Mackenzie Smith is taking on a new responsibility with the Chattanooga Lady Red Wolves this season.
The role — captain — is not unfamiliar to Smith, who had a similar title with the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga soccer program this past season. But obviously, the teams are different.
The Lady Red Wolves missed out on the USL W League playoffs by just one point last year, finishing with 24 points to South Georgia Tormenta FC’s 25. From that Chattanooga team, three of the top six goal scorers are gone, furthering the need for new production this year.
Smith was the team’s second-leading scorer in 2022, and she’s a captain this year along with Jess Shepherd-Jordan. So it was fitting that when the team started slow in its season opener against Tennessee SC on Sunday night, those two would be the combination to get the hosts on track with a goal right before the end of the first half.
The Lady Red Wolves would put two more on the board in a 3-1 win at CHI Memorial Stadium in East Ridge.