CALIFORNIA (July 9) – The California University of Pennsylvania women's soccer program announced on Friday the hiring of Gene Smith as assistant coach for the 2010 season. Smith fills the vacancy created when Emedin Sabic accepted the assistant-coach position with the men's soccer program.

“Gene is a fantastic addition to our coaching staff. His vast experience as a player and a coach will be a welcome asset to our team,” said fourth-year head coach Al Alvine. “As a coach who has trained and developed players at every conceivable level, Gene will be someone that will positively impact every facet of our program.”

Smith previously served the last five seasons as the head women's soccer coach at Plymouth State, a NCAA Division III program in Plymouth, N.H. While with the Panthers, he guided the programs to 30-46-10 overall record (.407) with four-straight appearances in the Little East Conference Tournament (2005-08).

“To say that I am thrilled to be a part of the women's soccer program at Cal U would be an understatement,” said Smith. “I definitely have a very strong desire to work with Coach Alvine and this team. This is a very exciting opportunity for me to lend my experiences and talent to a great university and work with a great coach.”

In his second year at Plymouth State, Smith guided the program to a three-win improvement before finishing with an 8-9 record in 2007. During his tenure, he coached two-time, all-conference forward Lauren Lavery, who finished her career among the Panthers' all-time leaders in goals, assists and points.

A native of Connecticut, Smith finished his playing career as a two-year starter at NCAA Division III Norwich (Vt.) after originally playing at Xavier. He has also competed and coached for several premier teams in his home state. Smith also enjoyed success in semi-professional and professional settings with various teams in the United Soccer League (USL) and abroad.

In addition to his collegiate experience, he served as the Director of Coaching for the New Hampshire Classics and was the head coach of the U-17 Olympic Development team. Under Smith's direction, the team advanced to the regional finals in back-to-back seasons – a first for New Hampshire Soccer. He also served with the US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Programs in Connecticut and Vermont.

Smith joins a program that finished has won a combined 31 games after managing only four victories in 2007. Last year, the Vulcans appeared in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tournament.