A BUDDING professional footballer has set a new record for the fastest goal scored in a college soccer match in the USA.

Megan Searson, 22, who plays in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) scored a 55-yard goal after just three seconds for her North Dakota team, the University of Mary.

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The match against the University of Minnesota Crookston ended in a 2-0 win for the home team University of Mary.

Megan, who grew up in Blackburn and moved to America after winning a scholarship to play football and study sporting and coach science, reached international fame as her goal was shown on TV around the world.

Megan, a former pupil at Feniscowles Primary School and St Wilfrid’s CE Academy, said: “Now that it’s sunk in, it’s a pretty cool feeling, knowing that I hold the record for not only my conference or division, but for the whole of the NCAA.

“I was in disbelief that it went in so when my team all jumped on me I just enjoyed the moment.”

Megan, who is in her fourth year in university, also played for Lammack Juniors, before joining Blackburn Rovers Centre of Excellence until she was 16, then moving on to their reserve ladies team for a year, before joining Preston North End WFC.

Megan said she didn’t know she was going to attempt the strike from kick-off until her coach Sarah Cook told her on game day.

She said: “It wasn’t something we had planned for, but game day came and the wind was pretty strong and we got kick off.

“So our coach said to the team in the huddle ‘Megan is going to shoot from the kick-off, it’s going to go in and we’re going to win the game,’ I thought it was a joke at the time. I am very proud. It’s been great for the team and the school too, as we’re only small so it’s been nice to get some attention on us.”

Megan, whose family live in Feniscowles, attracted new social media followers after the goal, and was also interviewed for media stations across America.

Now she will set her sights on finishing her course at Christmas 2017, before deciding whether to pursue coaching or playing, and whether to stay in America or return to Blackburn.

Megan’s family including mum Jeanette, dad Fergal and siblings Sally, Rachel and Joe followed the game as it was streamed live on the university website.

Jeanette said: “We were all delighted to see the goal, we couldn’t believe it.”