Dayton, March 9 2014 -- The Dayton Dutch Lions FC has signed forward Yannick Smith. A Hillsborough, N.J. native, Smith was a standout at Old Dominion University in NCAA Division I, before turning professional in Finland’s Second Division with Narpes Kraft.
Smith commented on his choice for DDL FC: "I am extremely excited about joining the Dayton Dutch Lions FC and hope I can get settled and help the team immediately". "I hope we can play an attractive game and also compete in USL PRO. I look forward to getting in and meeting the staff, players, and fans. I cannot wait to get started in Dayton."
Smith was a prolific scorer overseas, registering 13 goals and nine assists in just 23 games during his time in Finland. He had similar success as a four-year starter at ODU, tallying 23 goals and 14 assists. He received a number of awards, including being named NSCAA All-America, All-CAA, VASID Virginia Player of the Year, All-NSCAA All-South Atlantic Region, and a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist.
"We are very excited to bring in Yannick,” Dayton Dutch Lions FC head coach Sid van Druenen said. “He has great speed, good ball control and had a fantastic strike rate when he was in Finland. He brings something different up front which will allow us to switch schemes up front from game to game."
Smith can be found on Twitter @yanaldinho4.