Following a five-year stint as a head coach, Gene Smith enters his second season as an assistant coach with Cal U in 2011.
In his first year with the program, Smith helped coach the Vulcans to an 18-1-4 record with a second-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In 2010, Cal U also advanced to the title game of the PSAC Tournament for the first time in program history. The Vulcans featured the highest scoring offense in the league behind the play of PSAC Freshman of the Year Bethany Smyda.
Smith previously served five seasons as the head women’s soccer coach at Plymouth State, a NCAA Division III program in Plymouth, N.H. While with the Panthers, he guided the program to 30-46-10 overall record (.407) with four-straight appearances in the Little East Conference Tournament (2005-08).
In his second year at Plymouth State, Smith guided the program to a three-win improvement before finishing with an 8-9 record in 2007. During his tenure, he coached two-time, all-conference forward Lauren Lavery, who finished her career among the Panthers’ all-time leaders in goals, assists and points.
A native of Connecticut, Smith finished his playing career as a two-year starter at NCAA Division III Norwich (Vt.) after originally playing at Xavier. He has also competed and coached for several premier teams in his home state. Smith also enjoyed success in semi-professional and professional settings with various teams in the United Soccer League (USL) and abroad.
In addition to his collegiate experience, he served as the Director of Coaching for the New Hampshire Classics and was the head coach of the under-17 Olympic Development Program (ODP) team. Under Smith’s direction, the team advanced to the regional finals in back-to-back seasons – a first for New Hampshire Soccer. He also served with the US Youth Soccer ODP in Connecticut and Vermont.
Smith currently holds a “B” license from the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). He earned his undergraduate degree from Norwich in 1998 before completing a master’s degree from Northeastern (Mass.) in 2009.
