Lynn Williams (soccer)

Lynn Raenie Williams (born May 21, 1993) is an American professional soccer player who plays for the North Carolina Courage in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States national team. She previously played for Western New York Flash and Western Sydney Wanderers in the Australian W-League,

Lynn Williams
Personal information
Full name Lynn Raenie Williams
Date of birth (1993-05-21) May 21, 1993
Place of birth Fresno, California, United States
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 North Carolina Courage
Number 9
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011–2014 Pepperdine Waves 78 (39)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2016 Western New York Flash 36 (15)
2017– North Carolina Courage 49 (25)
2019–2020 Western Sydney Wanderers (loan) 5 (4)
National team‡
2013–2015 United States U23
2016– United States 31 (10)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of January 16, 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of January 22, 2021

Early life

Born in Fresno, California to Christine and David Williams, Lynn attended Bullard High School where she played on the varsity team and earned all-league and all-area honors all four years.[1] Williams set the school record in scoring with 117 career goals (for boys or girls) and finished her high school career with 47 assists.[1] As a senior in 2011, she was named to the ESPN RISE All-American third team[1] and scored 50 goals. The same year, she helped the team to win county and section titles and was the runner-up at the regional final.[1] She was also named Player of the Year by the Fresno Bee.[2]

Pepperdine Waves, 2011–2014

Williams attended Pepperdine University from 2011 to 2014 where she played for the Waves.[1] During her freshman season, she started in all 20 games and finished third on the team with six goals and led the Waves with eight assists. Her 20 points ranked second on the team.[1] She was named West Coast Conference (WCC) Freshman of the Year and earned Soccer America Freshman All-American first team, NSCAA All-West Region second team, All-WCC second team and WCC All-Freshman team honors.[1] Williams set a new school record of five consecutive games with a point and tied for second with two multi-assist games.[1]

As a sophomore in 2012, Williams led the Waves ranked third on the team and sixth in the league in goals (8) and points (19). She led the WCC in shots (97) and shots per game (4.6) for the second consecutive season.[1] She scored her first collegiate hat trick on October 23. Her season performance earned her NSCAA All-West Region and All-WCC first team and All-WCC first team honors.[1] In 2013, Williams started the first 15 games of the season and posted 11 goals and 3 assists (25 points) before missing the last few games due to injury. She ranked first in the WCC for goals per game (0.73, also third in the school's history), tied for second in game-winning goals and third in points per game (1.67, also fourth in the school's history). She set a school single-game record for shots with 14 on September 22.[1] Williams earned NSCAA All-West Region first team and All-WCC first team honors and was named the National Player of the Week by the NSCAA and CollegeSoccer360.com after scoring the game-winning goal against Wright State in August and then netting two goals and an assist against Texas A&M in early September.[1] She was also named WCC Player of the Week.[1]

Williams led the Waves with 14 goals and 10 assists in 22 starts during her senior season. Her performance helped lift the team to the third Sweet 16 appearance in the program's history.[1] She was a finalist for the Hermann Trophy, was named first-team All-American by the NSCAA and Soccer America as well as All-WCC first team for the third straight year.[1] Her 14 goals ranked third in the WCC and tied for second highest in the school's history. Her 38 points also ranked second in the school's history.[1] Williams set a new school record for shots with 130 and ranked first in the WCC.[1] She was named WCC Player of the Week three times and Top Drawer Soccer National Player of the Week after scoring two game-winning goals.[1]

Club career

Western New York Flash, 2015–2016

Williams was selected sixth overall by the Western New York Flash during the 2015 NWSL College Draft.[3][4] She made her debut for the club during the team's season opener against the Seattle Reign FC on April 12, 2015.[5] In her 17 appearances during the season, Williams scored four goals.[6] The Flash finished in seventh place with a 6–9–5 record.[7]

Williams was one of the breakout stars of the 2016 NWSL season. She scored 11 goals which was tied with Houston Dash forward Kealia Ohai for most in the league. Williams was awarded the Golden Boot as she had more assists then Ohai.[8] Williams was named 2016 NWSL Most Valuable Players and was in the 2016 NWSL Best XI. In the NWSL Playoffs Williams scored two goals in extra time as the Flash upset the Portland Thorns in the semi-final and advanced to the Championship Game.[9] In the 2016 NWSL Championship Game Williams scored a game tying header in the last minute of extra time to force the game to penalties. Williams converted her penalty as the Flash went on to defeat the Washington Spirit.[10]

North Carolina Courage, 2017–present

It was announced on January 9, 2017, that the Western New York Flash was officially sold to new ownership, moved to North Carolina,[11] and rebranded as the North Carolina Courage. Williams scored 9 goals for North Carolina in 2017 and was named to the Team of the Month for April. North Carolina won the Shield in 2017 but lost to the Portland Thorns in the NWSL Championship Game.[12]

Williams had a very successful 2018 season. She scored 14 goals, which was tied for second best in the league. She was named Player of the Week twice as was named to the NWSL Second XI. North Carolina won its second straight NWSL Shield and Williams was named a finalist for NWSL Most Valuable Player.[13] She played every minute of North Carolina's playoff games in 2018 as the Courage won the 2018 NWSL Championship by defeating the Portland Thorns 3–0 in the final.[14]

International career
Williams during a match against Sweden, November 2019

After a breakout 2016 NWSL season Williams received her first call-up to the United States women's national team in October 2016 for a pair of friendlies against Switzerland.[15] She earned her first cap on October 19. Williams entered as a substitute at the beginning of the second half and scored the fastest debut goal in team history as she scored 49 seconds after entering the game. Her record was broken four days later when Kealia Ohai scored 48 seconds after entering the game.[16]

In 2017 Williams was named to the roster for the 2017 SheBelieves Cup, where she scored the game-winning goal in a 1–0 win for the U.S over Germany. Her goal was the only one the U.S scored in the tournament as they finished in last place.[17] Williams was called up for the 2017 Tournament of Nations.[18]

In 2018 Williams was named to the roster for the 2018 SheBelieves Cup, where the U.S. WNT won the tournament for the second time.[19] Williams played in the team's first four games of the year including all three SheBelieves Cup games, but soon fell off the national team radar. She received a call-up for a pair of friendlies against Mexico in April 2018, but didn't play in either game.[20] Williams was on the 35 player provisional roster for the 2018 CONCACAF Women's Championship but wasn't named to the final 20 player roster.[21]

In late 2019, after incoming head coach Vlatko Andonovski took over for a retiring Jill Ellis, Williams was again called up to the national team. She played in both of the team's November friendlies against Sweden and Costa Rica, marking her first caps in 20 months. In her first five games back with the team, including the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament, Williams tallied five goals and five assists.

International goals
Key (expand for notes on “international goals” and sorting)
Location Geographic location of the venue where the competition occurred
Sorted by country name first, then by city name
Lineup Start – played entire match
on minute (off player) – substituted on at the minute indicated, and player was substituted off at the same time

off minute (on player) – substituted off at the minute indicated, and player was substituted on at the same time
(c) – captain
Sorted by minutes played

# NumberOfGoals.goalNumber scored by the player in the match (alternate notation to Goal in match)
Min The minute in the match the goal was scored. For list that include caps, blank indicates played in the match but did not score a goal.
Assist/pass The ball was passed by the player, which assisted in scoring the goal. This column depends on the availability and source of this information.
penalty or pk Goal scored on penalty-kick which was awarded due to foul by opponent. (Goals scored in penalty-shoot-out, at the end of a tied match after extra-time, are not included.)
Score The match score after the goal was scored.
Sorted by goal difference, then by goal scored by the player's team
Result The final score.

Sorted by goal difference in the match, then by goal difference in penalty-shoot-out if it is taken, followed by goal scored by the player's team in the match, then by goal scored in the penalty-shoot-out. For matches with identical final scores, match ending in extra-time without penalty-shoot-out is a tougher match, therefore precede matches that ended in regulation

aet The score at the end of extra-time; the match was tied at the end of 90' regulation
pso Penalty-shoot-out score shown in parenthesis; the match was tied at the end of extra-time
Light-purple background color – exhibition or closed door international friendly match
Light-yellow background color – match at an invitational tournament
Light-orange background color – Olympic women's football qualification match
Light-blue background color – FIFA women's world cup qualification match
Blue background color – FIFA women's world cup final tournament

NOTE: some keys may not apply for a particular football player


Goal		 Date Location Opponent Lineup Cap Min Assist/pass Score Result Competition
1 2016-10-19[m 1] Sandy   Switzerland 46.

on 46' (off Horan)

 1 46' unassisted
1–0
4–0
 Friendly
2 2017-3-1[m 2] Chester  Germany 79.

off 79' (on Morgan)

 5 56' unassisted
1–0
1–0
 2017 SheBelieves Cup
3 2017-9-19[m 3] Cincinnati  New Zealand 46.

on 46' (off Press)

 11 55' Kelley O'Hara
4–0
5–0
 Friendly
4 2017-10-22[m 4] Cary  South Korea Start 13 61' Megan Rapinoe
5–0
6–0
5 2019-11-10[m 5] Jacksonville  Costa Rica {{{4}}}.

on 46' (off Lloyd)

 21 50' Tobin Heath
3–0
6–0
6 68' Jessica McDonald
5–0
7 2020-01-28[m 6] Houston  Haiti Start 22 67' Megan Rapinoe
2–0
4–0
 Olympic qualifier: Group A
8 2020-01-31[m 7]  Panama .

off 71' (on Heath)

 23 15' Lindsey Horan

2–0

8–0

9 2020-02-09[m 8] Carson  Canada Start 25 71' unassisted

1–0

3–0

 Olympic qualifier: Final
10 2021-01-22 Orlando  Colombia {{{4}}}.

off 68' (on Purce)

 31 60' Sam Mewis

4–0

6–0

 Friendly
  1. "Second Half Fireworks Send New-Look USA to 4–0 Rout of Switzerland". U.S.Soccer. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  2. "Williams Goal Steers USA to 1–0 Win vs. Germany in 2017 SheBelieves Cup Opener". U.S.Soccer. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  3. "WNT Defeats New Zealand 5–0 in Front of Record Crowd in Cincinnati". U.S. Soccer. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  4. "WNT Puts on a Show in 6–0 Defeat of Korea Republic in Cary, NC". U.S. Soccer. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  5. "USWNT Puts A Bow On Historic 2019 With 6–0 Win Vs. Costa Rica". U.S. Soccer. November 10, 2019.
  6. "USWNT Defeats Haiti 4–0 to Win Opening Match of 2020 Concacaf Women's Olympic Qualifying". U.S. Soccer. January 28, 2020.
  7. "USWNT Defeats Panama 8–0 to Advance to Semifinal Round of 2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying". U.S. Soccer. January 31, 2020.
  8. "U.S. Women's National Team Wins 2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament with 3–0 Victory Over Canada". U.S. Soccer. February 9, 2020.

Personal life

Williams met her boyfriend, Marley Biyendolo, at Pepperdine.[22]

Honors and awards

International

Club

Western New York Flash

North Carolina Courage

Individual

See also

References
  1. "Lynn Williams". Pepperdine University. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  2. Giannandrea, Nick (April 30, 2011). "2011 Girls Soccer All-Star Team". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  3. "WNY Flash adds six players at NWSL College Draft". Buffalo News. January 16, 2015. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  4. "Morgan Brian No. 1 pick by Houston Dash in NWSL draft". ESPN. January 16, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  5. "Flash Fall to Seattle 5–1 in Opener". Western New York Flash. April 12, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  6. "Lynn Williams". Soccer Way. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  7. "2015 NWSL". Soccer Way. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  8. "WNY Flash forward Lynn Williams wins 2016 NWSL Golden Boot". September 26, 2016. Archived from the original on October 3, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  9. "Flash beat Thorns FC, 4–3, in extra time". October 2, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  10. "Western New York Flash win 2016 NWSL Championship". October 9, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  11. "North Carolina Courage joining NWSL signals long-term ambition for young league | FOX Sports". FOX Sports. January 10, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  12. "Lynn Williams". Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  13. "NWSL Awards – 2018 NWSL MVP Finalists". Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  14. "Courage cap off record-setting season with NWSL Championship win". September 22, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  15. "ELLIS NAMES 24 PLAYERS FOR USA MATCHES VS. SWITZERLAND". October 6, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  16. "Lynn Williams Scores Fastest Debut Goal (49 Seconds!) In U.S. Women's Soccer History". October 19, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  17. "WILLIAMS GOAL STEERS USA TO 1–0 WIN VS. GERMANY IN 2017 SHEBELIEVES CUP OPENER". March 1, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  18. "ELLIS NAMES ROSTER FOR 2017 TOURNAMENT OF NATIONS". July 20, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  19. "ELLIS NAMES 23-PLAYER ROSTER FOR 2018 SHEBELIEVES CUP". February 23, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  20. "Jill Ellis Releases 22-Player Roster Ahead of USWNT Friendly Vs Mexico". March 21, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  21. "Provisional USA roster for World Cup qualifying released". September 10, 2018. Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  22. "Lynn Williams".
  23. "WNT WINS 2018 SHEBELIEVES CUP WITH 1–0 VICTORY VS. ENGLAND". March 7, 2018. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  24. "USA Wins 2020 SheBelieves Cup With 3–1 Victory vs. Japan". U.S. Soccer. March 11, 2020.
  25. "U.S. Women's National Team Wins 2020 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament with 3–0 Victory Over Canada". U.S. Soccer. February 9, 2020.

Further reading
  • Grainey, Timothy (2012), Beyond Bend It Like Beckham: The Global Phenomenon of Women's Soccer, University of Nebraska Press, ISBN 0803240368
  • Lisi, Clemente A. (2010), The U.S. Women's Soccer Team: An American Success Story, Scarecrow Press, ISBN 0810874164
  • Murray, Caitlin (2019), The National Team: The Inside Story of the Women Who Changed Soccer , Abrams, ISBN 168335527X
  • Schultz, Jaime (2014), Qualifying Times: Points of Change in U.S. Women's Sport, University of Illinois Press, ISBN 0252095960
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