Senior-to-be Sienna Smith dominates the soccer field with both her talent and work ethic. After recovering fully from a tough knee injury that knocked out her whole sophomore year, the Penn Kingsmen standout had an outstanding junior season, playing in 21 games with three goals and three assists.
As Smith approaches her final year in the program this fall, she plans to lead by example.
“I think it is important for me as a senior going into next year to lead by my actions and my work ethic, not only vocal leadership,” Smith said. “Looking back to when I was an underclassman, I remember feeling as though sometimes when the upperclassmen tried to push us very hard, it felt a bit hypocritical because of the fact I felt they weren’t doing it themselves.”
Smith’s leadership path has been challenging. The summer before her sophomore year, Smith injured both of her knees.
“My recovery was incredibly hard and painful,” Smith said. “I had to kind of re-learn how to walk, due to the way that I got the surgery …. It took a very long time to heal, and I experienced a lot of setbacks afterwards, with swelling and lots of pain after trying to get back into soccer.”
Smith said that even though it was a hard journey, now that she is back to playing, she is mentally tougher than ever before.
During the offseason, Smith has been putting in work to get where she wants to be this upcoming year. She has been going to Speed and Agility opportunities before school, as well as making sure to run and improve her endurance on her own in the gym. She is committed to putting in the extra work on top of going to her travel team’s practices. Although club soccer is not a huge commitment with only two practices a week, she said, “it helps me with motivation. It teaches me to get up and move my body, and keeps me in shape, as well as helping with foot skills.”
With only eight seniors, the Penn Girls Soccer Class of 2027 is much smaller than the previous group. In the fall of 2025, there were 13 talented players who led the team to the regional finals. After a heart-breaking loss against Crown Point, it is now the class of 2027’s turn to fill the shoes of the graduating seniors.
“This is an outstanding group of student-athletes who already lead by being great teammates, outstanding students, and high-character role models,” Penn Girls Soccer head coach Jeff Hart said. “My expectations for them to continue on this path are high.”
That path will include Smith at the forefront.
Smith not only stands out because of her character, but also her skill.
“On the field, Sienna is a threat to score at any time,” Hart said. “She combines great speed with athleticism and a nose for the goal, and can move comfortably among the different positions up front for us.”
Hart emphasized Smith’s motivation and talent.
“Those are the traits of a leader, and we will lean on Sienna to continue leading our program that way,” Hart said.
Smith truly embodies what the PGS program will need in the fall of 2026, and can be a great leader and impact on the field.
