Olivia Smith (soccer)

Olivia Smith
Personal information
Full name Olivia Smith[1]
Date of birth (2004-08-05) August 5, 2004 (age 19)
Place of birth North York, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Sporting CP
Number 15
Youth career
Whitby SC
Oshawa Kicks SC
Ajax SC
Markham FC
North Toronto SC
NDC Ontario
North Toronto SC
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022 Penn State Nittany Lions 16 (1)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022 North Toronto Nitros 11 (18)
2023– Sporting CP 14 (9)
International career‡
2018 Canada U15 4 (1)
2022– Canada U20 18 (20)
2019– Canada 8 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of March 24, 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of March 6, 2024

Olivia Smith (born August 5, 2004) is a Canadian professional soccer player who plays as a midfielder for Portuguese club Sporting CP in the Campeonato Nacional Feminino and the Canada national team.

Early life[edit]

Smith was born in North York, Ontario, but grew up in Whitby. She first played house league with the Whitby Soccer Club, before playing at the competitive level with Oshawa Kicks SC, Ajax SC, Markham FC and then North Toronto SC.[2][3] Afterwards, she joined the Ontario Regional Excel (REX) program (later renamed to the NDC Ontario),[4] before returning to North Toronto SC to train in advance of her move to college, where she committed to join the Florida State Seminoles.[5]

College career[edit]

Initially committed to attend Florida State University, she instead decided to attend Penn State University, where she played for the women's soccer team.[6][7] She made her debut on September 18, coming on as a second-half substitute against the Indiana Hoosiers.[8] She scored her first collegiate goal on September 25 against the Illinois Fighting Illini.[9] After one season, she elected to forgo her remaining eligibility to sign a professional contract.[10][11]

Club career[edit]

In 2022, she played for the North Toronto Nitros in League1 Ontario.[12] She made her debut on May 7 against Alliance United.[12] In her next match on May 14, she scored her first goal against Simcoe County Rovers FC.[13] She scored a brace on May 18 against Electric City FC.[14] She scored four goals in a 6–1 victory over BVB IA Waterloo on June 18.[15] After the season, she was named Young Player of the Season, Forward of the Year, and won the Golden Boot after leading the league in scoring with 18 goals, while only appearing in 11 games.[16] She was also named a league First Team All-Star and U18 All-Star in 2022.[17][18]

In July 2023, Smith signed her first professional contract and joined Portuguese club Sporting CP in the Campeonato Nacional Feminino on a three-year deal.[19][20] In her league debut, she scored and added an assist for the club.[21][22]

International career[edit]

In 2017, she made her debut in the Canada Soccer program, when she attended a youth camp at age 12.[3] She made her international debut for the Canadian U15 team at the 2018 CONCACAF Girls' Under-15 Championship.[23]

In late October 2019, she was called up to the Canada women's national soccer team for the first time.[24] On November 7, 2019, she became the youngest player ever to debut for the senior national team at the 15 years and 94 days old, when she replaced Jordyn Huitema in the 86th minute of a match against Brazil in the Women's International Tournament played in Chongqing, China, breaking the previous record set by Kara Lang.[2][25] In the same tournament, Smith got her second international cap in a match against New Zealand.[26] Following the appearance, she then attended a camp with the Canada U17 team.[27][28]

She was named the 2019 Canadian Youth International Player of the Year.[29][30] In 2022, she was named to the Canada U20 team for the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.[31] In April 2023, she scored a pair of hat tricks during the 2023 CONCACAF Women's U-20 Championship qualification tournament against Martinique and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.[32]

After being a late addition to the Canadian pre-tournament camp for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, Smith was named to the final squad. At age 18, she was its youngest member.[33][34] Smith made her World Cup debut in Canada's final group stage match, as a substitute against Australia.[35][36]

Smith began 2024 being named to the Canadian squad for the 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup, while citing that her "biggest goal" for the year was to make the smaller eighteen-person team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[37] She scored her first senior international goal in Canada's opening game of the Gold Cup, a 6–0 rout of El Salvador.[38] Smith was then given her first start at the senior level in the second group game, against Paraguay, and scored her second goal of the tournament.[39] She missed the quarter-final against Costa Rica while in concussion protocol.[40] Smith played thirty minutes of extra time in the semi-final versus the United States, which ultimately saw Canada ousted in the penalty shootout.[41] She received the Young Player Award at the conclusion of the tournament.[42] The Gold Cup was called Smith's "true breakout on the international stage."[41]

Personal life[edit]

Smith is of Jamaican, Chilean and Peruvian descent.[2] In 2023, she joined the League1 Ontario Women's Football Subcommittee.[43][44]

Career statistics[edit]

Club[edit]

As of match played March 31, 2024.[45]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
North Toronto Nitros 2022[12] League1 Ontario 11 18 — — — 11 18
Sporting CP 2023–24 Campeonato Nacional Feminino 14 9 3 1 4 1 1 0 22 11
Career total 25 27 3 1 4 1 1 0 33 29

International goals[edit]

No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. February 22, 2024 Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, United States  El Salvador 6–0 6–0 2024 CONCACAF W Gold Cup
2. February 25, 2024  Paraguay 2–0 4–0

Honours[edit]

Individual

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Squad List, FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Costa Rica 2022: Canada (CAN)" (PDF). FIFA. 3 August 2022. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Fanfair, Ron (December 18, 2019). "Olivia Smith makes history as Canada's senior team youngest soccer player". RonFanfair. Archived from the original on July 27, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Olivia Smith at the Canadian Soccer Association
  4. ^ Reid, Brady (February 13, 2021). "Exclusive: 16-year-old standout Olivia Smith a prototype for the future of Canadian soccer". Waking The Red. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  5. ^ "Olivia Smith". North Toronto Nitros. Archived from the original on 2022-03-08. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  6. ^ "Penn State signs three women's soccer transfers from Texas Tech, USC, Florida State". Soccerwire. June 1, 2022. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  7. ^ "Olivia Smith Penn State profile". Penn State Nittany Lions. Archived from the original on 2022-09-23. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
  8. ^ "No. 8 Women's Soccer Draws with Indiana". Penn State Nittany Lions. September 18, 2022. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  9. ^ Woloson, Sam (September 25, 2022). "Penn State women's soccer flexes depth, young talent in decimation of Illinois on Sunday". The Daily Collegian. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  10. ^ Rhodes, Benedict (June 8, 2023). "'The time is right now': Olivia Smith set to sign professional contract with top European club". Canadian Premier League. Archived from the original on June 8, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  11. ^ Hendry, Glenn (June 9, 2023). "European pro career awaits Whitby soccer star". inDurham. Archived from the original on June 10, 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c "Olivia Smith 2022 L1O Stats". League1 Ontario. Archived from the original on 2022-05-02. Retrieved 2022-05-08.
  13. ^ Mota-Pyette, Christian (May 16, 2022). "Barrie Sports: Weekend Recap May 16". Barrie Uncovered. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  14. ^ Bui, David Tuan (May 19, 2022). "Electric City Football Club Women's Team Fall to North Toronto Nitros, 3-1". PTBO Canada. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  15. ^ Bates, Matt (21 June 2022). "L1O Weekly Rewind". League1 Ontario. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  16. ^ "Julia Benati and Olivia Smith highly commended as Women's Premier Division 2022 awards are confirmed". League1 Ontario. November 15, 2022. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  17. ^ "Simcoe skipper Cloey Uddenberg at the heart of the 2022 Women's Premier Division All-Star team". League1 Ontario. November 17, 2022. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  18. ^ "2022 Women's Premier Division U18 All-Star team littered with CANWNT potential". League1 Ontario. November 18, 2022. Archived from the original on November 18, 2022. Retrieved November 19, 2022.
  19. ^ "Olivia Smith reforça Sporting até 2026" [Olivia Smith reinforces Sporting until 2026]. Record (in Portuguese). July 21, 2023. Archived from the original on July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  20. ^ Nightingale, Tom (July 21, 2023). "Teenage Canada talent Olivia Smith signs first pro deal with Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon". Canadian Soccer Daily. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  21. ^ Callaghan, Joe (September 24, 2023). "'A little bit fearless:' Why the Canadian women's soccer team needs Olivia Smith now more than ever". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  22. ^ Nightingale, Tom (January 11, 2024). "Teenage CanWNT talent Olivia Smith quietly having superb debut season for Sporting Lisbon". Canadian Soccer Daily. Archived from the original on January 13, 2024. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  23. ^ Davidson, Neil (November 28, 2019). "Whitby's Olivia Smith 'special' force for Canadian U-17 soccer team". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  24. ^ Davidson, Neil (October 30, 2019). "15-year-old Olivia Smith could become youngest to play for Canada's women's soccer team". CBC Sports. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  25. ^ Johnson, Meaghen (June 9, 2021). "Smith sets sights on becoming mainstay for CWNT". TSN. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  26. ^ "15-year-old Olivia Smith makes history as youngest to play for Canadian women's soccer team". CBC. November 7, 2019. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2019.
  27. ^ "Soccer starlet Olivia Smith to lead Canada's U-17 team after senior debut". The Hamilton Spectator. November 28, 2019.
  28. ^ Davidson, Neil (November 28, 2019). "Soccer starlet Olivia Smith back with her peers after Canada senior team debut". The Globe & Mail. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  29. ^ "Jayden Nelson and Olivia Smith named Canada Soccer's Youth International Players of the Year". Canadian Soccer Association. December 10, 2019. Archived from the original on March 5, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  30. ^ Kelly, Tim (December 12, 2019). "Whitby's Olivia Smith, 15, chosen as Canadian Youth International female soccer player of the year". Whitby This Week. Archived from the original on December 14, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  31. ^ Hayes, Jacob (July 30, 2022). "Incoming Penn State women's soccer freshman Olivia Smith secures spot on Canadian U-20 World Cup team". Daily Collegian. Archived from the original on September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  32. ^ Hendry, Glenn (April 17, 2023). "Whitby's Olivia Smith scores six in pair of CONCACAF U-20 soccer qualifiers". inDurham. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  33. ^ Davidson, Neil (July 9, 2023). "Canadian roster revealed for upcoming Women's World Cup". CBC Sports. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  34. ^ Lopopolo, Anthony (July 9, 2023). "Canada's WWC squad: Desiree Scott ruled out, Olivia Smith, 18, called up". The Score. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  35. ^ Davidson, Neil (July 31, 2023). "Canada left searching for answers in wake of early exit from Women's World Cup". Globe & Mail. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  36. ^ Ristic, Raine (August 1, 2023). "3 KEY TAKEAWAYS from Canada's performances at 2023 World Cup". OneSoccer. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  37. ^ Johnson, Meaghen (February 21, 2024). "Confidence key as Smith finds her game in Portugal". TSN. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  38. ^ "Canada's women's soccer team blows out El Salvador in Gold Cup opener". CBC Sports. February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  39. ^ "Adriana Leon scores hat trick as Canada blanks Paraguay to remain unbeaten at W Gold Cup". CBC Sports. February 25, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  40. ^ "Evelyne Viens nets extra-time winner as Canada squeaks past Costa Rica to reach W Gold Cup semis". CBC Sports. March 2, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  41. ^ a b Rhodes, Benedict (March 7, 2024). "Five CanWNT players whose stock rose at the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup". Canadian Premier League. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  42. ^ "Canada's Olivia Smith named CONCACAF W Gold Cup Young Player of the Tournament". Canadian Soccer Daily. March 11, 2024.
  43. ^ ""So many areas that we can grow" – Chelsea Spencer introduces the L1O Women's Football Subcommittee members". League1 Ontario. July 6, 2023. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
  44. ^ "Former L1O players Smith and Gilles are heading to the Women's World Cup". League1 Ontario. July 11, 2023. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  45. ^ "Olivia Smith Profile".
  46. ^ "Shaw Naeher lead honors at W Gold Cup". CONCACAF.com. March 11, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2024.

External links[edit]

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