Soccer Profile: Coach Smith

Malden High School soccer coach and English teacher Jeremiah Smith has been passionate about the sports his whole life.

Smith has been coaching high school soccer for 17 years and this is his thirteenth season as a head coach. Smith’s father, who was a high school and college football coach, is his greatest role model and biggest inspiration.

So far, Smith describes the season as “not too bad. [The team] certainly [has] had some ups and downs in the beginning, but we dramatically won against Medford, Melrose, and Peabody to help us to get back in track.” 

Around 24 players have graduated during the last two years, which resulted in a bunch of new players on the team that have to become accustomed to each others skills. Smith mentioned that it is a lot easier when the soccer team has had the same player for a couple of years, but “integrating so many new players onto the team has been a little challenging as kids come from different athletic backgrounds.”

For a team to prosper, it is vital that they put their individual success at a side and work for team goals. Smith believes that “dedication is really important to [their] craft.”

“It depends on the opponent” says Smith. The defensive and offensive team tends to lean more towards using their defensive skills while playing with a strong opponent. They wait for the opportunity, whereas the team is offensive when they find their opponent’s back line weak. According to the Smith, Somerville, Medford, and Everett are to face off against.

Besides soccer, Smith is also interested in wrestling. Being the head coach of the MHS wrestling coach, Smith finds the “absolute difference in coaching soccer and wrestling.” He explained that “soccer is a team oriented sport in which 11 people work together for success, whereas wrestling is the ultimate individual sport.”   

Smith’s favorite part of coaching the boys soccer team is being able to interact with the players. He mentions the bus rides, practices, and games which goes “far beyond wins and losses.”

An unforgettable game for Smith was the one against Medford, which they won in the last few minutes of playing time. 

The team has had a distinguished and exceptional season, and will continue to make history for the boys soccer team here at MHS.

About the Author

Subin Bastola

Contributor

Having been in America for only 15 months, Subin Bastola is a senior at Malden High who took interest in The Blue and Gold considering his passion for writing, adapting new dexterity, and reading the news itself. Bastola’s interests include activities such as playing and watching soccer, reading books, listening to music, and watching movies, like his favorite: Groundhog Day. Bastola was born in and came from Nepal, where as his father lived in America for seven years. Back in Nepal “things are very different” Bastola says. Instead of students moving from class to class like they do at Malden High, they stay seating while the teachers transfer. “Exams are a lot harder,” announces Bastola. They also have no lockers, so carrying eight books around is a hustle. Bastola learned to speak English in Nepal, where he wrote poems and acclimated the ways and fundamentals of writing. With regulations such as restrictions to growing long hair and having a dress code, Bastola has gotten accustomed to the new school system. Although Bastola doesn’t know that many people in the Blue and Gold yet, he is looking forward to integrating and making new friends in his graduating year at Malden High.

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