Where Are They Now: Leah Galton, Women's Soccer

Recruited from Harrowgate, England, Leah Galton joined the Hofstra women’s soccer team in 2012 and would go down as one of the greatest players in program history upon the conclusion of her time in Hempstead. Representing the Pride from 2012 to 2015, Galton would help lead Hofstra to two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2012 and 2015 and a Colonial Athletic Association title in 2012. 

Prior to her time at Hofstra, Galton played for Leeds United Ladies FC, progressing through their youth ranks until she made her senior team debut at 16-years old. She would make 38 total appearances for the club with nine goals before departing for America.

In her freshman season, Galton posted 27 points on 11 goals and five assists to earn herself CAA Rookie of the Year honors. The following season, Galton would be named the CAA Player of the Year with eight goals and 11 assists, and she would win the award as a junior and a senior to become the only women’s player in CAA history to be named CAA Player of the Year three years in a row. During her senior year in 2015, Galton was named a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Award for the top female college soccer player after finishing the season with 30 points on 12 goals and six assists in 20 games played. 

Galton played in 82 games for the Pride and finished as the top point-scorer in program history (122) and in a tie for assists in a career (26), while she finished with the second-highest goal total for a career (48). She was a four-time NSCAA All-Region selection and she received All-CAA First Team honors all four years at Hofstra.

In 2015, Galton and the Pride would qualify for the NCAA Tournament and in the First Round game against Georgetown, Galton would score for Hofstra as the team advanced after penalty kicks to the Second Round for only the third time in program history.

Following her time at Hofstra, Galton was selected by Sky Blue FC in the second round of the 2016 National Women’s Soccer League College Draft. Galton would go on to make 30 appearances and score five goals over two years for the New Jersey-based team. Galton would then sign a contract with FC Bayern Munich of the Frauen-Bundesliga in 2017, but she would only appear in one league game for the German team.

In 2018, after time away from soccer, Galton signed with Manchester United W.F.C. for the club’s inaugural season. She would appear in 14 league matches and score three goals as Manchester United won the FA Women’s Championship and achieved promotion to the FA Women’s Super League, the top league for women’s professional soccer in England. In her three seasons with Manchester United, Galton has played in 44 total matches and scored nine times. 

In addition to her club success, Galton has represented her home country at every youth level of competition. Most notably, she was a part of the England squad at the 2011 UEFA Women’s Under-17 Championship and the 2016 U-23 La Manga Tournament.

Galton graduated from Hofstra in 2016 with a degree in exercise science.

What made you decide to attend Hofstra?

To be honest, I had always wanted to come to America to play in college because I had heard a lot about scholarships and things like that, so it was always one of my dreams to be good enough to get scouted and play in America. Amy Turner, who is from England and played for Hofstra, got me into contact with Simon Riddiough. We chatted for a bit, and Simon told me all about Hofstra and asked if I wanted to come here.

When I was at Leeds United, I had gone through all the age groups in the academy all the way to the open senior team, and that was a big achievement for me. I think by the time I got there, I was ready to move on to something bigger and more challenging. Going to America, and especially Hofstra, was probably one of the best things I’ve ever done. I always tell everyone about my time at Hofstra and what it did for me, and I’ve never regretted it. I’m very thankful for Simon recruiting me.

What is your favorite memory from playing at Hofstra? 

It’s definitely my freshman year. I really didn’t know what to expect coming into my first year, and I was just giving it my all every day, and I met some truly amazing people who, to this day, I still talk to. That first year of living away from home, finding it really hard at first to adjust to living in a new country, but then winning the CAA Championship was such a good thing for me and the program. I’ll never forget that game and that day; I always look at old things because it reminds me of a happy time in my life.

Coming from England, where you had lived your entire life, to attend Hofstra, what was that transition like?

I found it really hard, at first. Obviously, homesickness was a huge thing for me, and I think it’s something a lot of athletes experience when coming across the pond. I think it was in the first couple of months of preseason, when Simon’s killing us on the field and it’s boiling hot every day, where those feelings of missing my family came up. 

What got me through that, though, was my teammates. When you’re out there, spending nearly every minute of every day together, and naturally you grow close to them. If it wasn’t for them, it would’ve been really hard. I’m glad that I was able to get on with a majority of the team, if not the whole team, and they made it a lot easier for me.

How did your time as a professional in England translate to your time with Hofstra and in college soccer?

I had a lot of experience playing against older players from my time with Leeds because the age range was from 16 up to players in their 30s. So I think that playing with women of every age was a good experience for me in bringing that over to a college setting because everyone was slightly older than me, but not to the level that it was with Leeds. 

Coming from England, you also bring a different spin on football. In my opinion, football in America is a much more athletic, physical game, whereas in England, it’s more about what you do with the ball and creating opportunities to go forward. I think having the ability to play effective in both styles helped me out in my college career.

You were the first-ever three-time CAA Player of the Year. What did it mean to you to win that first award, and how does it feel to be the only person to win the award three consecutive times.

It’s a very proud thing, for me. In the moment, winning that award gave me the confidence to improve myself and do better and better every year. It allowed me to recognize my place in the team and in the league, and I just knew that I could help push the team every year.

I was obviously very grateful for winning the award as many times as I did, but it’s a team game. I wouldn’t have been able to receive that award without the team because they pushed me every day in practice and made me better.

You were a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Award your senior year. What did it mean to you to be named to the shortlist for that award?

I remember going to Simon and asking him what the award was all about. I didn’t know much about it because I hadn’t paid much attention to it; when you’re not nominated or included in things, you don’t pay much attention to them more often than not. When I was shortlisted, it was up there as one of the proudest moments of my career at Hofstra.

Everyone was telling me how good that was and what kind of achievement it was, and I don’t think it really sunk in at the time. When I look at it now, though, I pay attention and see the kinds of players who are winning them and making it on the shortlists. It makes me realize that ‘wow, I must’ve been doing something right.’ It makes me happy and thankful that I got nominated.

How did it feel to be drafted by Sky Blue FC following your time at Hofstra? What was it like to play professional soccer in America?

That was an amazing feeling. I had never been involved in anything like that before, so I didn’t know what to expect. The day of the draft, I remember sitting in the dorm room of one of my friends, and I didn’t have a clue what would happen, if I would get selected or not, and all these thoughts were racing through my head. ‘Would this be the end of my career in America? Would I have to go somewhere else, possibly another country, to continue playing?’ My professional future was kind of relying on the draft.

When my name was called, everyone in the room went crazy, and I just sat there in shock. The nicest thing was that the team was in New Jersey, so I knew that I could still come back and see everybody, and everyone could come and see me play. That was probably one of the best feelings, because after spending so much time somewhere, it would have been sad to move so far away from everyone. 

Making that switch from college to professional was potentially some of the most challenging times of my career. I’m still away from home, and now I have to pick up all my stuff from college, where I’m very comfortable, and move two hours down the road into a new house with girls that I’ve never met before, go to a new team that I’ve never played with before and now I have to learn to play their way. I think those were the most challenging and difficult two years that I’ve ever had in my professional career.

I’m glad I had those two years, though, because it’s helped make me who I am today. Not just on the pitch, but in who I am as a person.

After a couple of seasons with Sky Blue FC, you joined FC Bayern Munich in Germany. What was that experience like?

They’re an amazing team and they have this amazing culture at Bayern Munich, and I couldn’t think of a better place to be if you want to dedicate every moment of your life to football. I think going from America, where it’s professional but you’re in training and at the facilities for half the day, to Germany, where you’re literally in a football mindset from sunup to sundown and not having much time to yourself to do normal things, was very difficult for me. I think just the way I am, I need to be able to have that time to myself and not focus on football 24/7. 

I also didn’t know the language, so that was very difficult for me. They coached in German and most, if not all, the players spoke German. It’s difficult to express yourself as a person when you don’t know the language. Those were the primary reasons why, after a lot of thought, I decided to not play there and to come back to England for a bit of a refresh and to see my family and spend time with them.

After some time away from soccer, you join Manchester United W.F.C. in their first season of competition and win the league. How did that come about, and what was it like playing professionally in England for a new women’s team?

I took about five, six months away from football. I had thoughts about whether this was something I wanted to do for a living, what else I was interested in. I had some time away from football and to just be a normal person and doing everyday things, but after a while I got tired of that and wanted to get back into football.

Man United is one of the biggest clubs in England, and with them setting up a women’s club, I just knew that I had to be a part of that. I had spoken to Phil Neville, who was the manager of England at the time, and he had told me that this was happening, and [Manchester United W.F.C. manager] Casey Stoney reached out to me and asked me if I wanted to join. Along with going to Hofstra, joining Manchester United had to have been the best decision of my career. It’s done a world of good for me, and I’m glad I did it. 

Winning the league was euphoric. That was such a great day. I can remember it fully; I remember the knee-slides after the game when we’d won, and I think it’s right up there with winning the CAA with Hofstra as the two biggest moments of my life so far. We knew we could win the league, and we had to win the league to be where we are now.

It was challenging, for sure, but with all the experience that I brought from every team before all over the world, it’s all come together and I think I’m playing some of the best football I’ve ever played. It makes me happy to think that all that I’ve learned and all I’ve experienced has helped me out.

What has the support been like from the Manchester United men’s team?

They’ve been very supportive. Our media side is really good with that sort of stuff, and I’ve done a few commercial-like edits and appearances with the men’s side with players like Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford. [Manchester United manager] Ole Gunnar Solskjær has been to some of our training sessions and he’s come to our games. It’s been great to have that interaction because you know that the men’s team is fully behind us.

How has it felt representing your country in international matches?

Everyone says it’s the proudest you’ll ever feel, and it really is. Even at the under-15 and under-17 levels, to be able to go out on the pitch in an England shirt with your name and number on it, and to know that you’re playing with some of the best in the country in your age group, that’s something you’ll forever cherish. And I know I will.

How did your time as a student-athlete at Hofstra prepare you for life after college?

I think it’s where my underlying confidence comes from. Being successful at that age was a big thing for my confidence, and I think I continued to grow from there as a player. I’ve taken a lot of things I maybe wasn’t so good at in my collegiate career, and I’ve worked at those things as hard as I possibly can, and I think that’s made me into a better, more well-rounded player.

What does it mean to you to be a part of the Hofstra family?

As soon I hear that or someone say they’re a Hofstra alum, I have a flashback of all the best moments from college, and it makes me smile. I can sit there with a big smile on my face and I realize that I will forever be a part of that family. It’s something that no one can ever take away from me, something that’s always going to be there, and it’s something that makes me so proud and happy to think back to those times. 

What is one piece of advice you would give to current Hofstra student-athletes?

My only thing I have to say is that you have to enjoy whatever it is that you’re doing. I’ve had so many periods in my career where, if I’m not enjoying myself or I’m not happy, then I don’t play well. I know that I’m in a good place right now in Manchester because I’m playing well and I’m playing happy. I think, for me, that goes hand in hand. If I’m happy off the pitch, that happiness translates to my play. So, make sure you enjoy what you’re doing and if there’s something you don’t like, address it, but make sure you give yourself enough time to improve yourself.