Fresh prince of Bethlehem: Soccer goalie Will Smith asserts himself as key player for Lehigh

After notching back-to-back shutouts last week and garnering two Patriot League Player of the Week awards earlier this season, sophomore goalkeeper Will Smith has established himself as a focal point of the Lehigh men’s soccer team this year.

Smith has been playing soccer ever since he was a kid. At Conestoga High School he helped his team win the Central League and make it to the semifinals.

In 2016, Smith played his first game with Lehigh as he took on the University of Pennsylvania with his teammates. With three saves and zero goals allowed, Smith had set in motion what would become a starting position in every game for the rest of the 2016 season.

“His kicking has greatly improved, and his overall technique continues to get better,” assistant men’s soccer coach Matthew Deming said. “One of the things we really admired about (Smith) is his work ethic, his willingness to grow, his willingness to get better and his willingness to train.”

Smith has gone on to start 13 out of Lehigh’s 14 games in the 2017 season so far and has made a grand total of 43 saves.

“Will (Smith) has improved in all ways,” coach Dean Koski said. “He’s gotten better with his feet, he’s gotten better with his decision making, he’s gotten better with his command of the box, he’s gotten better with shot stopping. Every area of his game has improved. Certainly within his class (Smith) is emerging as a leader.”

Smith won his two Patriot League awards after two standout performances in September while leading the Mountain Hawks to victories over Patriot League opponent Army, 1-0, on Sept. 23 and St. John’s University, 2-1, three days later. Both wins were part of Lehigh’s five-game winning streak.

“It was nice to get some recognition, but overall it was a complete defensive effort,” Smith said. “I wasn’t too focused on myself or anything like that. We played well as a team offensively and defensively — it was a team effort that I was lucky to be a part of.”

When the team took on St. John’s, Smith tallied three saves in the victory, earning himself his second player of the week award.

“He came up with some big saves that he needed to make, and obviously some of those situations were tough,” Deming said. “With St. John’s, he came and claimed.”

Smith said he was not the first to find out he won the award. It was not until his teammates and coaches congratulated him that he found out he won again.

In his last two games, Smith has tallied shutouts against rival Lafayette College and Drexel University, making a total of 12 saves over that span.

Smith looks to finish out the team’s last four games before the Patriot League Tournament with the same momentum that has carried him through the season.