Smith to play lacrosse for BYU

Spencer Smith has played goalie for the Outlaws for the past six years and is thrilled he gets to take his love for the game to the next level. Spencer signed with Brigham Young University and will play goalie for the Cougars next year.

Smith has been excited about lacrosse since he was first introduced to the sport.

"We had a section on lacrosse in PE when I was in sixth grade, and my friends and I just loved it," said Smith. "We were all so excited that we were going to get to play on a team once we got in seventh grade."

Spencer started at attack his seventh-grade year, but was very interested in the goalie position.

"I kept looking at our goalie and thinking to myself that I could play that spot," he said. "Josh Ward and I started messing around with the idea. He had a goal at his house and he'd throw a tennis ball or dog toys and I'd try and keep them out of the goal. I watched YouTube videos on how to play goalie, and after awhile I approached our coach and told him I'd like to try and play goalie."

Smith's coach agreed to give him a try and was excited with what he saw. Smith has been in the cage ever since.

Smith is six-feet-two-inches tall and has a broad wingspan, which is a plus in the goalie spot. Spencer told The Nugget that what he enjoys most is the mental aspect of the position.

"A lot of other positions can be compensated by raw, physical power, but goalie needs the physical aspect for sure, but needs to be mentally present all the time," said Smith. "Other positions you can let body- and muscle-memory do a lot of the heavy lifting.

"It's always a challenge to stay focused and aware enough to react," added Smith. "I really loved the process of getting over the fear of the ball. It's such an instinctive thing to cringe when something is being flung at you. And, it's really satisfying when a shooter thinks he's going to score and I stop him. It's beating the odds."

Smith noted that he's learned much over the last four years from Coach Bill Rexford.

"He (Rexford) taught me a lot about giving myself to something bigger, and how to work hard when you don't want to," said Smith. "He's inspiring to me in a lot of ways: I love how he's stayed so involved with lacrosse his whole adult life, not just as a coach, but as a player. I love that he cares about everyone he coaches."

Smith plans to play lacrosse twice a week this summer at Summit High School and will head to BYU on August 13, and begin conditioning in the fall.