After first collegiate goal, Williams named NEC Rookie of the Week
SOMERSET, N.J. – After the first goal of his career on Saturday afternoon, Bryant University men's soccer freshman Ben Williams (Unionville, Ontario) was named Northeast Conference Men's Soccer Rookie of the Week, the league announced Tuesday afternoon.
Williams had a clever finish against No. 11 Fordham that helped the Bulldogs earn their first point of 2018 in a 1-1 draw with the Rams. The freshman won a 1-on-1 battle with a taller defender and flicked a header high into the air that went over Fordham's keeper and into the right-side netting to give Bryant a 1-0 lead in the 84th minute. The goal came on his only shot of the game.
The freshman has played his way into the Starting XI in his inaugural campaign with the Bulldogs. After not playing in the season-opener at Howard, Williams has seen more minutes in each of the last four games, leading up to his first collegiate start on Saturday against the Rams.
He is the first weekly award winner for the Bulldogs since October 9, 2017, when freshman Matthew Kane (Lincoln, R.I.) won the conference's Rookie of the Week award.
Bryant is back in action on Saturday, when they face Stony Brook at 7 p.m. at LaValle Stadium on Long Island.