New HC Girls Soccer Coach Eager to Get Started

Michael Smith traveled to Milwaukee earlier this week to pursue his United States Soccer Federation National C coaching license (he already holds a National D license).

Smith, named Hinsdale Central’s new girls head soccer coach Monday, is obtaining his National C license to make himself a better coach and to set an example for the program he’ll now lead.

“One great things I love about Hinsdale Central is that the student-athletes love to be challenged,” said Smith, who was an assistant coach with the girls varsity last year. “If I want my players to perform at a high level, then I want to demand more out of myself.”

Smith succeeds Skip Begley, who resigned after last season. Begley, whose 2009 Red Devils won the Class 3A state championship with a 20-3-2 record, served as coach for 15 years.

“It’s a great honor,” Smith said of becoming head coach.

Begley will continue coaching the freshman girls team this fall. He’ll retire from teaching and coaching after the upcoming 2011-12 school year.  

Smith said he’s grateful that he had the opportunity to coach under Begley last season as well as serve as an assistant to boys head coach Mike Wiggins for two seasons. Both are coaching role models, he said.

“I’ve had two great mentors who have allowed me to watch the day-to-day work and the great responsibility that goes into being a head coach,” Smith said.

“It’s a special school and there are high expectations athletically and academically. I want to continue in that excellence. Skip and Mike demonstrated what it looks like, and I want to carry [on] that tradition.”

The old sports cliché that states there’s no “I” in team is one Smith swears by. He plans to instill a team-first mentality throughout every level of the program.

“I want a group of girls from freshman to the varsity level that want to play for each other,” he said. “I want girls to have an aspect of unity. We will defend together and we will attack together at every single level. If we use that as our foundation, all the other goals will come.”

Smith said he will be a stickler for detail on the field, as well. He mentioned that he’s going to continue strengthening the program by installing a training environment—first at the varsity level, then to the lower levels—which “will extend onto the field.”

“One thing that we’ll do is turn it up a little bit with our training environment and expect more from our student-athletes as far as focus and attention to detail,” he said.

“Doing it right and doing it consistently so it transfers onto the game field. We’ll have a more consistent feel to training sessions and how the training sessions look.”

Smith also wants to promote program-wide communication between players, coaches and parents “to develop confidence in each other so that on and off the field there is that bond.”

“That galvanizes the program,” he said.

Smith is beginning his sixth year at Hinsdale Central. He joined the school’s English department in fall 2006. Prior to coaching at Hinsdale Central, Smith was a coach with the Eclipse Select Soccer Club and spent two years as the girls’ varsity head coach at East Peoria High School, where he also taught.

He takes over a team that finished 11-12-2 this past spring.

The 2012 Red Devils have a nucleus that includes senior outside fullback Lauren Shroyer, whose U17 club team won a national championship this summer; juniors Jen Jarmey (striker) and Casey May (central midfielder) plus sophomore center-back Meghan Schick, who started as a freshman.

“We’ll have a good group of girls returning, without a doubt, so that’s a positive,” Smith said. “At same time, we’ll be younger so I have to be aware that mistakes will be made.

“Our core group is eager; quite a few girls went to summer camp and a majority are playing with their club teams. They’re excited about a new direction and the possibilities that will come from that. It will be exciting, new adventure for all of us and one where we’ll go in it together and enjoy those exciting moments.”