By Andrew Adkins

sports@kykernel.com

Goalkeeper Callum Irving said he is fascinated by war.

The history sophomore compared the teamwork it takes between soldiers to that of the UK men’s soccer team.

“It reminds me of the camaraderie I feel with this team,” he said. “We’re fighting for each other.”

Irving began his journey to UK from about 2,570 miles away from Lexington.

He grew up in Vancouver and first picked up a soccer ball at the age of 4.

His father, Rob Irving, played college soccer in Canada and was also a goalkeeper.

“I guess I got the goalkeeper gene,” Irving said.

Whether it was genetic or self-induced, Irving began gaining notoriety for his goalkeeper skills.

He traveled to Europe to play for club teams as a teenager, playing in Holland, Belgium and Spain.

He said this is where his passion for the sport was amplified.

“Europe is the hotbed of soccer in the world,” he said, “and being there at such a young age and seeing the passion those people had for the sport reaffirmed my belief that this is what I want to do.”

While in Canada, Irving said he began doing extra training with other teams other than his club team. He joined the Vancouver Whitecaps, a MLS affiliate program, in 2007. It was there that he said he honed his skills.

“I had a lot of good coaches,” Irving said. He said his coach while at the White Caps helped take him “to the next level” when he was 16.

Irving had a burning desire to continue climbing the ranks of soccer and knew playing collegiately would be in his best interest.  The only question was where he would attend.

“It got to the point where I didn’t really know what I was going to do,” Irving said. Once UK showed what they could offer, he said he made his decision.

Upon first arrival at UK, Irving knew he had to compete for the goalkeeper position.

Senior captain goalkeeper Jack Van Arsdale has battled with Irving for the starting spot in each of the last two seasons.

Van Arsdale finished last season as the starter while also being named to the Conference USA second team.

Irving said constant competition with Van Arsdale makes himself better.

“I knew if I wanted to play I’d have to work even harder.  (Van Arsdale) never takes a day off, which is crucial for the team,” Irving said. “Having that balance of competitiveness and friendship is really important.”

Irving believes the Cats (6-8-2, 3-3-2 Conference USA) can achieve success, not only in the future, but this season as well.  They have already clinched a spot in the Conference USA Tournament.

“Once we get to the Conference USA tournament in Charlotte, we control our fate.  We can go as far as we want to go,” Irving said. “And in the future, we will be pushing for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, including the Final Four.”

Irving’s statistics include five shutouts and an average of 1.13 goals per game.

As for his own future, Irving wants to further his soccer career, but isn’t ruling out pursuing his second passion.

“If playing professionally somehow doesn’t work out,” he said, “I’d love to get my Master’s degree in history and become a professor.”