Coming fresh off their best record in the last five years, the CPP women’s soccer team was elevated defensively by senior goalkeeper Sydney Williams who enjoyed one the best seasons in Bronco history last season between the posts.
Born and raised in Inglewood, California, Williams started playing soccer at the age of 5. Her parents signed her up against her will, but little did Williams know how much she would grow to love the sport.
“I hated it at first, but my parents encouraged me to keep playing and I fell in love with the game,” recalled Williams.
Williams boasts the best goals-against average in CPP program history with a 0.52 season record and a 0.65 career record. She only allowed 10 goals on 162 shots in the 2019 season, breaking a previous school record of 0.75.
The 13-5-3 Broncos made it all the way to the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2019, where they were unfortunately eliminated in the first round.
“It was always in the back of my mind because I knew the team was performing really well,” said Williams speaking about her record performance. “We had tallied a lot of shutouts so I knew we would have an influence on the record books, but it was still kind of just an afterthought. My number one priority is keeping the ball out of the net and I just happened to break a record by doing so.”
Head Coach Jay Mason was proud of both his team and his star goalkeeper.
“With myself being a goalkeeper, I had the opportunity to train them which I really enjoyed” said Mason. “To see Sydney develop as a person and understand how to communicate in different ways to different people and how to make that effective expanded her circle of influence.”
Williams has been the starting goalkeeper for the Broncos ever since she set foot on campus in 2018. Coach Mason saw the potential in her and knew she could handle a challenge.
“Last season, she knew what she had to improve on, and she came in and did it,” said Mason. “The girls made her one of the leaders. It speaks volumes to how much they respect her and how much she’s invested in not just her self-improvement but showing how much she cares about the program and what the team does.”
Senior midfielder Allison Hung discussed what Williams brings to the team.
“Sydney is the type of teammate that you can trust and lean on outside of soccer,” said Hung. “On the field, she’s one of the most determined people to win, no matter who were playing against. She has the drive and passion like nobody else I know. Sydney is an amazing player and an even more amazing friend. She brings passion, drive to win and great leadership to this team.”
With goalkeeping records now secured, Williams looks forward to achieving new heights.
“I didn’t come into college soccer expecting to break a record, but it definitely feels good to be in the books” said Williams. “Especially now, having that record just gives me new goal to beat when we get back.”
