Two goalkeepers, almost a decade between them, yet nearly identical experiences.
It was Grant Calvert’s second year of college soccer. He wasn't enjoying the sport like he once did and it all just seemed like a chore. The combination of injuries and almost no playing time left the goalkeeper feeling defeated and unmotivated. Was this sport worth all this frustration? His solution: Instagram DM United States Men's National Team goalkeeper Matt Turner for advice. Calvert knew the professional keeper had dealt with a similar dilemma during his college career at Fairfield and was desperate for his insight. The March 2022 conversation would help reinvigorate Calvert’s love of the game and inspire him to do the same for others. A year later, Calvert got the chance to thank Turner “in person” over a video call hosted by NCAA.com.
@grannycalvs Matt Turner. What a guy. #usmnt #mattturner #d1soccer #mlsnext #soccer #mentality #athleteadvice #goalkeeper #collegesoccer #fyp
♬ original sound - Grant Calvert
“You reaching out didn’t just affect me; it also affected a lot of other people,” Calvert told Turner, with a shy grin on his face at the end of the 10-minute conversation.
The meeting between the two goalies, however, is not just the result of a few messages and a curious reporter. It’s a product of a larger story, a culmination of the unique yet shared experience of goalkeepers everywhere. Here’s a deeper look.
Calvert was in his second year at Saint Louis in 2022 after redshirting as a freshman. He finally had a shot at game time in the first exhibition match of the season.
Rewind to 2013. Fairfield sophomore Matt Turner was lacing up for his first chance between the posts of a collegiate match. Having only started playing the sport in high school four years earlier, Turner was an anomaly for even being on a Division I roster, but now was his chance to prove he belonged. It was the second half, his team was up, and things were going well. Then came a rocket from 30 yards out that hit the crossbar and flew up. Turning to face the net, Turner lifted his gloves but failed to catch anything on the way down. The ball hit off his face and landed in the net. Turner fell to the ground, hands holding his head, devastated. The blunder would find its way to the No. 1 spot in SportsCenter's Not Top 10.
Now back to Calvert. He subbed on with 30 minutes left in that exhibition, his team up a goal. He'd made a few saves and the year of patiently watching, learning and competing with the first-string keeper was paying off. He could feel a newfound confidence. Then came a looping cross off his line; he punched the air, narrowly missing the ball and gifting the opposing forward a free goal. He had cost his team the win. Emotions took over that night as he sat awake in the hotel room, replaying the mistake.
“It was one of those mistakes that didn't just magically disappear," Calvert told NCAA.com. "After we got home, it sort of followed me, a week on, a month on."
Calvert played only once more that season before a back injury held him out. By the time he was healthy, his second-string spot was given to a teammate and his prospects of seeing the field in his third year were close to zero. The dizzying effects of college soccer competition had taken a toll, and he was at a crossroads — transfer to a new school and continue playing or hang up the boots for good?
Remember that Fairfield sophomore on SportsCenter’s Not Top 10? So did Grant. He decided to seek advice from Turner, who had now reached the Premier League and emerged as USMNT's starting keeper at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The exchange lit a spark in Calvert’s decision to remain with the sport. A few months of soul-searching later, Calvert committed to play at Belmont with a refreshed approach to the game and a simple message pinned in his mind.
"Just have fun with it."
The shared struggle
Take it from Turner, who has played at all levels of the game, that when a keeper is between the posts, the highest amount of pressure usually comes from within.
“It’s really a battle against yourself. It’s hard trying to be perfect all the time. If a goal goes in it’s like a personal attack... There are such fine details that are success on one side and failure on the other and you’re always sort of hanging in that balance.”
But as we learned from the Turner and Calvert stories, just stepping foot on the pitch is a privilege. Hanging in the balance of success and failure extends beyond the field of play and when a keeper goes several seasons without seeing consistent minutes — it can feel like the pendulum is not tilting in your favor. Despite this, keepers still train just as hard as the starters, travel every weekend and run through all the necessary pregame preparations. Emotions can spiral, and it can feel like you are putting in endless work without any reward.
“I just felt like all the chips are stacked against me. And yeah, it was hard,” Turner said, as he recounted his sophomore-year viral play.
College goalkeepers and players go through this mental battle on a daily basis all over the country, and the fast pace and all-consuming nature that is college athletics can heighten negative feelings. The pressure can surmount athletes resulting in them leaving the sport completely.
So how can athletes make it through? There’s no perfect solution, but learning from others' shared experiences is a good place to start.
Navigating the low points
For Calvert, changing his approach to the game made all the difference.
“What really has helped me is to focus on the stuff that I can control, the internal stuff, not necessarily focusing on the external,” said Calvert, who has started 14 of Belmont's first 15 games so far this season.
Turner echoed this response by highlighting how a player has no control over things like team selection, field conditions or injuries, but what they can ensure is being a good teammate and having a positive attitude. Turner was proud to relay that whether he is the starter, the second- or third-string, he strives to approach every day with the same mindset.
Having this kind of mental shift, though, is easier said than done, and for some, just reaching that point can be tough. According to Turner, the biggest sign of strength in these low moments is using your voice.
“I encourage any goalkeeper who's struggling with mental health, or if they're struggling with their confidence on the pitch to go talk to somebody,” Turner said.
In his moments of struggle during college, Turner relied on his family to support him and remind him why he started playing the sport.
“Such a small percentage of people get to say that they've done what you're doing right now," Turner said. "When I was able to get back down to the root of having fun with it, I was able to take leaps and bounds in my development as a player and a person.”
That level of growth is what allows for a player like Turner, who plays at the sport's most respected level, to take a moment and genuinely connect with an unknown college player popping up in his DMs. His response to Calvert 19 months ago was a part of his belief in a larger cause, a cause that focuses on spreading a positive attitude. It's what Turner calls, "The Goalkeeping Gospel."
Spreading the positivity
Just have fun with it. A simple phrase the USMNT goalkeeper shared with Calvert in their initial Instagram DM conversation, and the same line that is repeated in many of Calvert’s TikToks. Learning to enjoy the ride and inspiring others to do so has become a theme on the @GrannyCalvs TikTok page, now with more than 10,000 followers. One scroll through the 21-year-old’s content and you’ll see comments and questions from a community of players looking to grow.
With a simple act of compassion, Turner set the young player on a path to reinvent his relationship with soccer and in doing so, develop his role as a communicator.
"I'm able to somewhat pass down my knowledge now because like, in my sense, I was the one looking up to you, right?" Calvert told Turner. "But since they're younger, they look up to, I guess, me."
Turner assured Calvert: "Not 'I guess.' They definitely do, my man."
