Ryan Williams (women's Soccer)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Ryan Emilie Williams (born February 23, 1996) is an American professional
soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
player who plays as a
right back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...
for the
North Carolina Courage The North Carolina Courage are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Cary, North Carolina, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It was founded on January 9, 2017, after Stephen Malik acqui ...
of the
National Women's Soccer League The National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) is a women's professional Association football, soccer league and the highest level of the United States soccer league system#Women's leagues, United States soccer league system (alongside the USL Supe ...
(NWSL). Williams played college soccer for the
TCU Horned Frogs The TCU Horned Frogs are the athletic teams that represent Texas Christian University. The 18 varsity teams participate in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA Division I and in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) for football, competi ...
and was drafted by the Courage with the final pick of the 2018 NWSL College Draft. She won two
NWSL Shield The NWSL Shield is an annual award given to the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) team with the best regular season record as determined by the NWSL points system. The NWSL Shield has been awarded annually since 2013 and is recognized as a ...
s and two
NWSL Championship The NWSL Championship is the annual championship game of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top-flight women's soccer league in the United States. It is the culmination of the NWSL playoffs, which is contested by the teams with the ...
s as a reserve player with the Courage before establishing herself as a starter in 2022. She has also won two
NWSL Challenge Cup The NWSL Challenge Cup is an annual supercup competition organized by the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), a division 1 women's league in the United States soccer league system. The current (2025) cup holder is the Washington Spirit, who ...
s with the team. She was named in the NWSL Best XI Second Team in 2024.


Early life and college career

Williams was born in
Centennial, Colorado Centennial is a home rule city located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,418 at the 2020 United States census, making Centennial the 11th most populous municipality in Colorado. Centennial is a principal ...
, one of six children born to Charles and Lisa Williams. She began playing soccer at four years old, and she played club soccer for ECNL team Colorado Rush. She attended
Cherry Creek High School Cherry Creek High School (commonly Cherry Creek, Creek, or CCHS) is the oldest of seven high schools in the Cherry Creek School District in the Denver metropolitan area. It is located in Greenwood Village, Colorado, and is the largest high school ...
, where she won the 5A
state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...
championship as a sophomore in 2012. As a four-year letterwinner coming out of high school, she was ranked 16th regionally by ''
TopDrawerSoccer TopDrawerSoccer.com (TDS) is an American soccer website that is dedicated to youth soccer in the United States. Specifically, the website focuses on Academy soccer, high school soccer, and college soccer in the United States. The website was la ...
''.


TCU Horned Frogs

Williams made 80 appearances (79 starts) during four years with the TCU Horns Frogs. She was converted from midfielder to defender in college and named to the
Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida ...
All-Newcomer Team after making 19 appearances (18 starts) as a freshman in 2014. She provided a team-high 5 assists in 19 games in her sophomore season in 2015. TCU lost in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament in her first two seasons. Williams made 2 assists in 20 starts in her junior season in 2016, missing one game. She helped TCU reach the final of the Big 12 tournament, where they lost to
West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
3–2 in overtime. TCU nevertheless qualified for the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history, falling to
Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...
1–0 in the first round. Williams recorded a career-high six assists in 22 games in her senior season in 2017. In the Big 12 tournament, she made her
penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...
s in back-to-back shootout victories over
Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
and West Virginia. Head coach
Eric Bell Eric Robin Bell (born 3 September 1947) is a Northern Irish rock and blues musician, best known as a founding member and the original guitarist of the rock group Thin Lizzy, of which he was a member from 1969 to 1973. After his time in Thin Li ...
placed Williams as the fifth penalty taker "because we know she's got ice water in her veins". In the Big 12 championship game, Williams scored the only goal of her college career, with the help of a penalty, in a 2–1 loss to Baylor. TCU again qualified for the NCAA tournament, where they fell 2–1 to
Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
in the first round. Williams received All-Big 12 first-team honors at the end of the season.


Club career


North Carolina Courage


2018–2020

Williams was drafted by the
North Carolina Courage The North Carolina Courage are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Cary, North Carolina, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It was founded on January 9, 2017, after Stephen Malik acqui ...
with the 40th and final pick of the 2018 NWSL College Draft, becoming the first player from TCU to be drafted into the NWSL. She was signed to a
national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...
replacement contract on May 31, 2018. Williams made her professional debut on June 3, coming on for Jaelene Hinkle late in a 1–1 draw against the
Houston Dash The Houston Dash are an American professional soccer team based in Houston, Texas, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The Dash began play in the 2014 season. The team plays its home games at Shell Energy Stadium. His ...
. She was waived two weeks later but signed again the next month as a national team replacement. She appeared in two games at the exhibition 2018 Women's International Champions Cup, making her first start for the Courage in a 1–0 win over French club
Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...
in the final. She was unused for the rest of the season, and the Courage went on to win the
NWSL Shield The NWSL Shield is an annual award given to the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) team with the best regular season record as determined by the NWSL points system. The NWSL Shield has been awarded annually since 2013 and is recognized as a ...
and
Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
, defeating the
Portland Thorns Portland Thorns FC is an American professional soccer team based in Portland, Oregon, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Established in 2012, the team began play in 2013 in the then-eight-team NWSL, which received supp ...
3–0 in the title game. Williams agreed to a new contract ahead of the 2019 season but was moved to a supplemental spot on the final roster. Williams made her first NWSL start on June 1, winning 3–0 against the
Orlando Pride The Orlando Pride are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Orlando, Florida, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The Pride began play in the 2016 National Women's Soccer League season, 2016 ...
on June 1. She played her first full match in a 2–1 win at the
Washington Spirit The Washington Spirit are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Washington, D.C. that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It is a continuation of the D.C. United Women of the USL W-League (1995†...
on June 29. However, after 4 appearances (3 starts), she was listed out with injury for the rest of the season. North Carolina went on to win their second consecutive NWSL Shield and Championship, defeating the
Chicago Red Stars Chicago Stars Football Club is an American professional soccer team based in the Chicago metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). A founding member of the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) league as the Chic ...
4–0 in the title game. Williams's contract option was exercised at the end of the season. When the 2020 season was postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, Williams and her roommate Cari Roccaro prepared training videos for other teammates to follow from a far distance. A new month-long tournament, the
Challenge Cup The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...
, was announced in place of the beginning of the regular season. Williams started in one Challenge Cup match, a 1–0 win over the Chicago Red Stars on July 5. She also started 4 games of the Fall Series, recording her first professional assist, to Lynn Williams, in a 4–1 loss to the
Houston Dash The Houston Dash are an American professional soccer team based in Houston, Texas, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). The Dash began play in the 2014 season. The team plays its home games at Shell Energy Stadium. His ...
on October 4. After the season, she signed a one-year contract with an option to extend for an additional year.


2021–

Williams appeared in 17 games (2 starts) for the Courage in the 2021 regular season as they finished fifth in the standings. She also appeared in 4 games (1 start) in the
NWSL Challenge Cup The NWSL Challenge Cup is an annual supercup competition organized by the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), a division 1 women's league in the United States soccer league system. The current (2025) cup holder is the Washington Spirit, who ...
. She made her playoff debut in the closing minutes of the Courage's 1–0 quarterfinal loss to the eventual champions Washington Spirit. Williams appeared in 3 games off the bench during the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup ahead of the regular season. She was an unused substitute in the Challenge Cup final, which the Courage won 2–1 against the Washington Spirit. She finished the 2022 regular season with 3 assists in 18 appearances (10 starts) as the Courage placed 7th of 12 teams, missing the playoffs. Williams started all 8 games in the 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup, playing the full match in a 2–0 victory over Racing Louisville in the final. She started all 22 games and made 2 assists in the regular season as the Courage finished in third place. In the playoffs, she played every minute of their first-round 2–0 loss to eventual champions
NJ/NY Gotham FC Gotham Football Club is an American professional Association football, soccer team based in the New York metropolitan area that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Founded in 2006 as Jersey Sky Blue, the team was known as Sk ...
. Williams received two
yellow card Yellow card may refer to: * Yellow card (sport), shown in many sports after a rules infraction or, by analogy, a serious warning in other areas * Yellowcard, an American alternative rock band * Yellow Card Scheme, a United Kingdom initiative co ...
s and was sent off on June 8, 2024, with her second card giving Sophia Smith a penalty that led to a 1–0 away loss to the Portland Thorns. She finished the regular season with 25 starts and 2,237 minutes played, with just her red card and one-match suspension keeping her from an iron woman season. She ranked top two in the league in multiple defensive metrics, including tackles, challenges, and interceptions, and ranked first in attempted passes. North Carolina finished the regular season in fifth place, losing 1–0 to the
Kansas City Current The Kansas City Current are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in Kansas City, Missouri, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It was founded as an NWSL expansion, expansion team in 2021 NWSL ...
in the playoff quarterfinals. Williams signed a contract extension near the end of the season, keeping her with the club through 2027. She was named to the NWSL Best XI Second Team at the end of the season.


International career

Williams was called up by
Emma Hayes Emma Carol Hayes (born 18 October 1976) is an English professional football manager who is the head coach of the United States women's national team. She was previously manager of Chelsea Women from 2012 to 2024, winning seven Women's Super ...
to camp with the United States national team in January 2025, her first national team call-up at any level.


Career statistics


Honors

North Carolina Courage * Women's International Champions Cup:
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
*
NWSL Championship The NWSL Championship is the annual championship game of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top-flight women's soccer league in the United States. It is the culmination of the NWSL playoffs, which is contested by the teams with the ...
:
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
,
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
*
NWSL Shield The NWSL Shield is an annual award given to the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) team with the best regular season record as determined by the NWSL points system. The NWSL Shield has been awarded annually since 2013 and is recognized as a ...
: 2018, 2019 *
NWSL Challenge Cup The NWSL Challenge Cup is an annual supercup competition organized by the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), a division 1 women's league in the United States soccer league system. The current (2025) cup holder is the Washington Spirit, who ...
:
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
,
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
Individual * NWSL Best XI Second Team:
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
* First-team All-
Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Okla ...
: 2017 * Big 12 All-Newcomer team: 2014


References


External links

*
Ryan Williams
at North Carolina Courage {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Ryan 1996 births Living people American women's soccer players TCU Horned Frogs women's soccer players North Carolina Courage draft picks North Carolina Courage players National Women's Soccer League players Women's association football defenders Soccer players from Colorado People from Centennial, Colorado Sportspeople from Arapahoe County, Colorado Cherry Creek High School alumni 21st-century American sportswomen