For a ?wee man?, Aaron Williams has played a big role in Saint Francis University?s soccer season, according to his coach.

BJ Craig only took over the role at the University near Pittsburgh in the Spring and so has only had one season to cast his eye over the former Berkeley Institute student.

With just one game left though, Craig believes he has seen enough of the youngster to know that he has the necessary talent.

Though the team, known as the Red Flash, have failed to make the end of season North East Conference tournament, Williams has had arguably his best year on the pitch. He has shown himself to be an integral part of the side, playing in 16 games, scoring four goals and being credited with two assists.

But those statistics do not tell the whole story for the player from Pembroke has also played in a number of different positions and has taken on the role of team leader.

?Coming in as a new coach it was clear that he was one of the leaders on the team, particularly being a senior,? said Craig. ?That is one of his strengths, he has demonstrated leadership towards the younger players and kept the standards of the team up. That has kept us a tight team through the season even when things have maybe not been going the way you would want. He is one that is always very positive and upbeat. He has a lot of energy and enthusiasm for the game.?

The Red Flash roster is threadbare with just 14 players on the books and that has led to a lot being asked of Williams.

?He has been asked to do multiple jobs because our numbers have been low this year,? said Craig. ?He has played in midfield and up front and has done a great job. Another strength is his workrate which is unbelievable for what I call a ?wee man?. He is very small but has a great work engine and a great heart and he will battle with the best of them.?

As for weaknesses, Craig said there were areas that could be worked on.

?A lot depends on where he is going to play in terms of position,? he said. ?If he is going to be a wide player he has to work on getting behind teams in wide areas and getting service into the box because he does serve a good ball.

?He has a lot of pace but he has a tendency to slow down and cut the ball back, allowing defenders to get back. That is one of his weaknesses but he is a very good link player. As a forward he will come off, he combines very well, he will play balls into the seams.

?Could he play at the next level? Yes. But it depends on where he is playing. I think he could continue to develop as a player because of his appetite to compete.?

The Red Flash have one more game left this weekend, against Robert Morris, and Williams will start the match looking to end the season on the high.

?We don?t have a shot of getting into our Conference play-offs, so if we win it will probably help us finish mid-table,? said Craig.

?Overall, I think it?s been a good season. We only have 14 players playing at Division One level and you are playing against teams with 25 to 30 guys. You are asking guys to do a lot and I think in hindsight we are putting players out there that maybe aren?t ready yet.

?A guy like Aaron almost has to work harder to keep the level of the team there. That is kind of what he has done for us. With a team without much depth, he is doing the job of maybe one or two guys to lift the level and keep us going.?