ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Following a four-year stint as a starting center back and central midfielder for the Elmira College men's soccer team, Rodney Smith '19 has signed a pro contract to play for Swedish-based football club Grythyttan IF.
 
Smith's journey to play professionally began with a brief stint with the Baltimore Kings Pro Soccer Club, where he linked up with former Soaring Eagle, Brian Lowe '16, who was already established on the squad. The short, but fruitful, stay with the Baltimore Kings opened the door for Smith to catch the eye of the general manager of Grythyttan IF, who acquired film of Smith playing and decided to give the 6-foot 5-inch talisman an opportunity to play professionally for the Swedish club.
 
"I wanted to play professionally after college but I didn't think it would happen this fast," said Smith. "I'm lost for words still. I still can't wrap my head around it. I give it all to God though, because this is all I've wanted to do since I was a little kid and now that I've put pen to paper, it's still crazy to me that it's happening. "
 
Smith joins a Grythyttan IF squad that seems to be on an upward trajectory and his addition to the team will only strengthen the club. On October 6, 2018, Grythyttan IF defeated FC Assyriska by a slim 2-1 margin to earn promotion to the third division of Sweden's eight-tiered division of professional soccer. Smith, along with Grythyttan IF, will compete in the Division 3 Västra Svealand.
 
"I am extremely happy for Rodney and his family," stated Elmira College head men's soccer coach Kevin Brenner. "Rodney is a tremendous talent as well as a tireless worker. He is a great example for our young players and is someone each EC player should strive to be like: a great person, teammate, leader, quality student and a dedicated hard-working soccer player."
 
On Tuesday, July 23, Smith tipped his cap to the U.S. and boarded a flight to Sweden. Although Smith has an admittedly petite Swedish vocabulary, he is planning on letting his game speak for itself.
 
"With Grythyttan IF being new to Division 3, I just want to help them not concede as many goals and try to bring something to the table," said Smith. "I really want to establish myself and make some connections. I'll be there for four months, so I'll try my best to make a name for myself in a short amount of time there. I think that's what I did when I arrived to Elmira so it will be a similar situation but in a completely different environment, country and people I haven't met yet, but we'll see where that takes me."  
 
Smith, a native of Parkville, Maryland, laced up his boots for the Soaring Eagles 64 times over the past four years, which includes 61 starts and a total of 5,291 minutes played. Although he was primarily a defender for Elmira, he still managed to get into the flow of the offense, as he amassed eight points on three goals and two assists during his EC career. Additionally, in 2015 he was named the EC Booster Club Player of the Year for men's soccer and in 2017 he was selected by the league's coaches as an Empire 8 Conference Honorable Mention selection.
 
"My time at Elmira made me grow as a person more than anything," added Smith. "Coach Moore really helped me establish myself my freshman year and then when Coach Brenner came in my third year, he really just made my friends and I grow as people. We really learned a lot about ourselves and each other."
 
Smith continued, "I'm just thankful for Elmira giving me the opportunity to play. If it wasn't for the last four years of my life, I really don't think I would have had this opportunity and the chance to connect with Coach Brenner, Coach Incho, and all my friends that I've played during that time."