Jacksonville Native Is Helping Breathe Life Back Into Flagler Men’s Soccer

By Michael Alaimo 

For four years, the six-goal ceiling haunted Flagler College’s leading scorers. Not since Matteo Costa’s 18-goal explosion in 2021 had a Saint hit the seven-goal mark—until Luke Williams stepped onto the pitch this fall. 

A junior from Jacksonville, Fla, Luke Williams, broke that with eight goals of his own this past fall. Williams helped Flagler College reach the third round of the NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer championship and the Saints’ second tournament appearance since 2013. 

“It’s awesome, I’ve been here the whole time and nobody on the team has been able to score more than six goals, so I was happy to be the first to break that,” Williams says. 

Being a walk-on from Jacksonville, Williams says this sport has always been a part of his life and retains a light-hearted approach to the game. 

“Soccer has always been a part of me; it’s who I am as a person, and I just enjoy playing,” he said. “I remember my coaches had to tell me to stop laughing while playing because I was having too much fun.” 

This season, Williams tallied eight goals and six assists in the Peach Belt Conference, with one goal in the NCAA Division II national tournament game against Palm Beach Atlantic. With 15 goals, Williams is tied at ninth for all-time goals for Flagler College. 

Williams stated that last season was the first time his team got into the NCAA Division II tournament, and how this year’s go around is different from last year’s. 

“We had made it the year before, but that was the first time any of us had made it. So, we were kind of just nervous and not knowing what was going on. This year, round two, we were confident and calm, and I was able to score a really good goal against PBA,” he said. 

With William’s senior season approaching in the fall, he has the chance to not only climb up in the stats but to help his team get further into the NCAA Division II Tournament next fall. 

Since his junior year was breaking curses, his senior year will be about leaving a legacy and setting an example for other incoming Flagler College soccer athletes to follow.