With a extremely regarded college or university soccer program nearby that had observed her considering the fact that ahead of superior faculty, Addie Smith never ever required to look significantly from residence to determine out where she was headed upcoming.
The McMinn County senior, who was instrumental in the Girl Cherokees’ previous two TSSAA condition event appearances, signed her letter of intent to continue on her education and soccer vocation at Lee College in Cleveland for the duration of a ceremony on Wednesday at McMinn County Superior University.
Smith set ink on the determination to Lee she experienced made early in her senior 12 months, but the Lady Tribe’s captain in the midfield understood that is in which she was headed properly in advance of then. Smith was on the Woman Flames’ radar right before she even started out her accomplished vocation at McMinn, as an eighth grader who experienced assisted Athens City Center Faculty to a few straight SETAC championships, and she had attended numerous of Lee’s camps since.
“Because junior year I’ve been wanting to go there, so I knew which is the place I was meant to be, participating in soccer and finishing out my schooling,” Smith stated. “Soon after participating in my large school soccer job and seeking to end out playing the future four a long time and becoming able to have my loved ones continue to be close and look at me engage in still, that’s exactly where I made my determination, mainly because I required to keep shut to home.”
And Smith joins a program at Lee that is coming off a 19–1 season, which bundled a No. 2 ranking in the NCAA Division II national poll and a Gulf South Conference championship. Due to the fact 2017, the Girl Flames have compiled a 77-18-6 record, won two GSC championships and manufactured four NCAA event appearances.
Signing with a system that has professional that degree of sustained achievements, Smith realizes she will have her function slash out for her if she needs to see the discipline her to start with year – and it is really a problem she welcomes.
“And I am just honored to get to go engage in for a school that is likely to push me to be a improved player,” explained Smith, who intends to big in small business administration. “I am heading to have to work difficult and retain taking part in club soccer and prepare. And this summer season I am likely to have to be coaching and functioning on my abilities and hopefully get some taking part in time my freshman 12 months.”
At Lee, Smith will be adapting to a new position, too, as an outside the house midfielder. The attacking-oriented posture will require what Smith described as “a lot of functioning,” and Smith believes she has a large amount of work to do to excel there.
“I’ve got to get a tiny speedier and a tiny stronger to be ready to engage in in that placement,” Smith stated. “And a large amount of girls who are participating in that position now are a good deal stronger than a lot quicker than me, so I have to perform that up.”
But modifying to a distinct situation is just not a new working experience for Smith, who has also been a critical player for McMinn’s girls’ basketball crew the past 4 many years. It really is some thing she did before the get started of her senior time of soccer.
Smith had played her to start with 3 many years at McMinn at forward, a unsafe section of a 1-2 scoring punch at the opposite wing from Allison Hansford. But with the graduation of All-Condition middle midfielder Sydnee Duncan the year ahead of, Smith realized there was a void to fill, and she would have to fill it for her senior yr.
“I experienced to drop again and perform her posture to keep the group together,” Smith reported. “And I honestly preferred it mainly because I felt like I was keeping the workforce together and becoming a great captain.”
Smith’s efficiency in her new position yielded her the District 5-AAA Midfield Most Important Player award and All-Area 3-AAA honors this period. As a heart mid, Smith put in time operating amongst each defense and offense and was essential in winning and controlling possession all through the Lady Cherokees’ 14-4-1 campaign.
“We shifted up development a tiny little bit, and I feel like we desired her existence in the midfield to help us win balls in the air,” reported McMinn mentor Jordan Jacob. “She’s not worried of going up for a challenge and successful balls. And I felt like we desired somebody there in that area to manage the match. And she has that identity of getting ready to acquire more than a recreation and manage. That’s what I was looking for, and she did a good career with that.”
Smith’s attacking techniques had been even now sharp, also, scoring 10 objectives and dishing 12 helps this 12 months. Her goals this time arrived at especially essential moments, scoring the sport winner in overtime versus Warren County in the Area 3-AAA semifinals and sending in two ambitions that allowed the Woman Tribe to secure regulate in the Class AAA sectional at Oakland.
And now for a different offseason, obtaining somebody who can assert management from the middle mid place will be 1 of McMinn’s key tasks. And Smith, with her flexibility, will go away a void all her possess just after playing these types of a big purpose in four straight district championships and a 27- document towards 5-AAA opponents.
“She’s been a very, quite critical player for us in excess of the previous 4 yrs,” Jacob mentioned. “And she’s done these types of a great work filling in any purpose that we have necessary in excess of the study course of four yrs. She’s located herself in a few distinctive positions at times, but that is just the form of player she is. She’s capable to stage up and perform anywhere the crew requires her the most.
“And possibly no far more obvious than this year, in which she for the most part played out of posture probably to what satisfies her the finest. But she did a terrific position for the staff, and which is what we essential, and definitely it confirmed because she assisted captain this staff to an additional point out tournament visual appearance.”
Ending her higher school vocation on a substantial note, McMinn’s next straight and third over-all condition berth, is something Smith, daughter of Bryan and Tamara Smith, will treasure as she starts off the upcoming chapter at Lee.
“I have in no way been extra happy of myself and my teammates to make it that much,” Smith mentioned. “This calendar year I was hoping to make it to condition to complete out, and we did that, and I could not be much more very pleased of all the girls.”