Following two seasons with the fledgling Southern Illinois program, former Sydney FC, Brisbane Roar, and Western Sydney Wanderers goalkeeper Chantelle Symes made the move to Detroit Mercy in 2024 with lofty goals on both sides of the student-athlete hyphen. College Matildas caught up with the player affectionately known as the ‘Motor City Megaphone’ to find out more about just what those goals are and what the Sydneysider has learned from her journey to this point.
Chantelle Symes joined Southern Illinois for the 2022 season, and after injury scuppered any chances of making a major impact in her first season, the Sydneysider returned with a vengeance in 2023 to start the majority of games for a Salukis side in only its fifth year of existence. Moving on from a situation in which one has established themselves as a starting goalkeeper is always a difficult decision, but Symes was not short on options.
“I was talking to Grand Canyon University and California Baptist, and I was also talking to Tennessee Tech. Turning down Tennessee Tech was a bit of a rough one, because they then won the (conference) championship last year.
“But at the same time, God’s plan is bigger than mine, so I feel as though I’m still really confident in my decision and where I’m at, and I’ve met some awesome people, so I’m grateful for it.
“From an academic standpoint, (Detroit Mercy) is ranked 42nd in the nation. So, I mainly moved there for my master’s degree (in organisational psychology).
“In the words of (organisational psychologist) Adam Grant, it’s pretty much helping work life not suck. So, it’s looking at the business side of psychology, and that goes anywhere from strategic planning, organisational development to recruiting practices, ethical standards, ensuring that the human side of business is working as smoothly as the results side.
“So, it’s funny. I obviously graduated with my Bachelor’s of Psychology from SIU, then I was looking more at getting into sports psychology, which is still something at the forefront of my brain. But then I came across the industrial and organisational psychology degree at UDM and it looked really interesting. It’s a similar area of work that my mum currently works in; looking at psychosocial behaviours in the workplace and how personalities interact and interfere with business on a daily basis as well.
“I’m just fascinated with the brain, how it works, and how it affects its general surroundings. Plus, there’s so many job opportunities in it, so I’m excited.”
Although Detroit Mercy provided Symes with an excellent opportunity to pursue her chosen academic field, there was also the athlete side of the “student-athlete” title to consider. Having established herself at Southern Illinois, transferring would mean another battle for the lone starting position between the sticks, but it was nothing Symes was not used to after battling to make the Southern Illinois starting spot her own in the previous season.
“Obviously, being the first keeper at SIU, was a difficult decision to leave, but I backed myself to try and back that up again. And it was tough. The ‘keeper I was up against, Marisa Silver, she was fantastic. But then at the end of the day, she could kick further than me, so she ended up playing more games than me.
“That forced me to then focus on an area of my game that I might have neglected growing up in Australia since we often play out of the back, and we don’t really focus on those long-distance kicks.
“While I didn’t get as much game time as I would have liked, it forced me to improve my distance on my goal kicks by probably 10-15 yards, which is only setting me up better for when I come back to the A-League. So, while it was a bit challenging at first, only really playing the first half of the season, I think it was the right move in the long run, because it forced me to improve my game, and I’m also getting a great master’s degree out of it.”
distribution to add another dimension to her game.
(Photo: Jeremy Abney)
With Silver completing her college career after the 2024 season, Symes is now the most experienced goalkeeper on the roster, combining her college experience with her time spent at three separate A-League Women’s clubs. That gives the former Saluki the inside running for the starting spot in 2025, but also makes her a mentor for the younger goalkeepers in the Titans squad, even if those players may be gunning for her spot.
“I’ve had some great chats with our coach, and he told me what he needed me to develop throughout the season, as well as off-season, which I’ve done. It really forced me to focus on my distribution distance.
“I didn’t concede one goal all (spring) season. So that was a kind of thing for me to be like, ‘All right, this is what you’ve been missing. Now you know what you got.’
“He definitely sees me more in a leadership role this season. And you know, hopefully I can get a little cheeky captain spot, which would be nice to finish off my collegiate career. I’m definitely very confident going into this season in my ability to keep the starting spot.”
Although Symes enters the season as the presumptive starter, things can change at a moment’s notice. Only one player can be between the sticks at any one time, but one never knows when another player may be forced to step up. That is forefront in the Australian’s mind going into this season as the Titans look to go a couple of steps better than last season’s Horizon League semi-final defeat. From a pair of two-win seasons in 2019 and the COVID-shortened Spring 2021 campaign, Detroit Mercy have improved their win total every season since, culminating in 2024 seeing the team earn the program’s first ten-win season since 2016. The Titans have every right to feel they can make a run at a conference championship, and Symes is optimistic about their chances.
“I think we have a chance at a ring this season. We thought we had it last season, and we lost in the semi-final, but we also scored two goals that were disallowed. When things go against you like that, it makes it hard, but we’ve still got a really strong squad.
“We’ve got quite a lot of good young girls that have come up. A few of the sophomores are finally stepping into their starting positions, and I’m excited to see them play. We lost one of our main strikers, Joyelle Washington, another one of my best friends, which is unfortunate, but I’m hoping we get maybe one or two strikers that are transfers to come in to fill that void. But besides that, we’ve got Ashley Bates, the phenomenal centre back that’s been out for the past year with an ACL injury. So having her step in, I think will add a lot of depth and strength to the squad.
“We’ve now got another year under our belt playing together. We all know each other’s playing styles a lot more. And I now understand what the coach wants more, so that helps as well.
“In the goalkeeping department, we’re all a team; we all want the best for each other. If I go down, she has to step in, and I want her to still be able to do the best she can.
“It is really competitive since there only is one spot. But, with me and Marisa (Silver), she was one of my best mates. We wanted the best out of each other. And she even told me halfway through the season, ‘If you hadn’t come here, I wouldn’t be the keeper I am today, because you forced me to work on certain areas of my game.’
a bond even whilst competing for one starting spot.
“So, with the other girls, I’m a couple years older than them. I give them advice where I can, and I prepare them to step into my shoes next year to fill that spot.”
Of course, in addition to her collegiate experience, Symes also has experience in professional setups that most players coming into college can only dream of, having spent time at Football NSW Institute before moving on to A-League clubs Brisbane Roar, Western Sydney Wanderers, and Sydney FC. As the Sydneysider prepares for the final stages of her college career before a potential return to playing at the highest level in Australia, it’s fair to say that Symes has combined the best of both worlds in playing in two distinctly different systems.
“I think the biggest thing would probably be how direct the American game is compared to the Australian game. I feel as though growing up here and playing football in Sydney, it’s a lot more play out from the back, and how can we use combinational plays to get up the field. Whereas when you go to America, it’s a lot more direct, it’s a lot more focused on athleticism.
“It really forced me to develop areas of my game that I maybe wasn’t focusing on as much growing up such as distance on my goal kicks, distance on my punts, maybe even my one-on-one saves. I’ve always been quite a solid shot stopper and penalty stopper but being able to come up against girls who might be more athletic than some girls I’ve played against here has really helped develop my aggression in my playing style and my dominance of the six to eighteen yard box.”
However, for all the lessons and development that her college career has provided, Symes’ advice for the next generation starts long before they make the move to the United States.
“Get prepared early and do your research. So don’t only look at the roster. Look at the area that the college is located, how big the school is. If you like the beach, are there beaches nearby? I would say probably the biggest thing is making sure it’s going to be not only a developing experience, but it’s going to provide you with a great living experience.
“If this is something that someone is interested in, start preparing as soon as possible. Because if you have that team that reaches out and goes, “I’m interested, have you got some footage?”, be able to hand that over straight away. Because as soon as you’re at the forefront of their mind, you want to be able to present yourself in the best possible way.”
However, Symes has also learned plenty from her experience along the way, not least about the trials and tribulations that come with any athlete’s career. Whilst pursuing a collegiate athletic career can be a great experience, it is certainly worth remembering that there will be bumps, and even sometimes mountains, in the road, and how a student-athlete navigates those is half the battle.
“Collegiate athletics, especially at the D1 level, is really competitive. Sometimes you’re not going to play, sometimes you’re going to have the starting spot all season. I mean, six weeks into moving to America, I tore my MCL, my PCL and my meniscus, and I was out for the rest of the season. And it gets hard, it gets lonely, but being able to remind yourself why you’re there and who you’re doing it for is a massive thing.
“I wouldn’t have been able to do it without of the support of my parents. Emotionally, physically, financially, they really helped me get there, and I’m grateful for that every second of the way.
“But be prepared, because it’s hard, but it’s also really rewarding. It’s provided me with an opportunity to get two degrees completely paid for through playing a sport I love.
“It’s provided me with an opportunity to live in two countries and play the game I love all around the world and see some places that I might not have seen if I didn’t go to college in America, and I wouldn’t have met some of my best friends today if I didn’t do it. So, I’m really grateful I did it. It’s been amazing.”
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