Last line of defense is the one men’s soccer trusts the most in clutch

By Clark Brooks

With the likes of senior striker Marco dos Santos and Hermann Trophy candidate and All-American defender Barry Rice, most teams overlook senior goalie Dan Williams when preparing for the UK men’s soccer team. But when the game is on the line, there is no one the team trusts more than Williams.

“Dan wins games,” UK head coach Ian Collins said of the keeper earlier this year. “He is able to perform in the clutch frequently which sets him apart from other keepers in the nation. Dan is one of the best in the country at his position.”

Though Williams has played soccer for most of his life, he has been a keeper for only seven years.

“I have been playing soccer since I was four,” Williams said, “But, I didn’t start being a goalie until I was a sophomore in high school. Both my club team’s and high school goalies weren’t very good so one day I was asked to play it.”

Williams never looked back from there. He played goalie for the remainder of high school. His play soon drew the attention of Collins, who heard about Williams through an old friend of his.

Williams made an immediate impact. In 2006, his first year with the team, Williams was named to third-team Conference USA along with All-Freshman Team honors.

“When I came here, I didn’t know what to expect,” Williams said. “I just wanted to come to UK to play soccer and earn my degree.”

The good times, however, did not last long for the Cats.

The Cats were devastated early in the 2007 campaign with injuries, which put a great deal of pressure on Williams. With no offense to produce goal support, the fate of many games rested with Williams’ ability to defend the box.

“That year was tough,” Williams said. “I tried really hard not get frustrated with things and train as hard as possible to make up for what the team was lacking. But, I took last season as a learning experience.”

Going into his junior campaign, Williams was elected by his teammates to be one of the three team captains for the 2008 season.

Rice and his other teammates point out that despite not being vocal, Williams leads by example. Williams put up a 0.81 goals against average, fourth-best for a single season in school history, in 2008.

“I am without a doubt more confident than I used to be,” Williams said. “When I was a freshman, (it) took a while for me to get comfortable in the goal, but now it’s just second nature.”

Going into 2009, Williams and the rest of the Cats wanted to take the team to the next level by making the NCAA Tournament. Williams, Rice and Griffiths were once again chosen to be the squad’s captains. And once again. Williams accepted the role to lead his team.

“Dan is fearless,” Collins said. “He constantly puts himself in dangerous positions, but that’s good because you want your keeper to be a little bit crazy.”

Williams has 28 saves and three shutouts this year while helping the Cats post an 8-4-0 record.

“Our practice routine has helped me get better over the years,” Williams said. “Goalies report early to practice, so we’re all warmed up by the time the other guys get here. Then we work on ball possession and game situations.”

Though UK has been in a slump as of late, losing three out of its four last games, Williams has faith the Cats will finish well at season’s end.

“When this team plays well, no one can stop us,” Williams said. “Look out for us to go on a run the next few games. There is no doubt in my mind, we will win the conference.”