Wooster, OH – Senior Ryan Smith (Roanoke, TX/Keller) has started 52 games at Heidelberg University. Prior to this season, Smith hadn’t scored a goal. He didn’t even record a shot.
It wasn’t his fault.
It’s hard to score a goal for your team when you’re the goalkeeper.
Until the start of this season, Smith was solely a goalkeeper -- a very good goalkeeper. He was first team All-OAC in 2010, when Heidelberg won the conference title.
On Saturday, starting as a midfielder, Smith scored his first two collegiate goals, en route to a 2-1 win over the College of Wooster.
Head coach Dr. Brian Haley needed to jump start his team’s offensive attack, so he turned to Smith in the preseason.
“Ryan brings a true understanding of the game to the midfield,” said Haley. “He is a tireless worker, and today, it showed. He lead the line and brought others into the game.”
Smith recorded his first goal early, in the fourth minute. He intercepted the goalkeeper’s clearance and took a shot at the open net. He collected his second goal of the contest in the second half, when sophomore Nico Samaniego (Huron) served up an assist to the midfielder.
In the 62nd minute, the Scots cut Heidelberg’s 2-0 lead in half with a goal off of a deflection. Wooster (1-2) could not find an equalizer, and the Berg prevailed.
"The boys worked hard and fully deserved the win," said Haley.
In net, sophomore goalkeeper Matthew Stevens (South Lyon, MI) stopped six shots for the Student Princes to pick up his first win of the season.
The Heidelberg men (1-3) will return to action on September 12, 2012 when they travel to Granville to take on the Big Red of Denison University.