AUSTIN, Texas - California women's soccer fifth-year senior Emily Smith was named to the CoSida Academic All-American Second Team on Friday.
 
Smith earned a spot on the second team for the second straight year after being named an All-American for the 2020-21 season. This is the fifth honor that Smith has earned from CoSida as she has also been named to the All-District team on three occasions; 2019, 2020-21 and earlier this year.
 
"We are thrilled for Emily to again be named an Academic All-American," head coach Neil McGuire said. "She has always been deeply committed to her academic pursuits and to be chosen as one of the nation's finest is richly deserved. She leaves here having been one of Cal's finest to have ever graced our program both on the field and in the classroom."
 
Smith was one of eight Cal players to be named to the CoSida Academic All-District Team. She was joined by Kaylee Nguyen on the first team while Angelina Anderson, Abby Borchers, Sydney Collins, Mia Fontana, Anysa Gray and Paige Metayer all earned spots on the second team.
 
This is the fifth honor of the 2021 offseason for Smith as she was also named to the All-Pac-12 second team, All-Region Second Team, the CoSida Academic All-District First Team and was a semifinalist for the Senior CLASS Award.
 
Smith has been a pillar in Cal's stingy defense over the past five years as she's played in 85 games, starting 84.  This past season, she started all 18 games and led the Bears in minutes. Smith played 1,712 minutes, just three short of playing every minute of the 2021 season. Otherwise, the Los Gatos native guided the Bears defense, which allowed less than a goal per game and recorded seven shutouts.
 
Smith was selected in the 2021 NWSL Draft by Racing Louisville and will join up with them for the 2022 season.