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Ryan Williams (women's soccer)

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Ryan Williams
Williams with the North Carolina Courage in 2024
Personal information
Full name Ryan Emilie Williams[1]
Date of birth (1996-02-23) February 23, 1996 (age 28)[2]
Place of birth Centennial, Colorado, United States
Height 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Position(s) Right back
Team information
Current team
 North Carolina Courage
Number 13
Youth career
Colorado Rush
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2014–2017 TCU Horned Frogs 80 (1)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018– North Carolina Courage 73 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of May 24, 2024

Ryan Emilie Williams (born February 23, 1996) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a right back for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

Born in Centennial, Colorado, Williams played college soccer for the TCU Horned Frogs. She was drafted by the Courage with the 40th pick of the 2018 NWSL College Draft. She has won two NWSL Shields, two NWSL Championships, and two NWSL Challenge Cups with the Courage.

Early life and college career

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Williams was born in Centennial, Colorado, one of six children born to Charles and Lisa Williams.[2][3] She began playing soccer at four years old.[4] and she played club soccer for ECNL team Colorado Rush.[5] She attended Cherry Creek High School, where she won the 5A state championship as a sophomore in 2012.[3][6] As a four-year letterwinner coming out of high school, she was ranked 16th regionally by TopDrawerSoccer.[3]

TCU Horned Frogs, 2014–2017

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Williams started 79 of 80 games during four years with the TCU Horns Frogs.[3] She was converted from midfielder to defender in college and named to the Big 12 Conference All-Newcomer Team as a freshman in 2014.[4][7] She provided a team-high five assists in her sophomore year in 2015.[3] TCU lost in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament in her first two seasons.[8][9] Williams helped TCU reach the final of the Big 12 tournament in 2016, where they lost to West Virginia 3–2 in overtime.[10] TCU nevertheless qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history, falling to Texas A&M 1–0 in the first round.[11][12]

Williams recorded a career-high six assists in her senior year in 2017.[3] In the Big 12 tournament, she made her penalty kicks in back-to-back penalty shootout victories over Kansas and West Virginia.[13][14] Williams was placed as the fifth penalty taker by head coach Eric Bell "because we know she's got ice water in her veins".[14] In the Big 12 championship game, Williams scored the only goal of her college career off a penalty kick, but the Horned Frogs lost to Baylor 2–1.[15] TCU again qualified for the NCAA tournament, where they fell 2–1 to Arizona in the first round.[16][17] Williams received All-Big 12 first-team honors at the end of the season.[18]

Club career

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North Carolina Courage

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2018–2020

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Williams was drafted by the North Carolina Courage with the 40th and final pick of the 2018 NWSL College Draft, becoming the first player from TCU to be drafted into the NWSL.[19] The Courage did not sign her until May 31, when she inked a national team replacement contract.[20] Williams made her professional debut on June 3 in the 80th minute of a 1–1 draw to the Houston Dash.[21] She was waived two weeks later, but the next month she signed again as a national team replacement.[22][23] She appeared in two games at the 2018 Women's International Champions Cup, making her first start for the Courage in a 1–0 win over French club Lyon in the exhibition's final.[24][25] Williams did not make another appearance during the 2018 season,[26] and the Courage continued on to win the NWSL Shield and Championship, defeating the Portland Thorns 3–0 in the title game.[27]

Williams agreed to a new contract ahead of the 2019 season but was moved to a supplemental spot on the final roster.[28][29] Williams made her first NWSL start in a 3–0 win over the Orlando Pride.[30] She played her first full match at the Washington Spirit, winning 2–1 on June 29.[31] Williams was listed out with injury for the rest of the season.[32] The Courage went on to win their second consecutive NWSL Shield and Championship, where they defeated the Chicago Red Stars 4–0.[33][34] A contract option was exercised for Williams at the end of the season.[35]

When the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams and her roommate Cari Roccaro prepared training videos for other teammates to follow from a far distance.[36][37] A new month-long tournament, the Challenge Cup, was announced in place of the beginning of the regular season.[38] Williams started in one Challenge Cup match, a 1–0 win over the Chicago Red Stars on July 5.[39] She started in four games of the Fall Series and recorded her first professional assist in a 4–1 loss to the Houston Dash on October 4.[40][41] After the season, she signed a one-year contract with an option to extend for another year.[40]

2021–

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Williams in the 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup final

Williams appeared in 22 matches for the Courage in the 2021 season, making three starts.[2] The Courage placed sixth in the standings but lost in the first round of the playoffs to eventual champions Washington Spirit.[42]

Williams was an unused substitute for the 2022 Challenge Cup final, which the Courage won 2–1 over the Washington Spirit ahead of the regular season.[43] She started 10 of her 18 regular-season games in 2022.[2]

Williams started all 31 games in which she played in the 2023 season.[2] She played the full match in the year's Challenge Cup final, in which the Courage defeated Racing Louisville 2–0.[44] The Courage placed third in the season but fell to eventual champions NJ/NY Gotham FC in the first round of the playoffs.[2]

Williams played almost every minute of the 2024 season except for the minutes she missed after her second yellow against the Portland Thorns on June 29 and the resulting one-match suspension.[2] She ranked second in the NWSL in multiple defensive metrics that season, including tackles, challenges, and interceptions, and first in attempted passes.[45][46][47] On November 7, the Courage announced a three-year extension to keep her with the club to the end of 2027.[48] The Courage finished the season in fifth place and lost to the Kansas City Current in the quarterfinals of the playoffs.[2]

Career statistics

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As of June 23, 2024[2]
Club Season League Cup[a] Playoffs[b] Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
North Carolina Courage 2018 NWSL 1 0 — 0 0 — 1 0
2019 4 0 — 0 0 — 4 0
2020 — 1 0 — 4[c] 0 5 0
2021 17 0 4 0 1 0 — 22 0
2022 18 0 3 0 — — 21 0
2023 22 0 8 0 1 0 — 31 0
2024 13 0 — — — 13 0
Career total 75 0 16 0 2 0 4 0 97 0
  1. ^ Includes the NWSL Challenge Cup
  2. ^ Includes NWSL Playoffs
  3. ^ NWSL Fall Series

Honors

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North Carolina Courage

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Classes from the Addran College of Liberal Arts: Bachelor of General Studies" (PDF). Commencement. Texas Christian University. December 15, 2018. p. 21. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Ryan Williams". Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Ryan Williams – Women's Soccer". TCU Athletics. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Off The Field With Ryan Williams". TCU Athletics. December 3, 2014. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  5. ^ Clark, Travis (June 18, 2013). "Girls Commitments: Taking notice". TopDrawerSoccer. Archived from the original on April 30, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  6. ^ "2012 CHSAA Girls State Soccer Tournament (Class 5A)". MaxPreps. Archived from the original on July 15, 2016. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  7. ^ "All-Big 12 Soccer Awards Announced". Big 12 Conference. November 3, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  8. ^ "West Virginia tops TCU in Quarterfinals of Big 12 Championship". Big 12 Conference. November 5, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  9. ^ "Baylor Advances On Kicks In Thriller Over TCU". Big 12 Conference. November 4, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  10. ^ "Mountaineers Win Big 12 Soccer Title". Big 12 Conference. November 6, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  11. ^ "Going dancing! TCU soccer earns 1st bid". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. November 8, 2016. p. B2. Retrieved June 1, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  12. ^ "Early goal stands up as TCU is edged out". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. November 13, 2016. p. C11. Retrieved June 2, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  13. ^ "TCU Advances To Semifinals On PKs". TCU Athletics. November 2, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  14. ^ a b "TCU Headed To The Championship Game". TCU Athletics. November 3, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  15. ^ "Tournament Run Ends In Heartbreak". TCU Athletics. November 5, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  16. ^ "TCU Earns NCAA Bid; Faces Arizona Friday". TCU Athletics. November 6, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  17. ^ "TCU Falls In Heartbreaking Fashion". TCU Athletics. November 10, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  18. ^ "Woodard, Morrison, Pierre-Louis and Berg Lead All-Big 12 Honors". Big 12 Conference. October 30, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  19. ^ "Williams Drafted In Fourth Round". TCU Athletics. January 18, 2018. Archived from the original on May 17, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  20. ^ Communication (May 31, 2018). "North Carolina Courage Sign Four to National Team Replacement Contracts and Activate Defender Yuri Kawamura from Disabled List". North Carolina Courage. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  21. ^ "Unbeaten North Carolina Courage Now 13 Points Clear of First Place After Draw With Houston". North Carolina Courage. June 3, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  22. ^ "North Carolina Courage Players Return from International Duty". North Carolina Courage. June 15, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2020.[permanent dead link‍]
  23. ^ "North Carolina Courage Sign Four to National Team Replacement Contracts". North Carolina Courage. July 19, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  24. ^ "NC Courage Defeat PSG 2–1 in First Ever Women's ICC match". North Carolina Courage. July 26, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  25. ^ a b "NC Courage Win First Ever Women's International Champions Cup". North Carolina Courage. July 30, 2018. Archived from the original on April 6, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  26. ^ "Ryan Williams 2018 Match Logs". Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  27. ^ a b Balf, Celia (September 22, 2018). "Courage cap off record-setting season with NWSL Championship win". National Women's Soccer League. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  28. ^ Communications, NC Courage (March 8, 2019). "NC Courage Reach Agreements with Four More Core Players". North Carolina Courage. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  29. ^ "North Carolina Courage Announce 2019 Roster in Advance of Home Opener". North Carolina Courage. April 8, 2019. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  30. ^ Brown, Morgan (June 1, 2019). "Kristen Hamilton Nets Hat Trick in 3–0 Win Over Orlando Pride". North Carolina Courage. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  31. ^ Brown, Morgan (June 29, 2019). "Goals from Debinha and Pruitt Lead NC Courage Past Washington Spirit, 2–1". North Carolina Courage. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  32. ^ "Ryan Williams 2019 Match Logs". Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
    "NWSL Week 15 Preview – Equalizer Soccer". The Equalizer. July 26, 2019. Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
    Bush, Chelsey (August 9, 2019). "NWSL Week 17 Preview – Equalizer Soccer". The Equalizer. Archived from the original on August 11, 2019. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
    Bush, Chelsey (October 11, 2019). "NWSL Week 24 Preview – Equalizer Soccer". The Equalizer. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
    "NWSL Injury Report: Who's not playing in championship game". Front Row Soccer. October 27, 2019. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  33. ^ a b Brown, Morgan (October 10, 2019). "NC Courage to Close Out Regular Season and Receive NWSL Shield on Fan Appreciation Night this Saturday". North Carolina Courage. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  34. ^ Levine, Matthew (October 27, 2019). "North Carolina Courage rolls past Chicago Red Stars to win second consecutive NWSL Championship". National Women's Soccer League. Archived from the original on June 4, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  35. ^ Brown, Morgan (November 4, 2019). "North Carolina Courage Announce Roster Update Following the Team's 2019 NWSL Championship Victory". North Carolina Courage. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  36. ^ Baird, Lisa (March 12, 2020). "Statement from NWSL Commissioner Lisa Baird regarding the 2020 season". National Women's Soccer League. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  37. ^ Brown, Morgan (May 12, 2020). "Courage Return Amidst COVID". North Carolina Courage. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  38. ^ Hays, Graham (May 27, 2020). "NWSL to return on June 27 with monthlong tournament". ESPN. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  39. ^ Martin, Hannah (July 5, 2020). "Abby Erceg's Game-Winner Gives Courage an Edge over Red Stars". North Carolina Courage. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  40. ^ a b Birkedal, Morgan (December 15, 2020). "Hailey Harbison, Samantha Murphy, and Ryan Williams Sign Contracts Ahead of 2021". North Carolina Courage. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  41. ^ Martin, Hannah (October 4, 2020). "Three Players Make NC Courage Debut in 4-1 Loss to Houston Dash". Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  42. ^ "NC Courage 2021 Season Highlights". North Carolina Courage. November 23, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  43. ^ "Match Recap: Courage Win 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup Championship". North Carolina Courage. May 7, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  44. ^ "Champions! Courage claim Challenge Cup with 2-0 win Saturday". North Carolina Courage. September 9, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  45. ^ Schnittker, Nicholas (October 25, 2024). "Ryan Williams: Never satisfied, always improving". North Carolina Courage. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  46. ^ "2024 NWSL Defensive Action Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  47. ^ "2024 NWSL Passing Stats". FBref.com. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  48. ^ "Ryan Williams signs extension through 2027". North Carolina Courage. November 7, 2024. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  49. ^ NWSL (November 18, 2024). "NWSL Announces Winners of 2024 NWSL Best XI Awards, presented by Amazon Prime | National Women's Soccer League Official Site". NWSL. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
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