Smith is Soaring
October 21, 2006 11:00 PM | General
October 21, 2006
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The exposure that comes with the No. 4 West Virginia men’s soccer team’s ascension in the national polls this season is nothing new to senior forward Jarrod Smith.
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| Jarrod Smith has helped elevate WVU men's soccer into one of the top teams in the country in 2006.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
Smith is used to people around him being recognized. His father Ian is a popular cricket analyst back home in his native New Zealand.
“He used to play back in the 80s and 90s and now he’s a commentator. He is the face of commentary for New Zealand cricket,” Smith said.
Smith says his father is very well known in countries like New Zealand, Australia and England where people have a passion for cricket. Smith began in athletics playing both cricket and soccer but as high school approached, he came to a crossroads in his athletic career.
“I played a lot of cricket as a kid but I had to quit toward the end of high school. I had to make a decision as to which sport I was going to go with and soccer sort of threw me more opportunities. It was an easy choice,” Smith said.
Once such opportunity was to come to Morgantown and be a part of a recruiting class that has transformed the face of West Virginia’s men’s soccer program. The Mountaineers are ranked in the Top 5 for the first time ever and also secured its first outright regular season Big East title since joining the league in 1995 when Notre Dame knocked off Connecticut Saturday night and the Mountaineers defeated Providence 1-0 earlier in the day.
Smith came to West Virginia chasing a dream.
“The previous coach heard about me and came over to New Zealand and watched me play a game. Then a month later he offered me a scholarship. It was a pretty easy option to come here,” Smith said.
The Havelock North, New Zealand, resident had never seen Morgantown in person.
“I never took a visit. That’s kind of odd I guess,” he said. “Obviously playing in the Big East was a big part of it. It is a strong conference with a lot of exposure so it was an easy choice for me.”
The selling point for Smith was a look into the future of what this West Virginia program could become.
“I knew the program wasn’t that successful but the former coach really talked up the future. We had a lot of good players coming in so I wanted to jump on the boat and try to get us to somewhere similar to where we are now I guess,” Smith said.
| WVU Wins Big East
Title West Virginia's 1-0 victory over Providence combined with Notre Dame's win at Connecticut Saturday night means the Mountaineers are the Big East regular season champions and are the top seed in the upcoming Big East tournament. WVU, ranked No. 4 in the nation, has a 14-1-2 record heading into post-season play. It is the first conference title for WVU in men's soccer and the sport now joins just baseball (1996), women's soccer (2002), and football (1993, 2003, 2004 and 2005) as the only West Virginia teams to have claimed regular season Big East titles. |
With a top NCAA tournament seeding now in sight the possibilities for West Virginia are endless.
“The Big East is the main thing we are focused on right now,” Smith said. “Winning the Big East Championship is something that we seniors would have never dreamed of when we were freshmen. We finished dead last our first year so to come this far in three years is unimaginable.”
Smith, who set the Big East record for goals in a season with 12 during last week’s 2-0 win over Georgetown, says that while the record is nice it pales in comparison to the team’s tremendous run this year.
“It means something, but to be honest what we are doing as a team certainly means a lot more,” he said. “Obviously team success is more important than any numbers on a goal sheet. As long as I keep putting them away and we keep winning that’s what matters the most.”
Putting them away is something Smith has been quite proficient at this season. One thing that has helped him is the ability to get most of his shots on goal.
“It sort of just comes when it comes,” he said. “It is all about being composed and relaxed rather than panicking. It just comes with experience. It just happens; it is not really something you can plan out. It’s not like I am getting a lot more chances but to be honest I am taking them a lot more confidently than I used to.”
That newfound confidence has been helped by his experience playing for the New Zealand national team this summer. Smith’s teams had the opportunity to square off against mighty Brazil.
“It was unbelievable and something I will never forget. Those are guys that I have looked up to since I was a little kid,” Smith said. “They are guys you never dream about playing against. It is definitely something that will add to the way I play now. It does worlds of good for my confidence knowing I played at that level.”
Smith, a professional prospect, is not shy when talking about what the 14-1-2 Mountaineers can accomplish in the postseason.
“Why not go all the way? Even though we lost to Virginia -- one of the hottest teams in the country -- I feel like we played and competed pretty well with them,” Smith said. “I think that is important. We need to know that we can do it. I think we can go all the way if we play the way we know how.”
