Why This Newsletter Exists
Goalkeeping is a lonely position to play, and an even lonelier one to coach from the sideline. I played the position, still coach it today, and spend just as long watching parents try to figure out how to help (from the bleachers, from home, and during the car ride after) without any real guidance. One More Save exists to close that gap: one story, one real moment at a time.
Clarity. Confidence. Perspective. That's our mission.
The Story: The Mistake That Felt Bigger Than the Game
I remember a game early in my pro career … I wasn’t the starter, just filling in as backup that night … when I let in a goal that never should have been a goal. Routine shot, straight at me, the kind you save a thousand times in training without thinking twice. Somehow it went through my hands, then through my legs, and was in the net before I’d even processed what happened.
We fought back and tied the match. Officially, that’s a point on the board. But walking off that field, it didn’t feel like a point.
I sat by my locker afterward, cleats still on, staring at the tape on my fingers instead of talking to anyone. One of the older keepers … a guy who’d survived every mistake in the book … pulled a chair over and sat down next to me. He didn’t say “you’re fine.” He didn’t say “forget about it.” He just asked:
“How many shots did you see tonight?”
“Twelve,” I said.
“And how many of those ended up behind you?”
“One.”
He nodded. “Eleven shots stopped tonight. Eleven. The only one you’re replaying is the one that got through. You’re grieving a loss that didn’t even happen.”
Lesson in Goalkeeping: The best keepers don’t build their confidence on the shot that got in. They build it on the eleven that didn’t … because that’s the game that actually happened, not the one that just feels biggest.
Lesson in Life: One big moment will always try to drown out everything that went right, if you let it hold the microphone.
Closer: Next time one gets past you, you choose where your attention goes: the one goal, or the eleven saves.
Keeper to Keeper
Quick question for you: After your last game, what's the first thing you thought about on the way home? If it was the one shot that got by you, that's normal. But here's something nobody tells you early enough: the best keepers aren't the ones who never make mistakes. They're the ones who get over them the fastest. This week, try answering a different question first: what's one save you made that made you proud?
Parent Insight: The Car Ride Home
A goalkeeper's confidence is built as much on the field as it is on the car ride home. I've watched incredible technical training get quietly undone by a well-meaning, "What happened on that first goal?" And I've watched shaky, inconsistent keepers turn into fearless competitors because someone at home knew exactly what to say … and what not to say. Parents aren't the obstacle. Parents are the biggest lever there is. They just don't always get the guidance. That's exactly the gap One More Save is here to close.
Coach's Corner: A Reframe You Can Use Today
When your keeper makes a mistake, try this: "How many shots did you face today?" Let them answer. Then ask: "And how many of those went in?" It shifts their focus from the one moment they can't stop thinking about to the many quiet successes … the ones they forget to count. This reframe works for parents, too.
Subscribe & Get Keeper Journal Foundations
Join One More Save today and we'll send you Keeper Journal Foundations … our simple daily tool for building a keeper's self-trust, at no cost to you.
Parents: The Parent Companion Guide ($17) is available now … eight short, practical sections with real scripts for the car ride home, tough calls, and hard days, a “Your Turn” worksheet after each one, and a 2-page quick-reference card you can keep in your bag.
Keeper Journal Pro is coming soon too … the full system: guided videos, trackers, and the complete Parent Companion Guide.
The Mission of One More Save
Every issue comes back to the same three commitments:
1. Clarity … understanding what's actually happening in the goalkeeper position, without the jargon.
2. Confidence … for keepers, so they trust themselves between the posts, and for parents, so they trust their role on the sideline.
3. Perspective … the kind that only comes from having lived this from every angle: as a player, a coach, and someone who's helped a lot of parents get the car ride home right.
The Rep: Something your keeper can use immediately
The 3-Second Reset
After conceding, most keepers rush the next play trying to "make up for it." Instead, try this: the moment the negative thought shows up (that was bad, you're letting the team down), say "cancel, cancel" in your head. It sounds simple, but it interrupts the spiral before it builds. Then reset physically: three slow breaths, feet back into your ready stance, eyes up before the restart.
It's not about pretending the goal didn't happen. It's about making sure the next shot gets your best self: the keeper who's been playing well all game, not the one still stuck replaying the last one.
The Takeaway
One More Save exists to help keepers and parents see the whole game: everything that went right, not just the one goal still replaying in their head.
What's one save (or one moment) your keeper should know you noticed?
Glad you're here. See you next week.
Know a goalkeeper parent who'd love this? Subscribe to One More Save →
Thanks for being part of the OneMoreSave community!
Reply with your keeper's win this week … we'd love to hear it. 🧡
P.S.: If this hit home, pass it along to another goalkeeper parent. One more save, one more keeper.