The former Stags goalkeeper stopped a penalty kick in a 7-0 win.
Matt Turner ’17 made his first appearance for the U.S. Men’s National Team this past Sunday, Jan. 31, earning the shutout in goal in a 7-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago. Turner saved a 65th-minute penalty kick — the only shot on goal he faced — in the 90-minute clean-sheet performance.
Turner is the first Stag to take the pitch for an international match since his predecessor in the Fairfield goal, Michael O’Keeffe ’13, whose storied career included a trip to the 2012 Summer Olympics for his native New Zealand.
Also the starting goalkeeper for Major League Soccer’s New England Revolution, Turner was a finalist for the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award this past fall. He led the Revs on a run to the MLS Eastern Conference Final, setting a franchise record with a 1.09 goals-against average. One of his six shutouts came in the first round of the MLS Cup — a 2-0 upset of the top-seeded Philadelphia Union.
Through his five seasons in the MLS, Turner has started 69 matches, collected 16 shutouts, and posted a 24-21-23 record as the Revolution's goalkeeper. He has spent his entire MLS career with the Foxborough-based club, signing with New England as an undrafted college free agent in March of 2016.
His best campaign as a Stag came in 2014 when he led the nation in save percentage (.886) as the anchor of one of the country’s toughest defenses. Fairfield posted 13 shutouts that fall, en route to a berth in the MAAC Championship match.
