Smith’s patience pays off
Written By: Stephen Gowen
It’s repeated constantly in the world of sports to never give up. It’s pounded in your head over and over from coaches, teammates and parents. Many players shrug it off as just another meaningless piece of coach’s banter, but for Andrew Smith, a defender on the men’s soccer team, this piece of banter was something he held onto and used as motivation during his time here at Old Dominion.
A four-year high school starter out of Brick, New Jersey, Smith was used to being the big fish in the pond and playing in every game.
“I was a four-year starter and played in every game,” Smith said. “I never missed a high school game. We made it to states for the first time in about twenty years during my senior year and it was pretty cool knowing I made a big impact in my school’s history.”
Playing all of those games earned Smith First Team All-Division, All-Conference, All-Shore and All-South honors and caught the eye of the recruiters here at Old Dominion as well as other schools. The decision on where he would play was an easy one.
“Well I’m from the Jersey Shore, so I loved the beach and ODU was really close to the beach and coach Dawson was a great recruiter,” Smith said. “I just fell in love with ODU and I still love it.”
The college playing experience however, would turn out to be much different than that of high school for Smith, who had to make the leap from being a star to waiting for his chance to shine.
“The first few years were tough, as a freshman it’s always tough, you’re 18 playing against 22 year olds and older guys who are more fit than you,” Smith said. “I redshirted my freshman year and didn’t get a lot of playing time my sophomore or junior year. But I had to stay patient and keep working hard.”
That patient and hardworking attitude started to pay off for Smith who ended last season starting for the Monarchs in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. This chance to start and prove himself led to a boost in confidence that he carried into this season.
“I felt like the coaching staff had a lot more trust in me, so coming into this season, I had more trust in myself and was more confident in myself,” Smith said. “I stayed positive and worked harder each day.”
Smith saw the culmination of his hard work and perseverance come to fruition this season for the Monarchs where he has started the last seven games, games that the Monarchs have all won. The news that he would start came as somewhat of a surprise to Smith, but he felt that he was ready.
“I was excited and ready to prove myself. I think they saw me working hard in training and playing well. They thought that I would help the back four a lot and play well on the line.”
Though he is excited to start and feels like he brings a lot to the team, Smith knows it does take a team effort to be successful and knows that his teammates play a huge role in his success
“Victor [Franco] is one of the best keepers I’ve ever played with,” Smith said. “And Oaksie [Ryan Oaks], [Alex] DeJohn, and Tommy [Webb] are such a solid back three and I trust them a hundred percent. I know that if I make a mistake that they’ll have my back and it feels good.”
Smith feels he has made an impact and brings a lot to his team, a sentiment shared by one of his teammates and close friends, Alex DeJohn.
“Drew has stepped up and played well at left back,” Dejohn said. “He brings a lot of veteran experience and has been here for four years. He never lets you down and works really hard.”
With the support of his teammates and coaches, and the level at which his team and him have played, Smith feels like the Monarchs can go far.
“Since the beginning of the season our goal has been to win the CAA, which would give us an automatic bid into the tournament,” Smith said. “I can see us doing that and making it far into the tournament.”
If he keeps the same attitude he has now, and the Monarchs continue to play at the level they’ve played, it won’t be long before those goals are realized.
