Xavier University women’s soccer hires Tyler Smaha as Director of Player Analysis

CINCINNATI – Xavier University women’s soccer head coach Nate Lie announced the addition of Tyler Smaha to his coaching staff as Director of Player Analysis. Smaha comes to Xavier from Fort Hays State University where he served as an assistant for the women’s soccer program.

Smaha fills the position formerly held by Taylor Spradling, who accepted a role as assistant coach at Northern Arizona. Spradling spent three seasons with the Musketeers, helping lead the program to a remarkable turnaround in that time frame, capped with last season’s BIG EAST regular season and tournament championships and the program’s first NCAA Tournament win.

“First, on behalf of the entire program, we would like to congratulate Taylor Spradling on his move to Northern Arizona University,” said Lie. “He’s been a huge part of our program for the past three years.  We thank Taylor for his passion and selflessness, and we wish him a ton of success at NAU.”

On the addition of Smaha, Lie added, “Tyler is a young, driven, passionate, talented coach that I believe can add a great deal to our program.  Besides working with the goalkeepers, Tyler will also be heavily involved in opponent scouting, data analysis, internal video and functional training.  Tyler is forward-thinking and self-driven, and I believe that he will bring new energy and ideas.  I’ve been tracking Tyler for a few years and I’m extremely excited for him to be part of Xavier Soccer.”

Smaha had served as an assistant for the women’s program at Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas since 2019. Prior to that, Smaha had worked as a volunteer assistant for the men’s program at Drake.

Additionally, Smaha worked as a staff coach for both the Iowa and Kansas Olympic Development programs, and also coached on the prep level on both the club stage at Sporting Iowa and at Johnston High School.

Smaha holds a USSF D License and United Soccer Coaches Advanced National Diploma. He’s also a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

As a player, Smaha spent three seasons at Buena Vista University, before spending his final season at Simpson College. He graduated from Simpson College with a Business Management Degree with a Minor in Secondary Education in 2017, and is currently working towards a Masters Degree in Health and Human Performance from Fort Hays State University.