2003

The Ultimate New Zealand Soccer Website | home

2003

American-Born SWANZ Captain Proud To Be A Kiwi

by Jeremy Ruane

New Zealand's national women's soccer team, the SWANZ, are under new on-field leadership as they play their first internationals since June 2000. While the squad boasts two former team captains in Terry McCahill and Wendi Henderson, there is plenty which distinguishes the new armband-wearer from her peers, not the least of which is her pre-match battle cry - "GO NOO ZEALAND!!"

The heavily accented tones belong to Rebecca Smith, a twenty-one-year-old born-and-bred Southern Californian with a strong sports background, who regards New Zealand as her second home.

"We come back every year at Christmas, and I've been on a couple of tours of the country - I love it. It's an amazing, beautiful country - a country to be proud of - with great people. It's where my family is from, where my roots are. While I was born and raised in the USA, New Zealand is a second home to me, and I'm proud of it".

The family ties extend to the sports fields, with mum Penni having played netball at the University of Canterbury, and an eighteen-year-old cross-country-running sister who is studying at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts.

Add to the mix an uncle, Richard Wilson, the former All Black fullback, and her mum's grandfather, a former New Zealand Army rugby rep ... all of which leads to one question - how did Rebecca end up in a SWANZ shirt?

Then Women's Soccer Association of New Zealand Chief Executive, Lesley Boomer, was alerted to Rebecca's ties by the youngster's family in 1999, and she duly got in touch with Sandy Davie, the current coach of the SWANZ, who was then coaching in the USA. He made a number of enquiries, with positive feedback aplenty resulting, and Davie's predecessor as national coach, Doug Moore, was brought into the picture.

The original plan was for Rebecca to make her SWANZ debut at the 2000 Pacific Cup tournament in Australia. While she was present for all the games, it was in a solely spectatorial capacity, injury denying her the chance to wear the silver fern on that occasion. The SWANZ haven't played any internationals since.

Until now, that is, and the 2003 Oceania Women's World Cup qualifying tournament in Canberra. "We've gelled really nicely", says Smith of the SWANZ squad, as she reflected on their pre-tournament tour of Texas and their subsequent time in what must be one of the world's cleanest and greenest capital cities.

"I'm really excited to see how things have come together", says the Economics Major who graduates in May. "There's a real belief and trust in each other, which began off the field and has spread onto it, as a result of which we're playing with a confidence which reflects our collective desire, belief and passion for the task at hand.

"It stems from the coaching and management staff engineering an environment in which it is very exciting to play, because they are as keen as we are to develop, both as players and as people, on this tour. As a result, we've collectively got that championship mindset. We're not going to back down - we want it ... HUGE!!"

The positive tone of Smith's response is evidence enough of why she has captained teams in water polo, basketball and softball, as well as Duke University's women's soccer team and, now, the SWANZ. And that positivity is something she strives for.

"A team will always have its down times, so every team needs to have a strong person who can find the good midst the indifference. I'm always trying to get the best out of my team-mates - for me, team is all!! As well, I love the game, and I love talking through the game. Plus I've always felt it's important to have a good rapport with coaches".

At which point the opinion held of her by her current mentor, Sandy Davie, is timely.

"Rebecca shows great maturity for her age. She never settles for mediocrity - she's always striving to be better and encourages others to be better as well.

"Image is all, and Rebecca's is outstanding - the need for role models in our sport is all-important, and she is a fine example of such a person for New Zealand women's soccer. The world's her oyster as far as the SWANZ is concerned".

The new SWANZ captain's main concern when her appointment was announced was accepted by her team-mates. "No problems at all", says Davie, a view with which the skipper fully agrees.

"I'm loving the experience of playing for New Zealand, and so far, it's been a lot of fun".

Indeed, her entire soccer career can largely be described in this way. "I started playing in an AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organisation) league when I was five - I played just about every sport going growing up! But soccer stuck, especially after I went to play club sport eight years ago. I like it 'cause there's so much running around, and I had a lot of energy!!"

She still has, but after starting as a striker - "'cause I was fast!" - she dropped back to central midfield, and played a lot there. "I'm naturally a director on the field", says the former Chadwick Academy High School pupil, "and as you see everything from the back, that's where I'm at now. But I've played pretty much everywhere on the field, including a stint in goal in a game when I was fifteen - we were down to nine players!!" she chuckles.

The influence of Rebecca's parents on her career cannot be underestimated. "They have never pushed me nor forced me to do anything, but they've always been very supportive, and always there". Indeed, they are in Canberra cheering on their daughter in this tournament.

"Coaches-wise, I tended to end up with the "fun" coaches early on, but in club soccer, Brian Boswell, my coach at a club called Fram, who is now my coach at Southern California Ajax, has been a big influence".

But not the biggest, however. That honour goes to one of the legends of US women's soccer, the woman admired most by Rebecca. "Carla Overbeck played centre-back for Team USA, and was the captain for a long time. That's one of the key qualities of a phenomenal player - having the consistency of performance to demand selection over a lengthy period.

"Carla was a phenomenal player, and, as I found out at Duke, a phenomenal person, too. When she was appointed Assistant Coach of the 'Blue Devils' (the Duke team's nickname), it was a dream come true for me".

There's another dream Smith is keen to realise, and she's only a matter of days away from doing so. "China. No question!" exclaims the skipper of the SWANZ quest to qualify for the 2003 Women's World Cup Finals in September.

"And beyond that, there are the Olympic qualifiers early next year in Rarotonga. Everybody's dream is to play at the World Cup Finals, but not only to qualify, but be competitive and do well. Ditto the Olympics - that's another dream I'd love to realise".

Meantime, after this qualifying series, more mundane matters beckon. "At this stage, I'll be playing for Ajax in the American summer, but if an opportunity arises to play elsewhere, I'll happily travel. And depending on how the soccer goes, I'd like to work for a couple of years then go to law school. Ultimately, I want to get into business off the field.

"On it, though, be it coaching, being a role model for kids, increasing their - and my - knowledge of the game and learning from it, I'm keen to do whatever I can to add to the game in New Zealand".

Playing for her country is part of that equation. And make no mistake, Rebecca Smith cannot hide her pride in representing her country, a degree of pride best summed up in her pre-match war-cry ... "GO NOO ZEALAND!!"

Rebecca whips in a cross v. Papua New Guinea in Canberra

Rebecca Smith