LEXINGTON, Ky. — Sophomore Kentucky goalkeeper Dan Williams has been named to the Soccer America Team of the Week, in recognition of his five-save performance in UK?s upset win over No. 1 SMU on Saturday, the magazine announced Tuesday.
Williams, UK?s steady goalkeeper, kept the Wildcats in a drag-out game with SMU, with UK eventually pulling off the dramatic 2-1 upset win. Williams, a native of Fairfax Station, Va., made five saves in the game, but the stat sheet does not tell the tale of everything Williams did in handcuffing a high-powered Mustang offense. Williams made several miraculous saves throughout the game, particularly in the first half, when the keeper put his body on the line, inside the box, to keep SMU from taking a multiple-goal lead. Williams made four saves alone in the first frame, stopping would-be goals from the Mustang offense in the 10th, 11th, 23rd, and 27th minutes. SMU had several chances to take a commanding lead in the first half, firing 17 total shots.
The honor is the third weekly accolade for a Wildcat player this week, as sophomore forward Tim Crone received Conference-USA Offensive Player of the Week honors, as well as being named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week. Crone netted both goals in the win, coming off the bench in the 59th minute and needing just 23 seconds to net the game-tying goal and just a few more ticks to head home the game winner.
Kentucky (7-8-2, 5-2 C-USA) returns to action on Friday, as the Wildcats travel to Columbia, S.C., for their final regular season matchup of the season. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. EDT.