OLLU Women's Soccer's New Era Under Lee Williams Begins This Week
SAN ANTONIO (Aug. 13, 2024) – The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) women's soccer team is ushering in a new era with the appointment of Lee Williams as Head Coach this summer. Williams, a former graduate assistant for the soccer teams at OLLU, brings with him a master's degree from OLLU and an illustrious soccer coaching career. His return is marked by a strong dedication to the program and a fervent passion for the success of the women's team, inspiring a new wave of enthusiasm.
Williams joins one of the university's most successful teams, which has a rich history of achievements. This includes two tournament runners-up, four tournament semifinalists, one quarterfinal and an impressive five tournament championships and six regular-season titles. In 17 seasons, the women have missed the postseason just twice. This successful history sets a high standard for the upcoming season and gives everyone a reason to be excited and optimistic.
The squad will vie for its seventh Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) regular-season title when the team's 17th season begins with a scrimmage against alumnni on Aug. 17.
2023 season overview
The 2023 season had Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) winning the regular season with an 11-2 conference record and 13-6 overall. They were followed by Texas A&M University – Texarkana (TAMUT) (10-2-1/16-3-1), LSU-Shreveport (LSUS) (9-1-3/13-4-3), LSU-Alexandria (LSUA) (10-3/16-6), Texas A&M University – San Antonio (AM-SA) (7-2-4/8-3-4), Louisiana Christian University (LCU) (8-3-2/10-5-2), OLLU (8-3-2/9-5-2), the University of the Southwest (USW) (5-6-2/7-8-3), the University of Houston-Victoria (UHV) (4-6-3/6-7-5), Jarvis Christian University (JCU) (3-9-1/3-11-2), North American University (NAU) (3-10/5-11), Huston-Tillotson University (HTU) (3-10/3-13), Paul Quinn College (PQC) (1-12/2-15) and Texas College (TC) (0-13/0-14). LSUA ended up capturing the postseason title after defeating LSUS 1-0.
Schedule overview (Numbers after school indicate all-time records.)
The Saints will welcome alumni on Aug. 17 for a scrimmage at 1 p.m. and then visit NCAA D2 St. Mary's University (3-5-3) on the 19th. They will host NCAA D3 Schreiner University (8-0-1) on Aug. 23, followed by a match at NCAA D3 Texas Lutheran University (7-2) on Aug. 26 in Seguin.
They will travel to Oklahoma City University (4-4-1) on Aug. 29 and Chickasha, Okla., to play the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (1-3-2) on Aug. 31. After two more nonconference matches vs. NCAA D2 University of Texas Permian Basin on Sept. 5 and at Schreiner University on Sept. 9, the Saints will begin their conference schedule. They will travel to Louisiana for a match against LSUS (8-4-3) on Sept. 19, followed by a game at TAMUT (6-3-1) on Sept. 21. The women return home to host TC (15-0) on Sept. 26 and JCU (9-0-1) on Sept. 28.
OLLU will travel to New Mexico to play USW (30-3) on Oct. 3 and to Dallas to play PQC (9-0) on Oct. 5. They return to host AM-SA (1-0-2) on Oct. 12 before hitting the road again against XULA (0-1) on Oct. 17 and NAU (1-0) on Oct. 19. The Saints will host LSUA (9-2-1) on Oct. 24 and LCU (2-2-1) on Oct. 26 before heading out to UHV (14-1-2) on Oct. 31. The team will play their last game of the season at home against HTU (13-3) on Nov. 2.
The RRAC postseason runs from Nov. 8-9 at campus sites, and the semifinals will take place Nov. 14-16 at Morgan Field in Texarkana, Texas.
Senior class
The Saints will be led by eight seniors this season, including standouts Haven Ortiz, Lyndee Rheinberger, Samantha Valadez and Ez Valles, who returns as a graduate student. Other seniors include London Suarez, Dusty Van Huss, Sara Nishiyama and Olivia Olivarez.
Other returners
Standout juniors include Sara Garza, Savanna Serna, Bethany Garr, Vivianna Gutierrez and Emerson Weiler, as well as Kaitlyn Olivas and Gabrielle Pace.
Sophomores returning are Elizabeth Gregurek, Sofia Davila, Leah Tapia, Allison Kostoch, Odet Mota, Mia Saenz and Anisia Serrano.
Newcomers
Newcomers include graduate student Emily Wissel-Littmann, juniors Shante Chacon and Julia Moreira, sophomores Eleonora Diversi and Chasity Valdez and freshmen Elena Alarcon, Angela Garcia, Katherine Delgadillo, Isabella Maldonado-Esparza, Mariana Medrano-Sanchez, Sadie Rios, Kayla Martinez and Leanne Garza.
Academics
In academics once again, the Saints have demonstrated their commitment to excellence, earning their 10th NAIA Scholar-Team Award. Of the 34 members of the team, 30 achieved GPAs of 3.0 and above. Nine achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA, 13 earned 3.50-3.99 GPAs, and eight had GPAs of 3.0-3.49. This academic success is a testament to the team's dedication and hard work.
Live-streaming and fan experience
The Saints' home matches will be live streamed on the OLLU Saints Network. Fans can expect a great atmosphere, with a video scoreboard featuring player introductions, goal-scoring celebrations and more.
Hear from Head Coach Lee Williams as he discusses the 2024 season.