Sandy MacIver’s time in the United States didn’t get off to the best start.
Nearly a decade before she became the Washington Spirit’s starting goalkeeper, a young MacIver travelled from her native England to South Carolina to play for Clemson’s women’s soccer team. She had already missed about a month of practices to finish up exams at home and felt unprepared when she arrived late in the summer of 2016.
“It was definitely like, ‘Oh shit, what have I done?’” MacIver told The Sun. “I was in an apartment with three other girls on the team. I [arrive] in the evening from England, and it’s like, all right, I don’t have any bedsheets, I don’t have anything, I don’t have a car to get anywhere. I ended up staying in one of the girl’s rooms. … I already felt a bit like a deer in headlights.”
MacIver eventually settled in and started for three years at Clemson before going back to England to begin her professional career at Everton. She had already met Spirit defender Esme Morgan in England’s youth ranks before the duo briefly played together at Everton and Manchester City.
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They reunited again when MacIver joined Washington as a backup at the beginning of last season. With longtime Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury on maternity leave this season, MacIver got her first opportunity in years to be a full-time starter.
MacIver’s previous experience in the U.S., her friendship with Morgan and her first year settling in with the Spirit helped the keeper move past a shaky start and become a crucial piece of Washington’s formidable defense this season. Now, with Washington playing its penultimate regular season game on Sunday, MacIver has franchise-record 11 clean sheets on the year. Last week, she helped the Spirit shut out Gotham FC in a marquee win.
“I hadn’t played consistently in maybe even three years, so there’s always going to be a bit of an adjustment period,” MacIver said. “It definitely helps playing behind [Tara Rudd] and [Morgan] because they’re the people that I’m closest to off the pitch. … Obviously the start of the season wasn’t ideal for me, but I got a lot of support from the players and the staff.”
After leaving the starting job at Everton in the summer of 2022, MacIver made a handful of appearances for Manchester City and Scotland but struggled to get consistent game time before suffering a rupture to her anterior cruciate ligament while on international duty in April 2024.
After joining Washington in January 2025, MacIver primarily served as a backup to Kingsbury.
The goalkeeper found out she’d be the starter this year when Kingsbury announced her pregnancy at the beginning of the preseason in February. Kingsbury had spent the last eight years as the Spirit’s starter, leaving big shoes to fill.
“Had I known before Christmas, I just wouldn’t have been able to enjoy the offseason,” MacIver said. “I’d gone from a point where last season I’m pushing, I’m chasing, I’m just trying to get any opportunity that comes my way. When you know that you’re gonna start the season or you’re kind of in pole position, the mindset stays the same, but the pressure changes.”
MacIver conceded four goals in her first three games as full-time starter. But in the fourth match of the year, the goalkeeper kept her first clean sheet in the league in front of an NWSL record 63,004 fans in Denver — the first of four consecutive shutouts for the Spirit.
“There were some difficult moments as a whole team in those first few games, and that’s probably difficult for someone coming in and being the No. 1,” Morgan said. “She probably took some blows that she didn’t deserve to, but she bounced back.”
MacIver has looked at home in net since, limiting mistakes and producing important saves for a third-place Washington team. Her 11 clean sheets are the most of any goalkeeper in the NWSL, while her 73.7 save percentage ranks third.
“Sandy needed some time, it was her new year playing as a starter … every player needs some time to just adjust and adapt,” coach Adrián González said at a September press conference. “I think she’s improving a lot. She’s been doing great, and with time, she’s had that composure to be able to play, to have great performances.”
MacIver’s four years at Clemson had given her a glimpse of American soccer and its culture, which made adjusting to the NWSL easier. She also benefited from familiar faces like Morgan and midfielder Hal Hershfelt, who was a freshman at Clemson during the goalkeeper’s senior year.
MacIver had the option to join another team in England when she elected to leave Manchester City but went with what she felt would be the better long-term choice in Washington. It also helped that she had visited Morgan in D.C. in 2024 and got to see the area and hear about the defender’s experience with the Spirit.
“Before there was even any chance of me coming to the Spirit, I knew that [Morgan] loved it here,” MacIver said. “She spoke highly of everyone, and so there was no doubt speaking to her that I would like it.”
Now, MacIver’s apartment is just a few doors down from Morgan’s. They spend time with teammates exploring local restaurants, going to museums or attending concerts (most recently a Pitbull show in August).
“Sandy’s one of my closest friends in life, so it’s been really nice to have her here,” Morgan said. “We would hang out a lot off the pitch, and because we’re both social people, we would often do loads of things with the group, so she didn’t need me to help settle. She was kind of the same as I was, just easy to get along with everyone.”
MacIver’s form this season has also translated to international play, where she has starred for Scotland’s national team. The goalkeeper switched her allegiance to Scotland, her father’s country of birth, after representing England as a young player. MacIver has kept five clean sheets in eight games for Scotland this year. Scotland beat Czechia 5-2 on aggregate earlier this month to progress to a two-legged play-off final against Sweden in December, an opportunity for Scotland to qualify for its second World Cup.
“I’ve loved my time with Scotland,” MacIver said. “How I feel playing for Scotland, if I’d felt like that playing for England, then I would have stayed regardless of selection. But how I feel like walking out onto the pitch, I know I made the right decision.”
Before then, MacIver will aim to continue her strong NWSL campaign with the postseason looming.
“It’s just been nice to play football, to be honest,” MacIver said. “The big thing for me is progressing throughout the season and just learning from mistakes. … [I’m] just trying to keep [improving] on the performance before, which for the most part, I’ve been happy with.”