Stepping on the field takes a competitive spirit; stepping into the goal takes that and something more.
 
Drake Callender is finding out exactly what that something is, but simultaneously proving that he has the majestic factor.
 
Callender leads the three-man goalkeeper squad for California and despite being an underclassmen has showcased his value in the net through the team's nonconference slate.

The sophomore is heading into Pac-12 play this week as the league leader with 29 saves and tabbed The Conference's Player of the Week honor on Sept. 12, the Golden Bears' first of two such awards this season.

"Getting the Pac-12 Player of the Week was great. It was a good little confidence booster, but you have to keep moving forward," Callender said. "You can't feel like you've already done it. You have to keep performing well.

"Leading the league in saves is good and bad. I'm making saves and playing well, but at the same time as a collective team we need to figure out how to give the other team less shots on goal. Saving the ball is my job, so you can't take it as something great. It's my job to help my teammates."

Complacency is not an option for Callender, but it's also not his mentality. Still a younger member of the team, he has areas he wants to improve.
 
"Drake's starting to understand the technical part of the game which is an important part of the position. He's getting more comfortable, but he knows there are things to get better on. Those things are coming along," said goalkeeper coach Henry Foulk. 
 
"He's finding his way on the leadership side and learning how to get the best out of his teammates. Before he was very emotionally driven, but now he seems to give good guidance. The players respect him and if you're in that leadership role you have to be getting it done on the field."
 
With Foulk as a guide Callender's outlook is bright. In fact, it was Foulk, a nationally-acclaimed Cal goalkeeper from 1981-83, that led the young Bear to Berkeley.

"I joined the San Jose Earthquakes Academy my sophomore year of high school and that's where Henry was also coaching," Callender recalled. "I had never talked to colleges or thought about using soccer to get into college, but my junior year he and I started talking about me playing at Cal.
 
"It's really good having him as a coach. This is my fifth year being coached by him and we have a pretty good friendship. He's one of the main guys I'm playing for."
 
Before joining the Bears, an athletic talent who competed in multiple sports growing up, the Fair Oaks, Calif. native, spent time as field player, but had a propensity for playing in the net. That inclination fared well his freshman year with the Bears as he shared the starting effort with departing goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann, who left after his sophomore year to play professionally in Germany.
 
Callender recorded 31 saves in his five starts in 2016 and has nearly surpassed that amount with 10 games remaining in the regular season this year. His early playing experience has been monumental for stepping into the lead role so quickly.

"Heading into this season, I gained this mentality of working to be the best," said Callender. "Last year helped in getting to know the players more and their tendencies. Also, it helped in gaining my teammates trust with having someone back there that would give their best."

The Bears are collectively finding their competitive edge as they head into the conference on a four-game win streak. A season ago, the team suffered in closely-contested battles to fall short of a postseason bid. 
 
A large part of the turnaround has been the defensive acrobatics of Callender in goal. His career-best nine-save showing in the Bears 2-1, double overtime win at Portland not only inked him as the top player that week in conference, but began the Bears' current win streak.
 
"Before that game, I had a talk with one of my really good friends. He told me to believe in myself and to realize my potential and trust that my hard work was going to pay off," Callender said. "It was like my subconscious was in that mode that helped me perform so well."
 
His tenacious approach has flowed throughout the team as the Bears enter the toughest part of the season.
 
"Coming off of this four win streak right now and going into conference, understanding that we have everything to prove, we've built some good momentum," Callender said. "At this point, we have nothing to lose."

And recently, they haven't.