Scott Nickerson
Elmore Autauga News
Former Marbury soccer player Mackenzie Smith has been named as the Head Coach of the Marbury girls’ soccer team. Smith knows the program well, having served as goalkeeper for six years and assistant coach for two years.
Smith was the captain and goalkeeper for the Marbury girls’ soccer team’s most successful season in school history in 2023, when they advanced to the school’s first ever Final Four.
After high school Smith went on to play collegiately at Southern Union. The Southern Union website shows that in her freshman season; Smith started nine games for the Bison and had 74 saves and two shutouts. As a sophomore, she started 10 games and had another 64 saves with four shutouts.
“Becoming the Head Coach of the Marbury Girls Soccer Program is truly an honor. As a former Marbury soccer player and now the head coach, I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity,” said Smith.
Smith is taking over a program that former Coach Brent Sowell has developed into one of the top Class 5A teams on an annual basis.
“Coach Sowell has done an outstanding job building this program, and I am excited to continue helping these young ladies grow and develop both on and off the field. He has left a lasting impact on Marbury Soccer, and I am truly blessed to build upon the strong foundation he has created. The culture of Marbury Soccer will not change but will continue to grow,” said Smith.
Sowell, who is moving on to become an assistant principal at the high school, believes his former player will do a good job leading the team.
“Coach Mack has been a part of the Marbury soccer program for eight years, six as a player and two as an assistant coach. During that time, she has been a great example of our program’s core values of putting the team before ourselves and progressing in all that we do. She was a solid leader as captain of the team during her time as a player, and upon returning after playing collegiate soccer, she has invested heavily in our players as an assistant coach. She knows where the program started and all the hard work it took to build it into what it is today, and I know that she will continue to push the program forward to be even more successful in the future,” said Sowell.
Watching Smith go from player to coach has been one of the most rewarding moments of Sowell’s career.
“I am extremely proud to have the opportunity to pass the program on to Mackenzie Smith (Coach Mack), because I know how much the program means to her. During her time as a player, the program transformed from a team that would win five or fewer games a season to a program that routinely won double-digit games and made a Final Four appearance. She was a major part of what made the program successful in those years, and more recently, as an assistant coach, she has been instrumental in preparing our teams over the last two seasons. Marbury soccer means a lot to her, and she has invested a great deal of her time making the program better. Coaching her as a player and seeing her transition from assistant coach to head coach of the girls’ team has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my soccer coaching career. I look forward to seeing her coach the next generation of Marbury girls’ soccer players,” said Sowell.
