Houston Cougars’ coach Ben Williams looks on during the first half of an NCAA college soccer match against the Cincinnati Bearcats, Thursday, Sept.18, 2025 in Houston, Texas. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar
Through eight games, Houston soccer has allowed only two goals, showing that its unbeaten start is about more than just scoring.
“We are not going to get into a shootout with people. That is not sustainable,” coach Ben Williams said. “If we don’t concede goals, then we will probably win games with the chances we create.”
Houston has applied that philosophy effectively, sitting at 6-0-2 while allowing only one goal against Texas on Aug. 24 and another late in a Sept. 18 match against Cincinnati. The Cougars are tied for fifth in the NCAA in shutout percentage, keeping clean sheets in six of their eight games.
Williams laid the groundwork early, dedicating 10 days of preseason entirely to defensive training.
“It’s starting to pay off,” he said.
It is not just the back line driving that defensive success. Players across all positions have committed to a team-wide effort. In fact, those who do not buy into the defensive mindset do not see the field.
“We do not carry anyone defensively. If you do not want to defend, you cannot play, so it is something that is massively important,” Williams said. “I do not care how good you are going forward, if you cannot defend, you cannot play.”
The philosophy of shared defensive responsibility resonates throughout the team.
“A really big non-negotiable we have created on this team is we are all going to defend, and we are all going to do it together,” freshman forward Amaris Bumba said. “If it is not every single person out there at 100 percent, then we are not going to have success.”
That collective commitment has led to a remarkable turnaround. Last season, Houston was outscored 38 to 11 by opponents. This year, the Cougars already hold a 26-2 goal differential.
Turnarounds like this are not new for Williams, who led SFA to 14 wins and the seventh most shutouts in the nation with 13 last season, in the biggest single-season turnaround in Division I.
In 2023, while serving as an assistant coach at UTSA, the Roadrunners set a program record for fewest goals conceded, allowing just 13.
Drenched in Powerade after the Cougars’ 3-1 win over Cincinnati, the first Big 12 opener the Cougars have won, but shutout September finally ended with the team conceding its first goal after four straight clean sheets.
Williams stressed that even a single lapse late in a match could become costly as the Cougars continue in conference play.
For him, the standard is clear: finish every game with the same discipline that built the lead.
sports@thedailycougar.com
