Presbyterian College Director of Athletics Dee Nichols formally introduced the second-ever head coach of the Blue Hose women’s soccer program on December 27, 2023, announcing the hire of South Carolina native Matt Smith.

A former assistant under previous coach Brian Purcell – who retired in October after over three decades as the program’s lone coach – Smith brings a lofty resume with him in his return to Clinton, including a seven-year stint as the head coach at Limestone and stops as an assistant at Big 12 institutions Baylor and Kansas State over the past seven seasons.

“We are supremely excited about Coach Smith returning to Presbyterian College”, Nichols said. “Matt’s profound knowledge of the game – from his assistantship appointment at PC through his experience at other high-level programs – will continue the legacy of Blue Hose women’s soccer that Brian Purcell carved 35 years ago.”

“We expect to see an indelible imprint on the program with Matt leading the way, forming PC into a perennial contender in the Big South Conference.”

Smith still holds the distinction as Limestone’s all-time winningest coach (80-38-10), part of 175 overall victories since starting his coaching career in 2005.

His teams have achieved 14 postseason appearances, three conference tournament championships and a pair of regular season crowns, and while at Baylor, back-to-back trips to the National Quarterfinal round of the NCAA tourney.

Smith was named the 2016 Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year while at Limestone, continuing to gain recognition during his time in Waco as part of the 2018 United Soccer Coaches’ Association Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year.

“It is truly an honor to come back home and be the second head coach of such a proud program”, said Smith. “I’m beyond thankful for Dee and her staff believing in me to lead this program. It is going to take a lot of hard work from my staff and our ladies, but I am confident with the continued support of our administration, support staff, alumni, and loyal fans that we will get there together!”

THE SMITH FILE

Career Head Coaching Record: 80-38-10 (.664, seven seasons)

Career Coaching Record (Head & Assistant): 175-138-37 (.553, 19 seasons)

Assistant Coach/GK Coach, Kansas State: 9-22-6 (.324, two seasons)

Assistant Coach/GK Coach, Baylor: 56-30-15 (.629, five seasons)

Head Coach, Limestone: 80-38-10 (.664, seven seasons)

Assistant Coach, Presbyterian: 30-48-6 (.393, five seasons)

SMITH’S TROPHY CASE

2018 United Soccer Coaches’ Association Midwest Region Coaching Staff of the Year – Baylor

Two-time NCAA Tournament Elite Eight (2017 & 2018) – Baylor

Big 12 Regular Season Championship (2018) – Baylor

Big 12 Tournament Championship (2017) – Baylor

2016 Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year – Limestone

Two-time NCAA Division II Tournament (2015 & 2016) – Limestone

Two-time Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship (2015 & 2016) – Limestone

Conference Carolinas Regular Season Championship (2016) – Limestone

KANSAS STATE (2022-23)

Smith will take the PC mantle after spending the past two campaigns at Kansas State, where he aided the Wildcats to their first-ever Big 12 Tournament berth as a program that was formed in 2016. In Manhattan, he was responsible for working with K-State’s goalkeepers while preparing the team’s defensive game plan.

He directed back-to-back goalies (Alaina Werremeyer and Murphy Sheaff) to the third and fourth-lowest goals-allowed average in program history respectively. During his first go-around with the Wildcats in 2022, the squad conceded just 24 scores while putting together five shutouts (both second-place in the school record book).

Smith’s debut team at KSU accomplished a Wildcat-high 22 scoreless halves, giving up the lowest shot-per-game total in the team’s history (12.5).

BAYLOR (2017-21)

His earlier gig as a goalkeeping assistant for Baylor provided instant success in a tenure that lasted from 2017-21. The Bears wrangled in 35 victories over his first two seasons alone, embarking on consecutive Elite Eight voyages thanks to six combined W’s in the big dance.

Smith mentored Jennifer Wandt to All-Big 12 and All-Region selections as she climbed the Baylor record book, setting a new program-best for wins by a keeper while also establishing a new benchmark for the most single-season and career shutouts of any player to come through the program. Wandt gathered the third-most saves of any Bear all-time, one of 13 all-conference honorees to grace the squad across Smith’s occupation in Waco.

Working under head coach Paul Jobson, a Baylor athlete was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week 10 times while Smith was overseeing that area of the field.

His inaugural year with the Bears (2017) ended with a magical postseason chapter, finishing fifth in the league before going on to dethrone three straight higher seeds on their way to the conference tournament trophy and an automatic entrance to the national field of 64.

Baylor’s newsworthy run featured overtime wins against Texas and TCU, not to mention a 3-0 drubbing over top seed Oklahoma State in the Semi’s. They’d keep the magic intact by gaining NCAA Tournament triumphs over Rice and Southern Cal – the latter coming via PK’s – and authoring an overtime W against Notre Dame in the Sweet Sixteen.

Smith’s Bears channeled that momentum towards a 20-win trek in the 2018 season, defiantly claiming the Big 12 regular season medal and picking up an at-large ticket to the big dance. There, they’d take down Abilene Christian, Vanderbilt, and Virginia to repeat as Elite Eight advancers.

LIMESTONE (2010-16)

Smith received his first head coaching opportunity in Gaffney after getting his feet wet with the Blue Hose, guiding Limestone to unprecedented highs and seven postseason trips in as many years with the program.

Limestone had only mustered four winning seasons in the 20 years prior to Smith’s arrival, where he’d immediately right the ship and bring the Saints 10 victories or better in five different semesters.

Holding a .664 win percentage during his spell as the HC (2010-16), Smith helped Limestone acquire a new program-record for most W’s in a sole year on three separate occasions. This included 34 victories in his final two seasons alone, where he brought the Saints to consecutive Conference Carolinas tournament titles and a regular season championship to boot.

After finishing in second-place four times, Smith’s 2016 club reached never-before-seen highs by composing a 17-match win streak that ended in an 18-2 final mark (statistically the greatest year in LU history).

Running away with the Conference Carolinas regular season and tournament trophies, Smith was tabbed as the league’s Coach of the Year after administering his second-straight automatic bid to the NCAA Division II bracket.

The first of those tickets came in 2015 when the Saints recorded an eight-match string of W’s right out of the gates on their way to a 16-win trek. They’d publish three shutouts in a row in the postseason to reach the school’s first-ever CC tourney prize, punctuated by a championship round triumph over number one seed Belmont Abbey.

Altogether, Smith coached four All-Americans, 38 All-Conference recipients, and 19 All-Southeast Region performers throughout his lucrative tenure in Gaffney.

Limestone won the Conference Carolinas Player of the Year award four times while Smith roamed the sideline, including two Defensive Player of the Year honors.

His squads enjoyed tremendous success in the classroom as well, winning three NSCAA team academic awards. Smith oversaw the first player in school history to be named NSCAA Scholar All-America in his penultimate campaign in the Palmetto State.

PRESBYTERIAN (2005-09)

Matt was an instrumental figure in maneuvering Presbyterian to the Division I stage after spending his first two assistant-coaching seasons affiliated with the South Atlantic Conference. PC wrapped up their final year as a D-II school by taking down second-seeded Tusculum in the Quarterfinal matchup of the SAC Tournament in 2006 (a 1-0 shutout where the Blue Hose racked up 11 saves).

Smith and Purcell closed the program’s first Big South campaign in ’07 with a season-ending three-match winning streak, getting the better of VMI, High Point, and Radford by an added margin of 6-1.

PLAYING CAREER

Before opening the book on what’s already been a tremendous coaching course, Smith played at Nashville-based Trevecca Nazarene University where he was chosen for TransSouth All-Freshman status. He’d spend his final two seasons of eligibility at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee.

PERSONAL

Smith is a native of Columbia, S.C., earning a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of South Carolina in 2009.

He is a member of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), displaying a United Soccer Coaches Advanced National Diploma and Goalkeeping Diploma.

Additionally, Matt has coached with the South Carolina Olympic Development Program and Columbia United Football Club. He holds an NSCAA National and State goalkeeping license.

Smith’s connections to Presbyterian run even deeper than the early days of his own coaching career. He is married to Heather Smith ’94, a PC alumna who played under and later coached alongside Purcell in the mid-90’s.

Heather’s sister, Robyn, was also a former Blue Hose women’s soccer student-athlete who suited up from 1998-2002, part of 36 combined wins over her final three seasons.