BSU Women’s Soccer Gets Commitment From Brainerd’s Ally Smith

BEMIDJI Minn. – Bemidji State University Soccer Head Coach Jim Stone has announced that Brainerd, Minn. native Allyson Smith has signed a National Letter of Intent to play for the BSU soccer program beginning in the fall of 2017. The addition of the forward/attacking midfielder brings the Beavers’ 2017 signing class to eight.

A three-sport star at Brainerd High School, Smith was voted Most Valuable Player for the BHS girls soccer team three times. She was also an All-Central Lakes Conference selection while also receiving all-section and All-State Second Team honors. Smith was voted as the most valuable attacker for the conference champion Warriors. She has competed for the Xolos Academy and head coach Richard Lacerte on the club circuit and contributed to back-to-back USA Cup titles. During her high school career, Smith was also a member of the Brainerd High School track and field team and was an all-conference selection and three-time MVP for the Brainerd/Little Falls Flying Warriors’ girls hockey team.

Stone’s comments on Smith: “We think Allyson Smith is the type of player who is capable of scoring goals and creating assists and also pressuring the ball and defending up top like we would like to do. Our forwards are our first line of defenders and she is a two-way player, so we could not be more excited about adding Ally into our program.”

Personal: Allyson Rae Smith was born November 3, 1998… She is the daughter of Kris and Tommy Smith… A member of the National Honor Society… Plans to major in physical education with a minor in sport psychology at BSU… Her father played football at St. Cloud State University and mother ran track at Concordia College… Her brother Cole is a forward for the University of North Dakota men’s hockey team.

Smith will join Ryin Carreras (Riverside, Calif.), Maggie Hallock (Cottage Grove, Minn.), Izabel Matchan (Excelsior, Minn.), Alanna Mattson (Princeton, Minn.), Emma Mortensen (Apple Valley, Minn.), Isabelle Olson (Hopkins, Minn.) and Emma Riedi (Green Bay, Wis.) who each signed National Letters of Intent to play soccer for the Beavers Feb. 1.

The 2017 signing class is made up of a goaltender, two forwards, four midfielders and a defender.

All signees are contingent upon admission to BSU and compliance with NCAA rules, including certification by the NCAA Eligibility Center.

Bemidji State completed the 2016 campaign with an overall record of 14-5-1, while it finished third in the NSIC standings owning an 11-3-1 mark in league play. Making its eighth consecutive appearance in the NSIC Tournament, BSU posted a 3-1 victory over St. Cloud State University in the first round to advance to the semifinal round for the fourth time in school history before being ousted from the tournament by Minnesota State University, Mankato. At the conclusion of the season, 10 BSU soccer players were named to the Fall Academic All-Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Team; Sarah Stram, Szurek and Raquel Thelen were named to the All-NSIC first team, Catherine Arneson, Bayley Ertl and Miranda Famestad earned a spot on the second team and Rachael Norton collected third team honors, while Stone earned NSIC Coach of the Year honors and Szurek was tabbed as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year; and Stram, Szurek and Thelen garnered 2016 NSCAA/Continental Tire Women’s NCAA Division II All-Central Region Team, while Stram and Szurek were selected to the D2CCA All-Central Region Team.  In addition, Stram earned a College Sports Information Directors of America College Division Academic All-America® First Team selection for her efforts on the field and in the classroom.

Stone and the Beavers will return eight primary starters for 2017 after losing Szurek, Ertl, Stram and Claire White to graduation. BSU returns eight of its top 10 scoring players, led by Thelen, who was third on the team in scoring (20 pts) and tied for a team-best 12 assists, while Norton returns for her junior season after finishing fourth on the team in scoring (19 pts) and was second with eight goals scored.