Ben Willis (soccer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Benjamin Willis | ||
| Date of birth | January 1, 1996 | ||
| Place of birth | Federal Way, Washington, United States | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2014–2018 | Gonzaga Bulldogs | 56 | (0) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Lane United | 15 | (0) |
| 2018 | Seattle Sounders FC U-23 | 9 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | Rio Grande Valley FC | 4 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2022–2023 | Ballard FC (assistant) | ||
| 2022– | Puget Sound Loggers (women's assistant/goalkeeping) | ||
| 2024– | Oly Town W League | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of October 26, 2019 | |||
Benjamin Willis (born January 1, 1996) is an American soccer player and coach who is currently the head coach of Oly Town FC's USL W League side and an assistant for the University of Puget Sound Loggers women's team.
Career[edit]
Youth and college[edit]
Willis played four years of college soccer at Gonzaga University between 2014 and 2018, including a red-shirted year in 2014, making 56 appearances.[1]
While at college, Willis appeared for USL Premier Development League side Lane United in 2016 and 2017,[2] and Seattle Sounders FC U-23 in 2018.[3]
Professional[edit]
On February 8, 2019, Willis signed for USL Championship side Rio Grande Valley FC.[4] Willis earned his first career win and shutout against Oklahoma City Energy on October 13. Willis won USL Save of the Week in Week 26 of the USL Championship Season. He finished second in voting for USL Championship Save of the Month in September. He was also a finalist for USL Championship Week 33 Save of the Week.
Coaching[edit]
After retiring from professional soccer, Willis began coaching for Bellevue College in the Northwest Athletic Conference. He began coaching for Ballard FC in the USL League Two in 2022, where he was the goalkeeping coach until 2023.[5] During the college seasons, he is a current assistant coach and goalkeeper coach for the women's soccer team at University of Puget Sound.[6][7]
In January 2024, Willis was named head coach of Oly Town FC's USL W League team.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ "Ben Willis - Men's Soccer". gozags.com. Gonzaga University Athletics. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
- ^ "Lane United FC - 2017 Regular Season - Roster - # - Ben Willis -". uslleaguetwo.com. USL League Two. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
- ^ "Sounders FC U23 - 2018 Regular Season - Roster - #1 - Benjamin Willis - GK". uslleaguetwo.com. USL League Two. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
- ^ "Former Men's Soccer GK Willis Signs Pro Contract". gozags.com. Gonzaga University Athletics. February 8, 2019. Retrieved March 9, 2019.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Technical Staff".
- ^ "2023 Women's Soccer Roster".
- ^ "Puget Sound Loggers bio". LoggerAthletics.com. University of Puget Sound. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ "Oly Town FC Signs New USL W Head Coach Ben Willis". OlyTownFC.com. Oly Town. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
External links[edit]
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- 1996 births
- Living people
- American men's soccer players
- Men's association football goalkeepers
- Gonzaga Bulldogs men's soccer players
- Lane United FC players
- Sportspeople from Federal Way, Washington
- Soccer players from King County, Washington
- Rio Grande Valley FC Toros players
- Seattle Sounders FC U-23 players
- USL Championship players
- USL League Two players
- Association football goalkeeping coaches
- USL League Two coaches
- Puget Sound Loggers
- College women's soccer coaches in the United States
- American soccer coaches
- American soccer goalkeeper stubs