Jay Williams
Wakefield soccer player — senior

If your team is scheduled to play the Wakefield boys soccer team this fall, it is almost a guarantee your coaches will single out seniors Jay Williams (pictured) and Ryan Metts — one of the impressive scoring duos in the Cap-7 Conference. If not, they better. Through Monday, Aug. 31, they have combined for 22 goals this season, 11 apiece. If the Wolverines are to fulfill their playoff aspirations and make a big run this postseason Williams and Metts will do the heavy lifting.

Moments after he scorched East Wake for four goals Aug. 31, Williams spoke with NorthRaleighSports.com about this upcoming conference season, facing Green Hope and setting goals.

Last week, you guys tied Green Hope — ranked in the Top 10 in the state. What did you think of the game?
Williams: Over the last couple of years, we have just gotten killed by them. It was nice to play them close, but we were still disappointed we tied that game because we felt we could have won it. We played pretty good — good as a team.

There are high expectations for Wakefield this year, is it nice to have a lot expected of you?
We have had a lot of success this year, and there are a lot of expectations, so it's great that we are living up to them.
I like playing on teams where the expectations are high. And we expect nothing less [than reaching them].

What are some of the strengths of this team?
Probably running at people, and runs off the ball in the final third.

This year's team seems more aggressive when you guys have an opportunity to score compared to last season. Why is that?
I can't really tell you what the difference is between last year and this year. I think our senior leadership is better this year than last year. And we're playing better all over the field.
I think we came out with more passion this year.

Next week you open up the conference schedule with Sanderon and Millbrook in back-to-back games. What are you thinking about heading into that stretch?
Ahh, I don't know. [sighing] It will be a tough one. We didn't beat Sanderson last year; we beat Millbrook. We still feel like we can come out of there with two wins and start conference 2-0. But they will be two tough games.

What do you think of the conference this year?
It seems winnable. But it's going to be tough. All 22 guys are going to have to put in work every day in practice.

Has this team talked about goals this year?
We've talked about a state championship. I think that is a common one here. Once we make it to the playoffs, we want a state championship.

What are your personal goals this season?
I don't really care about the personal stuff. Just as long as the team keeps winning and we're playing well. But if I could get 20 goals, I mean .... [laughing] that would be good, too.

Williams and the Wolverines visit Panther Creek Friday, Sept. 4, and kick off its conference schedule the following week.