Lakeside soccer captain signs with Berry College

Lindsey Williams is one of Lakeside High School girls soccer team's captains. Her job is to keep the team together during warm-ups, keep them motivated during practices and games, and to direct them on the field.

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Panthers coach Nick Edmond believes Williams could eventually play the same role at Berry College, where Williams signed Monday.

"She's been a leader on and off the field," Edmond said. "I wouldn't be surprised later in her Berry College career if she was a captain."

The center midfielder will probably play the same position at Berry, where she will be joined by Evans center midfielder Kim Fischer. Berry wasn't Williams' first choice, but after a Thanksgiving break visit at the insistence of her mother, she was sold.

"I fell in love with it," Williams said. "I talked with the coach and he told me I would have a playing position. I took it."

Williams has also played center midfielder for her club team with the Augusta Arsenal. Her coach, Tom Norton, moved Williams from the back to midfield when she first started playing for him five years ago. The new position proved a natural fit.

"When you're used to playing in the back, you're not used to scoring goals and coming forward," said Norton, who also coaches Fischer. "She had the skills and ability to do it. It was just a matter of changing her mind-set. She became one of our leading scorers over the years."

Norton said Williams is adept at fighting for balls and is strong in the air. Williams said Berry coaches liked her ability to see the field and distribute the ball.

Williams and Fischer have played for the same club team since each was 9. Williams said playing for the same school wasn't a plan. It just worked out that way.

She committed, and Fischer followed suit.

"I think they'll do well together, complement each other well," Norton said. "Both are competitive and physical players."

The club teammates faced each other early in the season, during a match that likely decided the Region 3-AAAA title. Fischer and the Knights won in a shootout.

"They surprised us," Williams said. "It was a good lesson for us as a team and we've learned from it. We've tried to possess more, play as a team and come together."