FROM TIM GAYLE
SPECIAL TO THE ELMORE/AUTAUGA NEWS
Mackenzie Smith is accustomed to being a trailblazer on Marbury’s soccer team so the senior goalkeeper wasn’t fazed when Southern Union Community College offered her a scholarship.
The Bison have been playing sports on their Wadley campus for years, but didn’t announce they were starting a men’s and women’s soccer program until three weeks ago. The soccer programs will be playing on the Opelika campus.
“That is really cool, to be a part of that,” Smith said, adding that one of the big reasons she chose to accept the offer from the Bison is “it was pretty close to home and it seemed more like a family, not like a job.”
The six-year starter for the Bulldogs held a signing ceremony at Marbury on Friday, considering several area programs before electing to sign with Southern Union. There may be some rough moments this fall — the school is holding summer tryouts to fill out its roster — but Smith likes the idea on being on the school’s first soccer roster under head coach Mac Matthews, the former longtime coach of the girls’ soccer program at Auburn High.
“I really liked that I was going to able to actually play,” Smith said, “and I liked the relationship I had with the coach.”
The fact her collegiate choice is still trying to find its way in the soccer world didn’t affect her choice. After all, Marbury didn’t make its first trip to the state playoffs until 2016 and by the third postseason trip, in 2018, Smith was a member of the team as a seventh grader.
Now, six years later, the Bulldogs will be making their fifth consecutive playoff trip — there was no playoffs in 2020 — as Marbury (21-2) travels to Elmore County on Monday for the first round of the 5A state playoffs.
“When I started there, there were probably only 15 girls,” Smith said. “Now, we have a full varsity and a full junior varsity team, so that’s cool to see how it’s grown. We’ve accomplished a lot this year.”
Smith and her fellow seniors have never advanced past the first round. She’d like to lead the Bulldogs to their first-ever state tournament appearance this spring.
“In the past, I couldn’t see us going there,” Smith said, “but from the beginning of this year, I knew this team was pretty special and we could make a run for it.”
