NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame women’s soccer head coach Nate Norman is pleased to welcome graduate transfer Autumn Smithers to the program. Smithers joins the Irish after spending the last four years at the University of San Francisco.
“We are very excited to add Autumn to our program,” said Norman. “We believe her performance on the field and the person she is will fit perfectly into our program. She is a very skillful and technical player that will fit very well into our possession-based system. She combines that with being a great defender, strong athlete, and a fantastic aerial game. We can’t wait for her to join us next fall.”
Smithers appeared in 56 games with the Dons and made 49 starts on defense. She has started all 20 games in each of the past two seasons.
In 2018, she played the entire game 15 times including all 110 minutes three separate times for the Dons. San Francisco had five shutouts on the season and Smithers played the full contest in three of those games. She tallied four goals on the season, including the game winning goal on senior night in the 92nd minute. Following the season, Smithers was named All-WCC second team, United Soccer Coaches All-West Region second team and WCC All-Academic Team.
In 2017, Smithers returned to the lineup after missing the previous season with an injury. She started all 20 games for the Dons and was second on the team with 1,908 minutes played. She was a key part on the Dons defense that recorded three shutouts, including a 1-0 win over No. 6 California. Smithers was named Honorable Mention All-WCC along with earning WCC All-Academic accolades.
Smithers hails from Modesto, Calif. and will have one year of eligibility with the Irish. She will join returnees Shannon Hendricks, Jenna Winebrenner and Brianna Martinez who all started at least 16 games last season for the Irish.
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