Freshman Picks Right Time To Step Up

Richard Smith was right. As he was preparing for the final game of the men’s soccer regular season, something popped into his head.

“I was actually thinking before this game that I’d [score] a goal,” he said.

It was certainly a bold prediction by someone who hadn’t registered a point during his entire rookie season, but the defenseman made good on his call.

Smith’s goal in the 68th minute against Penn on Sunday was all the Crimson needed, as it went on to win, 1-0, to clinch sole possession of the Ivy League title.

“It felt absolutely fantastic,” an ebullient Smith said after the game.

Sunday was Senior Day at Ohiri Field, the final home game for the quintet of Desmond Mitchell, Adam Rousmaniere, Kwaku Nyamekye, and co-captains Andre Akpan and Brian Grimm. For much of the season, the focus had been on that group, which has provided over half the points for the Crimson this season. They were collectively honored before the game after having led Harvard to 50 wins, three NCAA tournament appearances, and a 2006 Ivy League title over their careers. But while the focus was, as always, on the seniors before the match, it was a freshman who stole the spotlight.

“Richard is a constant threat in the box, and finally, it actually paid dividends,” Harvard coach Jamie Clark said. “We could have scored three, and he was central to all of them. He’s a constant danger in the attacking half.”

Though it wasn’t flashy, Smith’s goal—the first of his collegiate career—is something he’ll never forget.

“It wasn’t the prettiest goal,” he said. “It was a cross from the left wing, and it basically bounced high in front of me. I couldn’t get my foot under it, so I drew my body towards it, and [basically] kneed it in.”

In the season of the seniors, the goal made the rookie stand out—something to which Smith is already accustomed. Compared to other Harvard freshmen, at 6’6, he’s taller; at 20 years of age, he’s older; and as an Englishman, he’s more foreign. But on Sunday, Smith stood out in another way as well. Unlike most of the 1,600 other members of his class, he was an athletic hero.

For Smith, who is from Durham, England, it had been an up-and-down season. He had been banned from playing the first six games of his rookie season because the NCAA deemed him “partially professional” due to time spent playing on an English club. After the frustration of having to sit out the start of his season, Smith saw playing time in each of the remaining 11 games, starting eight.

“I’ve learned an awful lot, a lot more about teamwork and camaraderie,” Smith said of his season. “Especially in this environment where you’re away in college, you value your teammates a lot more, because they’re not just your teammates but also your friends. I think that’s probably one of the most fundamental reasons for our success, the fact that we’re teammates both on and off the field.”

In return, his teammates couldn’t speak more highly of him.

“Once he came back after the six games, he’s really helped us,” fellow freshman Brian Rogers said. “He’s really calm on the ball, has a great soccer IQ, he’s a physical presence—he’s huge—and his partnership with [sophomore defender Baba] Omosegbon has been one of our biggest strengths.”

In England, Smith had played soccer at an extremely competitive level for most of his life. He was Framwellgate team captain from 2000-05 and helped lead his Sunderland youth team to a Premier Youth League Championship in 2006-07. Smith was also team captain for a Durham Gilesgate Sixth Form Centre that won a County League Cup from 2007-08, and a member of Durham City AFC, which won the Chairman’s Cup championships in 2008-09—all before arriving in Cambridge.

Despite this impressive resume, there was no guarantee of such a smooth transition for Smith. But the rookie has thoroughly enjoyed the new challenge of playing college soccer in the US.

“The standards are actually really [high] here,” he said. “The style is a little bit different, but soccer’s a universal sport, so the transition wasn’t too hard for me.”

Being two years older than most members of the freshman class might have made others in his shoes feel uncomfortable, but Smith sees his age as a benefit.

“I feel it probably is a little advantage,” he said. “I feel I’m probably a little more mature...I spent two years out of education, and I realized how important education is to me this year, so I probably take things a little more seriously than others.”

“But I still like to have fun,” he added with a laugh.

As Harvard looks towards this year’s tournament and beyond, it’s the freshmen who will be forced to play an even bigger role.

“I think it’s going to be obviously difficult after this senior class graduates, but I think so far this year [the freshman class has] proved that guys can step up,” Rogers said. “And there are guys that haven’t even gotten to play as much this year that, given the opportunity next year, are going to step up and have great seasons.”

One of those to step up next season could very well be Smith, but for now, the defenseman is enjoying the Ivy title and looking forward to the NCAA tournament.

“I’m pretty confident,” he said. “We’re ranked top 10 in the country, this win gives us extra confidence...I’m sure we can go quite far in the tournament.”

And Smith feeling confident is certainly a good thing. He’s already been right once before.