Laurel Smith: September's Zueike Female Athlete of the Month
Laurel Smith pushes the ball upfield in their recent match against the Assiniboine Cougars
Congratulations to Laurel Smith of Blazers Women's Soccer and Cross Country on being selected the CMU Zueike Female Athlete of the Month for September. The fourth year soccer athlete has seen her game steadily grow throughout her time with the program, and now leads the pack as Blazers Cross Country finds its footing in the MCAC and CCAA.
Having come to the CMU Soccer program out of a background in rugby, Smith was a quick student of the game, and has seen her impact steadily grow throughout her four years on the team. From her start as a speedy striker, she has transitioned to a defensive role, using her pace to track down opposing attackers and stop them in their tracks.
Smith has started and played in all seven of the matches she has been available for, missing only one match for a Cross Country meet in Minneapolis, having to drive back North of the border to Winnipeg, then to Brandon for a soccer match the following day.
While stats for defenders are hard to quantify, Smith did manage to pot her first goal of the season this past Sunday against the Assiniboine Cougars, directing in a loose ball on a set piece play. The Blazers started the season with a string of strong defensive performances, including four consecutive clean sheet halves, including a 0-0 draw with the second-place St Boniface Rouges.
Blazers Women's Soccer head Coach Jason Moist is fully aware of the impact player that Smith can be, stating "Laurel is the model of consistency, performing at an exceptionally high level every time she steps on the pitch. Her speed, ability to read the game, and relentless tenacity make her incredibly difficult to play against and put her among the very best defenders in the MCAC."
Perhaps Smith's greatest accomplishment this September has been her finish at the St Olaf Invitational Cross Country meet in Northfield, MN. Smith joined the new Blazers program, hoping to be an impact addition to the team throughout September and October, and was the highest-placing finisher of any CMU athletes at the event, as well any MCAC competitors with Providence also sending their newly formed team. Smith finished the 6 kilometre race in 25:53, good for 114th place out of a field of nearly 250 racers, placing her in the top half of competitors that included mostly USports and NCAA student-athletes. Smith managed to outpace five University of Manitoba racers with whom the team travelled down to the competition.
Smith is looking forwards to a busy October, as the soccer team now heads into the final stretch of the season with four games remaining, one against each MCAC opponent, as the team looks to lock down a playoff spot and prepare for an MCAC Championships run, with a berth at the 2026 CCAA Women's Soccer Nationals hosted by Conestoga College in Cambridge, Ontario on the line. On the Cross Country side, the MCAC Championships will be held at Buhler Park on October 17th, with the top team, as well as top three individuals in each gender earning a spot at CCAA Nationals hosted by Concordia University of Edmonton in early November.
