Winthrop University Women's Soccer

Smith, the 2011 Big South Womens Soccer Coach of the Year, is entering his fourth season as head coach of the Winthrop Womens Soccer program. He came to the Lady Eagles in 2010 after spending the previous 16 seasons at the helm of the mens soccer team at Big South member Radford, where he earned Big South Coach of the Year honors twice and is the schools all-time leaders in victories. In his second season at Winthrop, Smith led a Lady Eagle squad that notched the second-most wins in school history with 12 and set a new program mark for eight conference wins in a season, and captured the programs second straight Big South Co-Regular Season Championship. It is also the third overall in school history. Winthrops offense ranked 24th nationally in scoring offense at 2.25 goals per game, while Krystyna Freda ranked nationally in numerous offensive categories. She finished the 2011 season 22nd in points per game (1.75), 10th in goals per game (0.8), 14th in total goals (16), 28th in total points (35.0) and eighth in game-winning goals (8). Courtney Durbin was 59th in the nation in points per game (1.4) and 58th in goals per game (0.55). Sarah Schippers finished 88th nationally in save percentage (.809) and 30th in total saves (106). The Lady Eagles offense broke nearly every school record throughout the 2011 campaign as they were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Big South Conference Tournament. They set new season records for points (121), points per game (6.05), goals (45), goals per game (2.25), assists per game (1.55), shots (301), shots per game (15.05), and tied for first in assists (2011). Smith made an impact during his first season at Winthrop after the Lady Eagles finished the regular season in a tie for first place with a 6-2-1 conference mark and received the top seed for the Big South Conference Tournament. Winthrop also tied a school record for having the most players earn a conference postseason honor as six Winthrop athletes were recognized. The Lady Eagles set a school record in 2010 by shutting out an opponent in five straight matches, and also tied a school mark set in 2006 for most consecutive victories with five. Durbins eight goals last year were the most by a Winthrop player since Chelsea White netted the same total during the 2007 season. She finished tied for fourth in the conference last season in goals. We are very pleased to have Spencer Smith as our womens soccer coach, said athletic director Tom Hickman at Smiths introductory press conference on Feb. 9, 2010. He has proven over 21 years of coaching that he can produce winning programs and championship-level teams in mens soccer, and we believe he can bring that same success to the Winthrop womens program. He has a history of developing players on the field as demonstrated by the number of All-Conference performers he produced at Radford, and he has a strong record of producing successful student-athletes in the classroom as well. During his 16 season with the Highlanders, the program made two NCAA College Cup appearances as well as one Big South Conference Regular Season Championship and two runner-up finishes. He compiled a 136-139-30 (.495) record at Radford to rank him fourth on the Big South Conference all-time coaching list and third among active coaches. His 56 Big South victories are fourth-most on the all-time coaching list. Under Smiths guidance, Ian Spooner was honored as the Big South Player of the Year in 1994 and 1995, while Troy Washington took home the award in 1998. Both Spooner and Washington were named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Region teams during those seasons. Sacha Drouin (1996), T.J. Rolfing (2002) and Omar Zinoveev (2004-05) were also named to NSCAA All-Region teams under Smith. Since 1994, 30 of his players have been recognized on the Big South postseason all-conference teams. Not only have Smiths players been successful on the soccer field, they have also excelled in the classroom. Patrick Colas was the recipient of the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in 2005 and was a two-time College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-American. Colas also earned Big South Mens Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. Two more of Smiths players, Mike Ginsburg in 1997-98 and Scott Hance in 2000, earned Mens Soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year accolades. Justin Zimmer was awarded Academic All-District in 2008. Rolfing was a CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American in 2002. During the past several seasons, his teams academic success has been recognized throughout the national. In 2008, the Highlanders were honored by the NSCAA for the second-straight seasons as one of its Team Academic Award winners, an honor given to a program with a team grade-point average of 3.0 or better. Radford was one of just two teams in the Big South, one of 35 NCAA Division I schools and one of 106 four-year colleges across the country to receive the distinction that season. The Highlanders were also awarded with the distinction in 2007. The Lady Eagles program was also recognized academically in Smiths first season receiving its first-ever NSCAA Team Academic Award by posting a cumulative grade-point average of 3.25. Smith has 23 years of college coaching under his belt, which also include two years at Lincoln Memorial University and three years at North Carolina Wesleyan. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Lincoln Memorial in Harrogate, TN. After serving as the assistant coaching for one season, he took over the program in 1989 and led the Railsplitters to 14 wins which included an 8-8-3 mark during the 1990 season. Smith was at the helm of the NC Wesleyan program for three seasons, posting 20 wins for the Battlin Bishops. Smith could reach a career milestone in 2012 as he needs just 11 wins to eclipse the 200 win coaching plateu. He currently holds a career coaching record of 189-207-47. A 1987 graduate of the University of Tennessee, Smith was a four-year starter for the Volunteers, and a captain as a junior and senior. Smith also earned Most Valuable Player honors in 1986. Following college, his professional career took him to Sheffield, England and included training with Sheffield United F.C., as well as time with Stannington Village F.C. A native of Baltimore, MD, Smith was head coach of the Virginia Olympic Development Program U-18 team from 1994-98. He was also the chairman of the NSCAA South Atlantic Regional Rankings Committee and a member of the NCAA Regional Selection Committee. Smith and his wife, Julie, are the parents of three children Alyssa, Landon and Merric. Smith's Career Coaching Record