The winger will celebrate her 18th birthday on Thursday, yet she already counts a senior Scotland call-up among her list of accomplishments after sampling the senior squad for the first time last month.
It shows her rapid development under head coach Jo Potter that it was only a little over a year ago that she signed her first professional contract for the Light Blues.
And McAulay believes hard work and staying grounded have been key to her ascent to becoming one of Rangers’ most important players.
Speaking to RangersTV ahead of today’s clash in the north-east, the teenager commented: “It’s quite mad that I’ve managed to do that. I just want to work hard every day, and you never know what’s around the corner.
“I was quite nervous at first because the jump from Academy to first-team is really big. But the girls were so good with me and have helped me along the way.
“The reason for me doing so well last season was because of my teammates.
“You’re playing with girls your own age at academy level, whereas you’re always one of the youngest players coming up to the first-team.
“It’s quite hard settling in, but you slowly get used to it.
“The training plan here is great. You have the gym and a lot more resources, so I think my body slowly got used to it last season.”
On her first call-up to the Scotland A squad at just 17, McAulay continued: “It was a really proud moment for me and my family.
“I was up training with the [A squad] and Jane [Ross] had to pull out and I got the call up.
“I was sitting at dinner and Pedro [Martinez Losa] pulled me aside. I didn’t really have time to think about it as we were flying the next day.
“I got told he wanted to give me the opportunity to come and experience it.
“It was a proud moment for my family. They have watched me go through all the age groups at Scotland and they were proud of me for going away with the A squad.
“It was tough at first, but I managed to get into it a bit more. The intensity is so high, but I learned so much from it.”
Aberdeen are first up on the fixture list for the Light Blues this campaign, who rounded off their pre-season exploits with a strong test against Levante last weekend.
The side lifted a cup double last term in Potter’s first campaign in charge, although McAulay admits she and her teammates are fired up to deliver league glory this time around after missing out on the top prize by the finest of margins last season.
She added: “I’m buzzing. The summer was so long and I just wanted back into football.
“We missed out on the league by fine margins last season, but we’ll be ready to go on Sunday.
“We were really disappointed, but we went out and won a cup the very next week which shows the character in the dressing room. All the girls are ready to go on Sunday.
“It was a really good test against a top side in Levante [last weekend]. We learned a lot from it, and it showed us where we’re at going into Sunday’s game.
“We want to win as much silverware as possible. We know we missed out last season, but we’re ready to go this season. I want to do my part for the team.”