Nov. 9, 2009

LEXINGTON, Ky. — For the league record seventh time in his four-year career, Kentucky men’s soccer senior goalkeeper Dan Williams has been selected Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week, it was announced by the conference office Monday afternoon.

Williams, a native of Fairfax Station, Va., tallied two shutouts during UK’s 2-0-0 week, including a 1-0 blanking of SMU Wednesday. In the game with SMU, Williams helped UK get the 1-0 result in a de facto elimination game for the C-USA Tournament, with UK needing a win or a tie vs. SMU to clinch a berth in the post season. Williams saved four shots in the win over SMU and followed that with a 2-0 win over High Point on senior day at the UK Soccer Complex.

In the win over High Point, Williams made five saves, getting his seventh shutout of the year. Now with 21 career shutouts, Williams is just one clean sheet shy of the school record for the most in a career. In his 72-game UK career, Williams has totaled a 1.05 goals-against average, saving 217 shots and charting a 39-23-9 record. In 2009, Williams leads the league with a 0.71 goals-against average, allowing 13 goals in 18 games with 50 saves.

With his seventh career C-USA Defensive Player of the Week honor, Williams now takes sole possession of the record for the most in a career. He was tied with South Carolina senior goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer for the record, as Maurer also had six entering the final weekend of the regular-season.

Kentucky (13-5-0, 5-3-0 C-USA) clinched the four seed in the C-USA Tournament and will face conference champion and No. 1 seeded Tulsa Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET at the Hurricane Soccer and Track Complex. UK and No. 14 Tulsa faced off in the regular-season in Lexington, with Tulsa getting a 1-0 win behind a goal in the final minute of regulation.