University of Portland Athletics

Garrett Smith was promoted to associate director of soccer in the fall of 2003, responsible for handling the daily operations of the women’s soccer team after serving 11 years as an assistant to coach Clive Charles. Smith, who also assists the men’s team, has lifted the women’s program to new heights during his five years in the main seat. He has reached the postseason all five years, guiding the Pilots to the 2005 national championship, three NCAA quarterfinals appearances and a trip to the third round of the tourney. He has posted a 96-15-7 (.843) career record as head coach.

The 2007 season was all about overcoming obstacles as numerous key players were lost to injury and two players – Stephanie Lopez and Sophie Schmidt – missed half of the regular season while competing at the World Cup. Smith and the resilient Pilots still rattled off an 18-4-0 record, including 11 straight wins, before falling to No. 1 UCLA on the road in the quarterfinals. He earned National Coach of the Year honors from FieldTurf, his second such honor after claiming the Soccer Times National Coach of the Year award in 2005.

Smith orchestrated a record-breaking 2005 season that resulted in the school’s second NCAA title in four years. Portland finished 23-0-2 and routed UCLA in the title game by a 4-0 margin. The Pilots became just the second school in history to complete an unbeaten season with a title, joining North Carolina. The Pilots also became the third program to win multiple women’s soccer titles along with North Carolina and Notre Dame. Portland became the first program to bring in more than 40,000 fans in one season. Along the way, Smith became a fan favorite for his straight-forward and reserved coaching nature...so reserved that a member of the media compared his sideline coaching style to putting on a “poker face.”

No matter the style, Smith has produced phenomenal results, both as an assistant and as a head coach. After helping Portland claim the school’s first NCAA championship in any sport as an assistant in 2002, Smith took the helm and led the Pilot women to the third round of the NCAA playoffs in 2003, finishing with an 18-3-2 overall record. Impressive as the record was, it was even more remarkable considering the nation’s best player - Christine Sinclair - was forced to redshirt the entire season while competing in the FIFA World Cup for her native Canada. Sinclair returned in 2004, but the Pilots were again shorthanded as three of the team’s top players - Angie Woznuk, Stephanie Lopez and Megan Rapinoe - redshirted while competing with the U.S. Under-19 National Team at the FIFA Youth World Championships. Despite their absence, Smith and the Pilots would claim the fourth 20-win season in program history before falling to eventual national champion Notre Dame in the NCAA quarterfinals. With “all the Pilots home” in 2005, nobody could topple the Pilots.

UP has made its mark as a premier soccer school, but academics also play a strong role in the program. In the last five years, the Smith has coached six Academic All-Americans, including the 2005 Academic All-American of the Year, Christine Sinclair. Sinclair also won the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy for the second consecutive year and won the prestigious Honda-Broderick Cup for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year, which spans all sports at the NCAA Division I level.

Smith and the Pilots coaching staff have continued many of the traditions passed on by Charles, specifically preparing players for the next level. Since 2003, seven former UP men’s players have gone on to professional playing careers and/or national team duty. On the women’s side, three Smith-coached Pilots have played with the senior U.S. National Team - Stephanie Lopez, Angie Woznuk and Megan Rapinoe – and Sophie Schmidt has been a regular with the Canadian National Team. Lopez and Schmidt both were starters at the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Much of Smith’s coaching success mirrors his career achievements as a player. In college, Smith was one of the highest-scoring defenders in University of Portland soccer history with 25 points (7G, 11A). His collegiate soccer career at UP (1986-89) was highlighted by the 1988 team’s fabulous run to the NCAA Final Four coming within one game of the national championship match. The Pilots won their first 21 games of that season before losing 1-0 to eventual champion Indiana in the semifinals. Smith was an All-WCC first team pick in 1989 and was named team MVP in 1986. He was a three-time All-Northwest Collegiate Soccer Conference selection.

Smith began his professional career with the Portland Timbers of the Western Soccer League in 1989. He played one season for the Seattle Storm of the APSL in 1990, before joining the San Diego Soccers of the Major Indoor Soccer League for the 1991 season. Smith concluded his professional career playing for the Portland Pride of the CISL from 1993-95.

Born on December 14, 1967, Smith attended Nathan Hale High School in Seattle, Wash., and competed with the Washington U-19 State Team. Smith and his wife, Christina, have three daughters: Hannah, Nicole and Sydney.

Smith's Record (Women Only)