(Editor's Note: This story appeared on the Calvin News and Stories site earlier this year, featuring Calvin men's soccer student-athlete
Matt Torrell. The original story can be found online at:
Matt Torrell Feature Story. Torrell arrived at Calvin in January of 2025, transferring in from Liberty University. This past fall, he earned both NCAA Division III All-America honors and College Sports Communicators Academic All-America honors while helping Calvin claim an MIAA Tournament title and reach the NCAA III Tournament).
By Calvin Senior Writer and Communications Strategist Matt Kucinski
In early 2025, Matt Torrell, then finishing up his second year at Liberty University, entered into the transfer portal. A Division I athlete at the time, he was looking for an opportunity "to make a big impact."
"My goalkeeper at Liberty, his brother was Calvin's goalkeeper this past year," said Torrell. "He told me about his brother's experience and connected me with the coach."
Upon visiting Calvin, Torrell said, "I loved it."
Making an impact
He had heard of Calvin's academic reputation and said seeing the incredible facilities and hearing about the soccer team's consistent success all played into his decision. During the recruiting process, Coach Souders also helped Torrell see that he could make a big impact and be a leader on the team.
"So, I decided to come and he was 100% right," said Torrell. "I stepped into leading the team this past fall in a Bible study off the field and also tried to be a leader by my play on the field."
On the field, Torrell surely made a big impact, amassing 38 points on the strength of 15 goals and eight assists. He was also named his league's Most Valuable Player. Off the field, he was on the dean's list for each of his first two semesters at Calvin. And this past December, his success on and off the field were evidenced by him being named a College Sports Communicators First Team Academic All-American—a prestigious national honor.
Creating an environment where student-athletes thrive
Torrell gives all glory to God for this achievement and is grateful for the environment at Calvin that is contributing to his holistic success.
"I would say a main part of having success in both areas is the emphasis Calvin places on academics," said Torrell. "At my former Division I school they say you are a student-athlete, but I think the focus is a little less on the student side of it. Here at Calvin, it's a good balance, allowing students to excel on and off the field."
For Torrell, he's working on a sports management major and a business minor, hoping to enter into a future career in something that combines sports and business. He already is gaining some experience running a small Christian sports apparel brand called Faithful Champions. In fact, over the past two years, he's fulfilled 30,000 orders.
"I've always been business minded. I did landscaping in high school, collected a bit of cash on the side from that and I wanted to get into E-Commerce. That blew up in 2022-2023 and one of my friends mentored me and showed me how to work it," said Torrell. "Faith and soccer are my passions, and I wanted to put the two together and make some products. So, what was trending were grip socks, so I added a twist to grip socks for soccer players, and put a cross on the sock and a Bible verse on the top."
A transfer worth taking
As he continues at Calvin, he's looking forward to continuing to hone his skills through classes in sports marketing and business and through involvement in clubs like the entrepreneurial incubator, StartUp Garage. And because the transfer process was so smooth, he's projected to graduate ahead of schedule—a semester early. "To be able to do that after transferring is credit to Calvin's team," said Torrell.
"In the transition of transferring out my previous school, I wondered did I make the right decision? Is this the right fit? Am I going to succeed here? said Torrell. "The transfer was definitely worth it. This is a good place for sure. I am super grateful and blessed."
