Four years later, Graham Roxburgh got his goalkeeper.
The head coach of the Trinity Western Spartans had recruited Langley’s Ally Williamson, but the 2011 R.E. Mountain Secondary graduate and Langley FC product opted instead for the UBC Thunderbirds.
And Williamson showed why two of the premier women’s soccer programs in the country wanted the goalkeeper as she won the Canada West rookie of the year award in 2011.
The freshman keeper led the conference in both save percentage (.939) and goals against average (0.29) and had eight clean-sheets as she posted an 8-1-2 record in goal.
“I remember I tried to recruit her originally and I remember how stinking good she was,” Roxburgh said.
“She is certainly a player we talked about when she was on the opposite team.”
But game-planning against Williamson is no longer a problem for Roxburgh and the Spartans.
Following the 2013 season, Williamson decided to step away from the UBC soccer program. Her plan was to stay at the Vancouver school and finish her degree. But she had come home to Langley for the summer and was playing with the Fraser Valley Action, which featured several TWU players as well as coaches.
It convinced Williamson to approach Roxburgh about joining the Spartans.
“I had no plans to play at Trinity Western University at first, but I just loved it,” said the now 22-year-old Williamson, about the vibe she got from the predominantly Spartan roster with the Action.
But joining TWU also meant the goalkeeper would have to sit out a full season as a transfer, only able to practice.
“It definitely sucked having to go to practice every single day and know you are never going to put on a jersey, no matter how hard you work,” she said.
“(Ally) has been very professional about her approach,” Roxburgh said.
“Even last year, when she had to sit out a year, her commitment and her service to the team, her willingness to train, it takes a lot of character to train at the level she does when the next meaningful game was 13 months away.
“But she has dedicated herself very well, she has great experience, she is mature, she is quietly a leader on our team.”
Knowing there was no chance she would crack the line-up was tough for a player who was part of the Vancouver Whitecaps Prospects program in the latter part of her high school days.
But Williamson said she was buoyed by her new teammates and the sense of community and family they shared.
“The team sticks together a lot and it is definitely a good place to be when you know you are not going to be playing because there are people who will continue to lift you up,” she said.
“I am a pretty self-motivated person. I knew I wasn’t going to play, but I had a different role on the team. I wanted to push everyone else.”
Williamson had to watch as the Spartans won the Canada West title and advanced to the CIS gold medal game, where they lost to Laval in the championship final.
Roxburgh expects Williamson to be the team’s top goaltender in 2015 and is counting on her veteran leadership, especially with a young back-line.
“We need her to be that veteran presence,” he said.
“Every good team needs a keeper that is going to make a save that keeps them alive, or if the team is not playing well, she can always inspire with a good save, or good communication.”
Williamson is just excited to play in a regular season game with something at stake.
“It has definitely been awhile since I have been in that type of game,” she said.
And the team’s first regular season opponent will be none other than UBC.
The game will be played on the TWU campus at Rogers Field at 5 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 11). The Spartans also host Victoria the next day.
TWU is ranked second in the CIS polls to open the season and in a preseason poll of Canada West coaches, the team was picked as the favourite to win the conference.
The Spartan men open the season this weekend, but they do so on the road.
The team is in Kamloops against Thompson Rivers on Saturday and the next day are in Kelowna against the UBC Okanagan Heat.