Penn State women's soccer head coach Erica Dambach announced the addition of Drew Williams to the program's staff on July 23, 2026, naming him as an assistant coach to complete the program’s coaching staff.
Williams arrived in Happy Valley after establishing himself as one of the rising young coaches in the collegiate and amateur women's game. He served as Lead Opposition Analyst at Eastern Kentucky, where he played an instrumental role in one of the most successful seasons in program history. Williams produced comprehensive scouting reports, analyzed advanced performance metrics, designed match-specific attacking and defensive set-piece strategies and helped guide the Colonels to program records in goals, assists and points while earning the highest national ranking in school history at No. 32. His work also contributed to six All-Conference selections during the 2025 campaign.
In addition to his collegiate experience, Williams has served as Head Coach of the Spokane Shadow WPSL First Team since 2022 while also leading the club's CPL Second Team. Under his leadership, Spokane captured the 2024 Northwest Conference Championship and advanced to the WPSL National Quarterfinals before following with a Sweet 16 appearance in 2025. Williams was recognized as the WPSL Northwest Conference Coach of the Year in both 2024 and 2025 while coaching 14 All-Conference selections, five All-Region honorees, multiple Players of the Year and numerous athletes who advanced into the professional ranks.
Williams has also played a significant role in the growth of Spokane Shadow's youth platform, serving as General Manager, College Advisor and Head Coach of the club's U17 GA squad. In that role, he oversaw club operations while directing college recruiting initiatives for more than 200 student-athletes. On the field, Williams guided the U17 side to an undefeated 16-0 conference record, a Pacific Northwest Conference championship, a national ranking of No. 4 and a berth in the GA Champions Cup Quarterfinals during the 2026 season.
Concurrently with his most recent roles, Williams spent six seasons at Whitworth University as Recruiting Director, Assistant Coach and Goalkeeper Coach. During his tenure with the Pirates, he helped recruit and develop the program's all-time leader in goals and total points while coaching 23 All-Northwest Conference student-athletes. Williams also led recruiting operations, assisted with tactical planning and opposition analysis, directed goalkeeper development and implemented individualized player development plans that elevated the program's competitive success.
A native of Spokane, Washington, Williams earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in Athletic Coaching from Whitworth University. Throughout his coaching career, he has developed expertise in tactical analysis, player recruitment, performance data, opposition scouting and goalkeeper development while utilizing industry-leading analytical platforms including Wyscout, Hudl, Spideo, InStat and Catapult technologies.