Scott Smith named women's soccer coach at Illinois College
JACKSONVILLE, Ill. – Illinois College Director of Athletics Mike Snyder has announced the hiring of Scott Smith as the head coach of the women's soccer program. Smith comes to The Hilltop following a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Aurora University.
"I would like to welcome Scott to the Illinois College family," said Snyder. "Scott exudes the knowledge and passion needed to elevate our program to a championship level. His background within the successful women's soccer program at Aurora makes him a great fit for our department. He understands the meaning of the Division III environment and I am confident he will run a program that promotes success for his student-athletes both on the field as well as in the classroom. Under his leadership, I look forward to the continued future success of the women's soccer program."
Smith is familiar with Jacksonville going back to his collegiate playing days. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from MacMurray College in 2004 and later added a Master's Degree from Northern Arizona University in 2007.
His coaching career began with stints at Corona del Sol HS in Tempe, Ariz. and later with Mesquite HS in Gilbert, Ariz. before he moved up to the collegiate level. From 2009 to 2011, he was an assistant at Chandler Gilbert Community College in Chandler, Ariz., where he helped both the men's and women's programs achieve national rankings in each of his three seasons on the staff. In 2012 he made the move to the Division I level, working as a women's assistant coach at New Mexico State University for one season.
For each of the past two years, Smith has been an assistant coach at Aurora University. His coaching and training helped the Spartans to consecutive Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference titles and berths in the NCAA Division III women's soccer tournament. This past season, Aurora reached the Sweet 16 and ended with a No. 14 national ranking. In his two years as an assistant, AU posted a record of 37-6-2.
"I am extremely excited for the opportunity to build upon the success and tradition of the Lady Blues soccer program at Illinois College," Smith said. "I would like to thank Mike Snyder and the selection committee for this opportunity. I am looking forward to the challenges and rewards that will come as our program works hard to be successful. In addition, I would like to thank the coaches, players, and administration at Aurora University for their continued support over the last two years and encouraging me in my pursuit of this opportunity. I am eager to be a part of the IC family and get to work with some tremendous student athletes."
Smith will begin work at Illinois College on May 1. The Lady Blues will open their 2015 campaign on Sept. 1 with a home match against Webster University.
