W-League Feature
Friday, June 27, 2014
Two years later, it’s still surprising to the Western New York Flash’s Kathryn Williamson that she was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2012 W-League Championships.
“I felt like I played as hard as I possibly could, but I didn’t take a PK, PKs aren’t really my thing, and I think there were a lot of girls on our team that could have been named MVP,” Williamson said by phone recently. “I kinda feel like it was more of a team award for us because I think everyone gave it all they had, and that’s why we were able to win.”
While Williamson wasn’t one of those who took a penalty kick to earn the Ottawa Fury their first W-League Championship, the defensive stalwart was a key figure throughout the weekend. She first helped stifle a D.C. United Women attack that included current NWSL standouts Lianne Sanderson and Joanna Lohman in a 1-0 semifinal victory, and then kept the Fury in the championship after they fell behind early to the Pali Blues to allow Ottawa to rally to victory in a shootout.
Her performances in both games not only drew praise from observers, but also instilled a confidence in Williamson before she returned to the University of Florida for her senior season.
“The final four teams that were involved were quality teams, so it was a really good experience for me to get ready for that level of soccer and just play those couple of games,” she said. “We were able to win it all, which was awesome, because I know that was something that [Fury coach] Dom [Oliveri] reiterated to us that he really wanted us to get to that championship game and take it.”
Oliveri had reached out to Williamson prior to the season to see if she might be available to play for the Fury. The experience was a new one for the Texan, who hadn’t previously played in the W-League, but the opportunity to play for one of the top teams in the league was one that she couldn’t turn down.
“I would usually go spend a couple of months at home, and then come back to Florida to train with them,” Williamson said. “Dom, the coach at Ottawa, called me and was wondering if I would be interested, and I thought it would be a good opportunity for me, and I was really thankful that I took that opportunity.”
Williamson appeared in every game for the Fury and led the team in minutes. Her stability at the back allowed the Fury to finish tied for second in the league in goals conceded, and earned her All-Central Conference honors, which provided a nice boost before her final season with the Gators.
“For me, it gave me some confidence going into the season,” Williamson said. “I think that it kept me fit and mentally ready to go, so I was really glad that I took that opportunity because it prepared me just going straight into the Florida season.”
Williamson has gone from strength to strength since then, as she led the Portland Thorns in minutes played as a rookie before a trade to the Flash in April this year. Williamson has settled in well with her new teammates and is looking forward to the challenge of helping the Flash make a move in the second half of the season into a playoff position.
“It’s definitely going to be a battle, but starting the second half of our season the majority of our games are going to be at home, which is a great thing for us. Not travelling and playing at our home field should give us a slight advantage, so that will be nice to not have to play the majority of our games away as we did in the first half of the season.”
And although she has moved on from the Fury, Williamson believes that while there is a learning curve for those who get the chance to compete in the NWSL, the opportunity to compete and train that the W-League offers is certainly a means to earn that opportunity for those in the league this summer.
“It definitely is a jump to the NWSL; I don’t think there’s a team where you can say, ‘oh, that’s a weaker team,’ you can’t really take a day off here,” Williamson said, “but I think the more you can train yourself to prepare every game, regardless of who you’re playing against, I think that will help you get to the next level no matter what you’re doing. As long as they’re working hard and are focused on doing what they need to do, they can make it to the next level.”