BEMIDJI -- Not long ago, the Bemidji State women鈥檚 soccer team hadn鈥檛 established its tradition of conference championships and NCAA Tournaments.
But ever since the arrival of Allyson Smith, it鈥檚 more habit than happenstance.
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鈥淚 came in when the program was on the rise, and ever since, we鈥檝e gotten better and better,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淚t shows that, when you love something and put in hard work, you鈥檙e rewarded. And this program is a reward.鈥�
As the Beavers searched for a new crop of recruits, they found Smith already playing in their own backyard. Then a headlining attacker for Brainerd, Smith terrorized Bemidji High 歪歪漫画 whenever she came to town.
It was here, at Chet Anderson Stadium, where Smith first drew the interest of her future coaches. On a sunny Saturday in September 2015, the junior forward had three assists for the Warriors and played herself onto BSU鈥檚 radar.
Half a decade later, she鈥檚 been playing for the Beavers longer than anybody else on the team. She鈥檚 experienced the highs of championship seasons and all-conference awards, and the lows of missing a season due to blood clots in her lungs and another due to the pandemic.
But now -- standing on six years鈥� worth of blue-collar work -- Smith is the common denominator of the program鈥檚 greatest era.
She鈥檚 not done yet -- still awaiting one more postseason run -- but Smith has long cemented her legacy as one of the best and most integral players in Bemidji State history.
鈥淲e鈥檝e gotten over the hump and gone from good to great,鈥� BSU head coach Jim Stone said. 鈥淥bviously there are a couple other mountains to climb here, but Ally鈥檚 been a huge piece of that. She鈥檚 led us in many ways to some of those summit moments.鈥�
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Embracing her true curtain call
This isn鈥檛 the first time that Smith has been in her final season. She was content to hang it up at the end of last year, foregoing an extra year of eligibility offered by a COVID-19 waiver.
She was ready to move on from school, to start her teaching career. But ultimately, Smith said, 鈥渢he decision was easy.鈥�
鈥淗ow can you leave a program like this if you don鈥檛 have to?鈥� she reasoned. 鈥淐ome back, play soccer one more year, be with your best friends, be in a great program. It worked out school-wise. It was actually easy in the end.鈥�
Smith is now a graduate student pursuing a master鈥檚 degree in teaching. In the meantime, she鈥檚 schooled plenty of opponents on the pitch.
She zips around in neon yellow cleats, impossible to miss until you鈥檙e trying to slow her down. She motors around the attacking third and pounces when the moment鈥檚 right.
鈥淪he鈥檚 a great athlete,鈥� Stone said. 鈥淭hat jumps out when you鈥檙e around her, just her first couple steps and the way she can strike a ball. But, really, what sets her apart is her mentality and her work rate. She鈥檚 a pretty positive thinker. She鈥檚 resilient, and she鈥檚 onto the next play. She鈥檚 very coachable. She just has great energy and a great work rate. You couple all those things together, and you get a great player.鈥�
Smith has 32 goals and 29 assists in her Bemidji State career, numbers that respectively rank fifth and tied for first in program history. Fellow forward Sara Wendt has 44 goals of her own, which ranks second all-time, while forward Erin Becker is nearing the top 10 in assists and is the Beavers鈥� primary option for penalty kicks. Wendt and Becker have played in 85 career matches, a program record, and Smith is close behind with 82 appearances.
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Those three veterans will be vital to the attack as BSU enters postseason play.
鈥淭here are quite a few of us older girls who have been here before, and we know what it takes to go play well. And we want to go far this year,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淭his year, I really feel that this is it. This is all I have left. So I鈥檓 going to pour out every single thing I have in me.鈥�
Bemidji State will enter into the NSIC Tournament as the No. 2 seed and host seventh-seeded U-Mary in the quarterfinals at 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 31, at Chet Anderson Stadium.
鈥淎ll of a sudden, you get this second wind,鈥� Stone said of the playoffs. 鈥淵ou get energized. It鈥檚 like new life gets breathed into you. There鈥檚 excitement and enthusiasm, and you hope to harness it.鈥�
For Smith, that means going out with a bang in both the NSIC and NCAA Tournaments. But regardless of how her career ends, it鈥檚 been one well lived in Beaver green and white.
鈥淚鈥檓 very proud of this program and where we鈥檝e taken it,鈥� Smith said. 鈥淚 know, when I leave, it鈥檚 in a good spot. I know the people coming in and (Stone) will continue to make it grow. I鈥檓 excited to see what they can do in the future off of what we鈥檝e built here.鈥�
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