The sign of a strong 💪 program is the amount of the alumni who remain active once their playing time has concluded. One can not get more active than former Lady Cavalier and current Carolina University Bruin, Karmen Smith.
Smith and her Bruins teammates finished up their Continental Athletic Conference season in the fall, and a few days ago, she was standing 🧍♀️between Adrienne Harris McGuire and Shania Parnell on the sidelines as Carroll County faced Glenvar.
The official title is volunteer coach, and this effort speaks volumes about both this impressive young lady and the program McGuire is trying to build at Tommy Thompson Field.
Smith played under multiple coaches while roaming the pitch on The Hill, and that list included McGuire for her Senior season. The latest effort shows her love for the sport and for her hometown. Born and raised in Eastern Carroll County, Smith could have easily found a team or program closer to her campus in Winston – Salem, North Carolina.
Carolina University is a private Christian ✝️ school that was founded back in 1945 and is located close enough to home for family and friends to drive down US-52 to take in a match. The fact that college soccer ⚽️ is played in the fall where VHSL soccer takes place in the spring is what allows Smith to work with the current Lady Cavaliers.
Scouting opponents and adding live insight during matches, whenever possible, is just part of the list of ways that Smith contributes to the team. The third factor is that it provides the current young student athletes to have an in-house role model. Another voice that echoes like that of McGuire, one who played the game at the next level and wants the next generation to fall in love with the game that opened doors 🚪 for them.
Of you would like to know more about Karmen Smith and her love for Soccer, here’s the link to her signing day at CCHS
There was a Celebration this afternoon in the Library on The Hill with Karmen Smith as the Guest of Honor!
How far back does Karmen and Soccer ⚽️ go ?
” Karmen was one of my varsity managers when I was the head coach for the Lady Cavaliers. I remember reffing one of her rec games at Woodlawn and watching her take on any player that came into her area. I told myself I was going to talk to her and her parents after the game. I invited them to join our academy team and join our Lady Cavalier family during the week. With some hesitation, she accepted, and the rec player started her journey of travel and becoming one of the best defenders to lace up her cleats for Carroll County!!! I am so proud of the determination and grit she has had to get where she is now. She is like my fourth daughter, and I am so glad her family accepted that invite on that rec field so many years ago. “
Thank you, Marion Harris
First, it was Alyssa Ervin being encouraged by Marion to try Basketball 🏀 and now we find out about Karmen and Soccer ⚽️. Maybe this fella missed his calling as a talent scout !
From Coach McGuire :
Karmen has helped our program so much as a player over the last 4 years and now she is continuing to do it in a new role now as a coach! She has so much knowledge of the game and she has expanded it even more now with her experience of playing college ball.
Even though she has graduated from Carroll, she has not left the program. Every weekend or break that she’s off and she is home, she is with us out on the field at games or practices. We have practically a new defensive line this year, and Karmen has done an amazing job coming back and helping our defense. She is so dedicated to our program that even while she is at college, she is still watching film on other teams and then sending me scouting reports.
Last week, around midnight, she was sending me screen recordings of all the goals Glenvar scored against Auburn to help us get ready for our game against them. Even with her busy schedule being a college student and athlete, she has still found the time to help our program. I love her passion and heart that she has for soccer and for our Carroll County Lady Cavaliers Soccer Program.
It has been awesome watching her grow into the “Coach” role for high school. I am very excited to see what the rest of her college career has in store for her, along with her coaching journey too!
We are very thankful and blessed to have Karmen be a part of our coaching staff!!
A.S.P.N on The Hill 