Paul Grandstrand '11 may be a rookie at the toughest position in soccer, but please don't call him green.
Splitting time with Jarrett Leech '09 as the team's goalkeeper, the Orono, Minn., native has been stellar in helping the Bears to a No. 20 ranking. On Saturday, Grandstrand entered a game against Princeton with the Bears trailing 1-0 late in the second half and made two key saves that allowed the Bears to come back for a 2-1 overtime victory. He was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week for his performance.
Grandstrand followed that performance with a shutout in the Bears' 1-0 overtime win over No. 11 Boston College on Wednesday. With these two performances, Grandstrand is our Athlete of the Week.
Herald: So far this season, the soccer team has beaten two top-25 teams and has tied another. What do you think of your team's performance?
Grandstrand: We started off strong, and we kind of relaxed a little bit, and that was pretty obvious. We had a couple of easy opponents that we should have put away much better than we did. But we're starting back on the upswing now, starting with a win Wednesday night.
As a freshman, are you surprised to be playing so much, especially for a top team?
Personally, yes. Coming into the season, I didn't expect to play much, but I've taken advantage of the opportunities that were given.
How do you feel about your performance so far?
I think it's been pretty good. There are a few areas I could improve in, and there have been a few mistakes in games that I need to fix, but overall, I'm pretty pleased.
When did you start playing soccer?
I started playing soccer probably when I was seven. One day at recess, I remember seeing some kids play soccer and I decided to join, and I instantly fell in love with the sport. I begged my parents to let me join a team, and ever since then, I've been playing.
Have you always been a goalkeeper?
I'll say yes, just because when you're young, you don't really have a goalkeeper, you just kind of rotate in the goal. But once I got to the age where one guy does the job, I took over.
Since there's so much attention on your position, how do you bounce back after giving up a goal?
The biggest thing as a goalkeeper is that you can't let things get to you. You have to be mentally tough. You obviously have to realize that once in a while, you're going to make a mistake, but you can't harp on that too much. You have to quickly evaluate what you did wrong and make sure it doesn't happen again. But otherwise, you can't let it get to you, and you have to keep doing your thing.
How come in movies like "The Big Green" and "The Mighty Ducks," goalkeepers are portrayed as fat and lazy?
Usually, when people think of goalkeepers, it's someone who usually stands there and doesn't do much and never has to run and doesn't need to be in shape because of that.
Does that description fit you and Leech?
Not at all. I know (Jarrod) Schlenker ('10), the (third) goalkeeper, is one of the fastest on the three-mile on the team, and he's a goalkeeper. So it obviously doesn't fit.
What's your strategy on penalty shots?
On penalty shots, I'll do a - I'll call it an educated guess. You'll have to read the shooter, if they're looking at a corner, if their hips are pointed a certain way. And basically, you have to pick a side to dive before he shoots the ball. And sometimes I'll guess wrong, but hopefully the majority I'll guess right.
You're an engineering concentrator at Brown. Is it tough to balance engineering and soccer?
When I came and visited here, they asked me what I wanted to study. I said engineering, and a lot of the people on the team, as well as the coach, said that's a lot of time. That's probably the most time-consuming major. Currently on the team, I think there are two others ... who are doing engineering. It's been a lot of work, but I've been able to manage it so far.
What do you like to do when you're not playing soccer?
I like computers. I spend a lot of time on a computer.
Does your expertise in engineering or computers ever help you on the soccer field?
Um, probably. That's a good question. One of the big things as a goalkeeper is playing your angles correctly and getting lined up for shots in the center of the net based on where they're coming from. So I guess there's something there, perhaps, with geometry.
That's quite the engineer's response.
