Francis Marion soccer pair earn 1st-team All-PBC honors

By Michael G. Hawkins

FLORENCE, S.C. – Francis Marion University sophomore forward Alex Blandin and senior defender Adrian Williams have been named to the Peach Belt Conference 2011 Men’s Soccer All-Conference Team. Both were selected to the 13-member first team.

Blandin, a native of Shreveport, La., was a second-team pick in 2010 as a freshman. He started all 18 matches this past season, and led the Patriots with nine goals scored, including four match-winners, and 19 points. Twenty-six of his 50 shots were on frame.

In the PBC, he ranks tied for first in match-winning goals, tied for fourth in goals, third in shots, tied for seventh in points, first in shots-on-goal in PBC-only matches with 13, and tied for second in goals in PBC-only matches with four. Nationally, he ranks 47th in goals, 65th in goals per match, and 85th in total points.
He owns 14 career goals in 36 matches, including six match-winning scores.

Williams, a native of Ajax, Ontario, Canada, played every minute this season and helped anchor a Patriot defense that posted three shutouts. He was named the PBC Defensive Player of the Week for Oct. 10-16 after helping blank 21st-ranked University of Montevallo 2-0.

He tied for fourth on the team in shots with 15.

A four-year starter, he scored three career goals in 68 appearances. He played a key role in 2009 for a defense that ranked 25th nationally in goals against average with eight shutouts and was a member of the 2008 squad that won the PBC regular-season and tournament titles and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Francis Marion finished the 2011 campaign with a 4-13-1 record. Four of the team’s defeats were by one goal.

Blandin is a former All-State and All-District performer at Caddo Magnet High School, while Williams is a product of Ajax High School.