February 12, 2018
There are a lot of great personal stories from the members of the Rochester Lancers, but one of great perseverance has been goalkeeper William Banahene. The Brighton native attended 4 colleges in 4 years, before settling down at Buffalo State, where he was the starting goalkeeper for 2 years, leading the team to an 18-10-3 record.
After getting cut by the Lancers' predecessors, the Rochester River Dogz in 2016, and starting the 2017 season as the back up, he took his opportunity to shine when being named the starting goalkeeper in the 2nd game of the season. He went on to concede only 2 goals in his 1st 7 starts, on his way to being named 4th Team All-NPSL in 2017. For his efforts, the Lancers nominated William Banahene to the 2018 National Premier Soccer League Player Showcase.
The Showcase, which is in it's 4th year, was held between January 13-15, 2018 at Austin-Tindall Park in Kissimmee, Florida. It featured players from the league’s four regions: Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. The event was exclusive to registered NPSL players from the 2017 season, and gives players countless opportunities to be seen by professional coaches, scouts, and agents.
I had a chance to sit down with William to discuss the 2018 NPSL Showcase, growing up in Rochester, playing for the Lancers, the River Dogz Open Cup run, his thoughts on the 2018 season, what he thinks of the future of USA soccer and much more.