ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Washington University in St. Louis women's soccer junior Keira Smyser wasn't sure where she would end up when she decided to enter the transfer portal in November, 2024 and leave the University of Iowa, but WashU was always in the back of her mind.
 
A native of Ballwin, Mo. and an alumna of Cor Jesu Academy, Smyser has always had ties to WashU. Her father, Christopher Smyser, is the A. Ernest and Jane G. Stein Professor of Developmental Neurology and was named director of the Division of Pediatric and Developmental Neurology at WashU Medicine in October. Her mom, Tara Smyser, is a Clinical Laboratory Manager in the Department of Psychiatry and has been a member of WashU's Neonatal and Development Research Team since 2008. Additionally, her sister, Kaelan graduated from WashU in 2024.
 
"I never knew if I wanted to come home," said Smyser. "I really loved WashU and I loved the school aspect of it. I knew, especially being pre-med, that I was going to come to a place that was really going to set me up for success. And [women's soccer] won a national championship last year, so that was exciting. After that, I came and visited and I knew I wanted to come here."
 
"This just felt right," continued Smyser. "Everything was falling into place. At the end of the day, the decision wasn't difficult for me to choose WashU."
 
"We want women that are focused on what WashU has to offer academically and athletically," said Head Coach Jim Conlon. "When Keira reached out to me, the first thing we had to do was figure out if she had the right characteristics to help our program and it became clear very quick that she valued education and athletic excellence."
 
Smyser played club soccer for St. Louis Scott Gallagher, which has been a leader in youth soccer for decades.
 
"St. Louis is a great soccer city," said Conlon. "We knew her coming from the Scott Gallagher Club, she had been coached at a high level and we want to be a part of that St. Louis soccer fabric. We knew she has a lot of natural gifts for us. We were hoping that we could bring her in and continue to help her elevate her game. We knew from a mental side of it, she was strong player and we knew from a physical side of it, she had talent and we wanted to help her grow throughout her journey."
 
Smyser's transfer was a quick turnaround, as she began classes at WashU for the 2025 spring semester. Joining the team for spring training gave Smyser the chance to get to know her teammates before the new season started and establish herself among a very talented group of players.
 
Ultimately, Smyser worked on establishing the crucial relationships throughout academia and on the women's soccer team, showing them what she was all about.
 
"This team really is about holding everyone to a really high standard, both in school and on the field and I love that," said Smyser. "I see myself as someone who does that too. I had a lot of respect for my teammates and they could see I held myself to that same standard as the team expects."
 
"That's always the hardest thing to do, come in as a transfer and put yourself into a culture that's already established," said Conlon. "She did a great job of just being herself and understanding the values that we had in the program."
 
Smyser ended up on a Bears' team that just won its second-straight National Championship on December 6, finishing 21-0-3, not recording a loss for the second year in a row. A stalwart on the defensive end, Smyser was part of the Bears' defense that allowed just nine goals all season, while propelling the offense to score 84. In total, WashU recorded 15 shutouts on the season.
 
In the national semifinal, the Bears played UAA foe Chicago in an instant classic that went to 14 rounds of penalty kicks (one shy of the NCAA record), resulting in the Bears advancing to their third-straight national championship game 10-9 on penalty kicks.
 
The title match also proved to be another hard-fought game between UAA opponents when WashU took on Emory. The Eagles scored in the first half for the lead but the Bears put together a pair of second-half goals less than two minutes apart to win the National Championship.
 
"It was difficult for both of us because you were playing someone who knew you so well, but it feels that much better because we won and the games were crazy," said Smyser.
 
After two years at the University of Iowa, nearly four hours away, Smyser was able to reap the benefits of playing for a university closer to home. Although just a short drive to Ballwin, Smyser fully immersed herself into soccer, academics and campus life.
 
Beyond her immediate family, Smyser did not get much fanfare all the way in Iowa, but the local community was able to come out and support at Francis Olympic Field. Additionally, teammate Heidi Fesler, another St. Louis native, also played for Scott Gallagher.
 
"It was really fun to have that support and a bunch of people following the team," said Smyser. "WashU in the past hasn't had a big St. Louis presence from the sound of it, so it's really cool to be from St. Louis and represent the University."
 
Less than two weeks out from winning the national championship, the Bears are still celebrating but once the calendar turns, they are ready to lock in and look towards the 2026 season. Smyser will be one of 11 seniors on the team next season eyeing a third-straight title, which has only been done one other time in Division III women's soccer, by UC San Diego from 1995-1997.
 
The Bears, however, are very good at blocking off outside pressure, focusing on the things they can control and taking it one practice and game at a time.
 
"In the spring it's going to be important to not get ahead of ourselves and to focus on one day, one week, one month at a time and not get caught up winning a national championship again," said Smyser. "But we hold that standard for ourselves because we know we're capable of it and we know we have the talent and hard work to be able to do it. Even though it's not outside pressure, we all internally know that we can do this and if we all continue with the standard we set, we are capable of winning it again."
 
Rewatch the Championship vs. Emory HERE.
Rewatch the semifinal vs. Chicago HERE.
 
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