After winning three Ivy League titles in the last four years, Dartmouth men's soccer players are receiving recognition from outside of the Ancient Eight boundaries. Two weeks after forward Craig Henderson '09 was asked to represent New Zealand at the U-20 level, Oliver "Ollie" Harker-Smith '05 signed a professional contract with the New Hampshire Phantoms.
The former Big Green captain was, until recently, recovering from a serious knee injury that he had received while playing for the Phantoms' reserve team during the spring of 2005. Harker-Smith tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), medial collateral ligament (MCL) and lateral meniscus and had to undergo major surgery.
After his recovery, Harker-Smith decided to sign a two-year professional contract with the Phantoms. The 23-year-old English national will leave his job as a full-time trader at Capital Advisors Group in Newton, Mass. in the hope that his new contract will boost his soccer career.
"Personally I'm just enjoying the chance to get out there and continue my playing career," Harker-Smith said. "It's been a long tough road since my injury in May, but the support I've had from my friends, family and the soccer office at Dartmouth has been tremendous."
He said that the long and difficult rehabilitation he underwent has paid off. "I'm definitely hoping to make an impact this season, I still don't feel back to 100 percent fitness but its getting there, and I've been amazed at how well the knee feels," he said.
Former teammate Lucas Richardson '07 is confident that if Harker-Smith stays healthy, he has the talent to thrive at the next level. "Ollie has everything a central defender needs to be successful; a great tactical and positional sense of the game, he is dominant in the air winning headers, wins every tackle he goes into and can cover loads of ground with his athletic ability."
At Dartmouth, Harker-Smith enjoyed a successful collegiate career. He had a fairly moderate start and struggled to replace seasoned player Mike Vidmar '03 in his center-back position. In his second season, when he played mostly alongside Vidmar, Harker-Smith was able to gain experience that helped him blossom into his role as a team leader during his third season. Harker-Smith was one of only three players to start all 17 games in 2003 and scored his first collegiate goal on Oct. 5 against Princeton.
Harker-Smith's last minute header brought the game into overtime but the overtime defeat overshadowed the joy of his performance. At the end of the 2003 season, Harker-Smith was voted the team's most valuable player and also earned Second Team All-Ivy Honors and NSCAA Second Team All-New England recognition.
Harker-Smith's last season at Dartmouth proved to be his best. He started 14 games and was instrumental in the Big Green's conquest of the Ivy League. At the end of the season, Harker-Smith was a unanimous choice for First Team All-Ivy and was again honored with a Second Team NSCAA All-New England selection.
Harker-Smith's influence, however, extended beyond the titles and letters of recognition. His guidance was crucial for the development of Richardson, a center-back who led the team to its second consecutive title in 2005 and in turn earned himself First Team All-Ivy recognition.
Harker-Smith's new club, the New Hampshire Phantoms, plays in the United Soccer League (USL) Second Division. The USL, in its 20-plus years of existence, combines professional teams from North America in two divisions.
Second division teams do not get promoted to the USL First Division but players often move between clubs and divisions. The freedom allows players an opportunity to make the jump to Major League Soccer.
"I just would like to wish him luck and I think it's great that he has stuck with a dream like this despite the knee injury, which happened at a time in his career that would have caused a lot of players to give up the game," Richardson said.
The Phantoms will start their season on April 29 with a match against the Long Island Rough Riders in Uniondale, N.Y.
