and Virginia Tech.

"I've been in a couple of MLS stadiums and it's always special," O'Neill, a native of Colorado and product of the Rapids Academy program states. "Playing under the lights in that kind of setting against good competition is a thrill. I'm really looking forward to it."

So how does a son of Louisville, Col., one of six children of Colm and Christine O'Neill, find himself at Villanova?

Put simply, it has a lot to do with a willingness to explore a range of experiences, both on and off the pitch.

Throughout the 2017-18 academic year, O'Neill began to look closely at pursuing a graduate degree elsewhere. He would earn his Wisconsin degree in the spring after playing three seasons of soccer, including 40 starting assignments (he sat out the 2014 season). That left him with one season of college soccer eligibility and a unique opportunity to add a graduate degree.

"I was looking for a new academic opportunity as well as a chance to play in a top end soccer conference," says O'Neill. "I found this had the best opportunity with the Villanova School of Business and with this soccer program playing high level competition, week in and week out."

The fit was nearly perfect. The Wildcats graduated an accomplished senior class in 2018, a group that played a large part in the program's first ever NCAA Tournament invitation in 2016. Junior Shane Bradley was the only experienced back returning and O'Neill offered head coach Tom Carlin and his staff an appealing bridge to its next generation.

Carlin has lauded the work ethic and presence O'Neill brings to a reconfigured back three that also includes Shane Bradley and Luca Mellor.

"Enda is tough, hardnosed, and possesses a winning mentality," Carlin says. "He's a fantastic passer of the ball and has a sense of calm to his game which we love."

For his part, O'Neill has felt welcomed.

"Everything's been good," he states. "I've been enjoying the opportunity and soccer challenges. Getting off to a good start helps. This is a highly motivated group that maybe didn't achieve what it wanted to last season. I think that's been a big part of our early success."

The Wildcats' resiliency has been a constant theme early. In the season opener, the Wildcats and Delaware were locked in a 0-0 duel with under three minutes left in regulation. But VU used a throw in to manufacture a set piece and cashed it in. O'Neil raised up to re-direct via a header a long throw-in from sophomore Richie Schlentz to an unmarked Zach Zandi near the right post. Zandi scored at 2:47 and the Wildcats had themselves a road win.

On Aug. 27, they kept their composure after being scored upon in the final minute and produced a 3-2 overtime win over William & Mary. And then the Cats kept working through a steady downpour to ultimately knock off Loyola 1-0 on Aug. 31. O'Neil has been a critical anchor through it all.

"The resiliency of the group has stood out to me," he says. "Some of those wins, we just dug them out. I think it's a testament to how tight-knit the group is. It's probably the tightest knit group I've played with since I've been in college. Everybody believes and wants to work for it together."

There is the better part of a season to complete but O'Neill's wisdom should prove invaluable as the Wildcats chase a return to the upper reaches of the BIG EAST and another postseason invitation.

"There are a couple of guys on this team who were a big part of that (2016 Villanova NCAA) team so they can attest to it as well," explains O'Neill. "Experience is a huge thing in college athletics. To have been able to have played in those environments and to have played some of the top teams in the country helps.

"To know that those kinds of goals are attainable, even if it's difficult at times, is huge. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to believe in that. When the players have that belief, it's a big thing."

O'Neill is enrolled in a Masters of Science and Finance program in the highly acclaimed Villanova School of Business (the No,1 ranked undergraduate program in the nation according to Bloomberg Business along with the top-ranked online graduate business program in the nation in the view of U.S. News & World Report).

"It's a really cool one year program," he states. "You're in a cohort so there are 20 people you're in class with every single day."

That the program is labeled accelerated makes perfect sense.

Enda O'Neill's Villanova experience may not be the norm. It will last only one soccer season. Yet thanks to an openness to exploration, both in the class room and on the field, O'Neill has already made his presence felt.

 "I wanted to experience a different part of the country," he says. "It's cool to have experienced different parts of the country and still to be kind of young."