Good Sports: Fresno native and U.S. women's national soccer player Lynn Williams sits down with ABC30

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Thousands of girls dream of becoming a professional soccer player and that dream came true for one Fresno native.

Lynn Williams is competing for a spot on the U.S. women's national team for the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

"Knowing right now that I'm one of the best 20 in the country. I don't think about this day to day, but if I take a step back, I'm like, holy crap Lynn how did you get here?" she tells Action News.

That story began on the fields in the Central Valley.

At Baird Middle School, Lynn began to stand out amongst her peers, while at Bullard High School, she led her team to a CMAC and Central Section Division 1 title.

She set the school record in scoring with 117 career goals. But Pepperdine was the only school that took a chance on her.

"I had to write a bunch of emails and bug them, and bug them," she says.

After college, Williams was drafted sixth overall by the Western New York Flash. But that season ended with a knee surgery, one of eight surgeries in her young career.

"I definitely doubted myself in those moments - 'Is this something that I really want? Is soccer worth putting my body through all this?'"

The following year turned out to be her breakout campaign. Williams won the league's scoring title and an MVP.

Two weeks after winning a championship for the Flash, she made her debut for the USA women's national team.

"When I got the phone call I called my mom right away and started crying," she says.

The 26-year-old has appeared in 23 games for Team USA and has scored 8 goals to date.

"Every single game, when you play the national anthem, you put your hand over your heart. I put my hand on our logo, but there is something different about putting your hand on the crest. You're doing things not just for you and the team, but for the nation," she says.

Her dream of making the Olympic roster is in reach.

"It would mean the world to me, it would mean the world to my family to know that me being far away wasn't for nothing. They want to see me reach my dreams," she says.